MONTGOMERY, Ala. - The Biscuits (2-5) brought their bats with them and avoided matching their worst start in team history with a convincing 7-1 win over the Birmingham Barons (4-3) on Thursday night at Regions Field, snapping a five-game losing streak in the process.Montgomery had not scored more than three
MONTGOMERY, Ala. - The Biscuits (2-5) brought their bats with them and avoided matching their worst start in team history with a convincing 7-1 win over the Birmingham Barons (4-3) on Thursday night at Regions Field, snapping a five-game losing streak in the process.
Montgomery had not scored more than three runs in any of their first six games of the season, but a Dalton Kelly RBI-single and a Nathan Lukes two-run double off Birmingham starter Jordan Stephens (0-2) in the first inning matched that total and served as an auspicious kickstart to the game.
In the second, after Thomas Milone was hit by a pitch, Andrew Velazquez would triple him home on a shot to left-center that deflected off Barons center fielder Tito Polo and rolled all the way to the left field wall. Nick Solak would follow up the Biscuits center fielder with a sac fly, and the Butter and Blue were rolling, 5-0.
Solak and left fielder Brandon Lowe would each add an RBI-single in the fourth to knock Stephens out of the game and take the pressure off Biscuits starter Zach Lee (1-0) who went 5.2 scoreless innings, surrendering just three hits, one walk, and five strikeouts in his first Montgomery victory. Lee at one point retired 13-straight Barons in what was the right-hander's best start in some time exactly one year after recording his first Major League victory with the San Diego Padres on April 12, 2017.
The Barons spoiled the shutout in the eighth on a Polo RBI-double, but the Biscuits bullpen led by Mike Franco, Travis Ott, and birthday boy Kyle Bird, was outstanding in preserving the win.
The Biscuits will try to win their second game in as many nights on Friday when J.D. Martin (0-1) clashes with Jordan Guerrero (1-0) at 7:05 PM.
