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Barons' Bats Back Dunning In Classic Win

Birmingham tops Chattanooga 7-1 to win Rickwood Classic
Dane Dunning tossed seven brilliant innings to win the Rickwood Classic. (Michael Wade)
May 30, 2018

In their return to their iconic former home, the Birmingham Barons (23-28) used a fabulous performance on the mound and an early offensive eruption to top the Chattanooga Lookouts (31-21) 7-1 on Wednesday afternoon at the 22nd Annual Rickwood Classic at historic Rickwood Field. Turning Point: The Birmingham bats broke through

In their return to their iconic former home, the Birmingham Barons (23-28) used a fabulous performance on the mound and an early offensive eruption to top the Chattanooga Lookouts (31-21) 7-1 on Wednesday afternoon at the 22nd Annual Rickwood Classic at historic Rickwood Field.

  • Turning Point: The Birmingham bats broke through early against Lookouts starter Kohl Stewart (L, 3-3). Nick Basto got the scoring started with an RBI single to center in the second. Danny Mendick and Zack Collins each recorded a two-bagger later in the inning to give the Barons an early 4-0 lead, and that proved to be plenty of support.  
  • By the Numbers: A workhorse on the mound, Dane Dunning (W, 3-1) was marvelous from his first pitch to his last. He tossed 7.0 brilliant innings, giving up just one run on five hits with a season-high nine strikeouts to earn his third win with the Barons.  
  • Quotable: "He was dialed in. He was hitting his spots," said Barons manager Ryan Newman. "He did a great job of keeping Chattanooga at bay and he was outstanding."
  • Moments That Mattered: Basto added a two-run single in the fourth to cap the scoring for the Barons. He finished 2-for-3 with three RBIs and a run scored. Collins finished 2-for-4 with two RBIs and Seby Zavala added three hits in his return from the disabled list.
  • Facts and Figures: The win is Birmingham's first at Rickwood Field since 2013. The win improves the Barons record to 10-12 in the Rickwood Classic.
  • He Said It: "The atmosphere was awesome and the crowd was behind us," Newman said. "It was great to put up the four spot in the second inning and it was a great game."
  • Up Next: The Barons return to Regions Field on Thursday night to continue their series with the Lookouts at 7:05 p.m. Spencer Adams (2-6, 6.42) is set to start for Birmingham. Curt Bloom will have the call on 960 WERC News Radio and the iHeart Radio app.