Bats break out in Tuesday's 12-inning 8-4 win over Biscuits

MONTGOMERY, AL (April 23, 2024) — In the longest game since June 18, 2022, the Mississippi Braves scored four runs in the top of the 12th inning to beat the Montgomery Biscuits in Tuesday night's series opener 8-4. Drake Baldwin went 3-for-4 with two doubles and an RBI and was on base five times to lead the 11-hit offense.

Mississippi jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the first four innings against Biscuits starter Logan Workman. Tyler Tolve blasted a two-run home run in the second inning, his first home run of the year, to put the M-Braves up 2-0. Cody Milligan started the top of the third inning with a double and scored on a Baldwin single to make it 3-0. Cal Conley produced the fourth run by himself, starting the fourth inning with a single, then moving to second on a wild pitch, and scoring on a pair of throwing errors.

M-Braves starter Ian Mejia shined again on the mound, backing up his nine-strikeout performance last week in Birmingham with eight strikeouts against Montgomery. The 24-year-old right-hander gave up just one run on four hits over 5.0 innings, with four walks and eight punch outs.

Montgomery began their comeback in the fifth inning by getting on the scoreboard on a sacrifice fly by Kenny Piper. In the sixth inning, Jake McSteen relieved Mejia and surrendered solo home runs from Dominic Keegan and Heriberto Hernandez to make it 4-3. Hernandez struck again in the top of the ninth inning with his second home run of the game, and fifth of the year against Trey Riley, to tie the game and send it to extras.

Riley and Parker Dunshee (W, 1-1) were outstanding in extras, holding Montgomery scoreless in the 10th and 11th, while the M-Braves offense was held off the scoreboard. That changed in the 12th inning. Against Biscuits reliever Alfred Zarraga, Justin Dean walked, and Milligan singled to load the bases. Nacho Alvarez Jr. singled through the left side of the infield to score two runs, and Milligan added a third run on an errant throw to give Mississippi a 6-4 lead. Alvarez plated the fourth run of the inning on back-to-back wild pitches.

Dunshee, pitching for the second straight game, slammed the door in the bottom of the 12th inning to secure the series-opening win. Baldwin and Alvarez Jr. extended their on-base streaks to nine games in the win, while Milligan and Geraldo Quintero recorded two hits each.

The M-Braves and Biscuits have a quick turnaround with an 11:00 am first pitch on Wednesday. LHP Luis De Avila (0-2, 4.73) starts for Mississippi against LHP Brendan McKay (0-0, 0.00) for Montgomery. Coverage begins at 10:45 am on 102.1 The Box, Bally Live, and MiLB.com. The M-Braves return to Trustmark Park for a six-game series against the Pensacola Blue Wahoos from April 30 to May 5. For tickets and information on the latest promotions, visit mississippibraves.com.