Biscuits take series opener over M-Braves 6-2 on Wednesday

PEARL, MS -- After Monday's rainout and Tuesday's travel day, the Mississippi Braves were back to work on Wednesday night, but suffered a loss in the series opener at Montgomery, 6-2. The Biscuits have now outscored the M-Braves 33-10 this season and have won all six meetings in 2018. 

Montgomery (15-11, 52-44) forced M-Braves starter Enderson Franco (L, 4-7) to throw 55 pitches in the first two innings and got to the 25-year-old in the second inning. Nathan Lukes hit s 2-2 pitch with two outs into the right-center gap to score Michael Russell and give Montgomery a 1-0 lead. Franco walked two in the inning and three over the first two frames. 
Former Mississippi State Bulldog and Tampa Bay's 13th round selection in 2016 Nate Lowe hit a solo homer to start the bottom of the third inning and increase Montgomery's lead to 2-0. The homer was Lowe's ninth in 32 Double-A games and 19th overall this season. 
The Biscuits began to pull away in the fifth inning and drove Franco from the game after an RBI single by Lowe. Connor Johnstone entered and surrendered a two-run triple from Dalton Kelly to make it 5-0 Biscuits. 
Franco yielded four runs on five hits over 4.1 innings in his 13th start of the year, walking three and striking out four. 
Peter Maris extended the Biscuits lead to 6-0 with a solo homer to start the bottom of the sixth inning. Biscuits starter Sam McWilliams (W, 4-6) tossed 6.0 scoreless innings while scattering five hits in his second start against Mississippi this season. 
The M-Braves (12-13, 41-54) finally cracked the scoreboard in the seventh inning against reliever Curtis Taylor. The inning began with a walk to Brandon Downes and a single by Carlos Martínez. Taylor struck out the next two batters, but with two outs, Alejandro Salazar connected for an RBI single to plate Downes and it was 6-1. Salazar is 7-for-9 over his last two games with three RBI. Martinez extended his hitting streak to five games. 
Travis Demeritte drilled an RBI double in the eighth inning that scored Tyler Marlette, but 6-2 was as close as the Braves would get on Wednesday night. 
Left-handers Tyler Pike and Michael Mader tossed scoreless innings of relief in the seventh and eighth for Mississippi. Tyler Neslony reached base three times in the game and was 2-for-4 at the plate. 
The M-Braves and Biscuits will play game two of the five-game series on Thursday night at Riverwalk Stadium, RHP Bryse Wilson (2-5, 4.57) will start for the Braves against RHP J.D. Martin (7-9, 4.55) for Montgomery. First pitch is at 6:35 pm with coverage starting at 6:20 pm on 103.9 WYAB and the free TuneIn Radio app. 
The M-Braves return home Monday, July 23 for a ten-game homestand with Chattanooga and Birmingham. For tickets, visit mississippibraves.com/tickets. For more information, call the M-Braves Front Office at 601.932.8788 or 888-BRAVES4.