BayBears fall to Biscuits in back-and-forth battle

MOBILE, Ala. (August 30, 2018) - After taking a 5-2 lead into the eighth inning, the Mobile BayBears, the Double-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Angels, could not hold on in an 8-7 extra-inning loss to the Montgomery Biscuits in the series opener Thursday night at Hank Aaron Stadium.
Trailing 2-1 in the fifth inning, Zach Houchins blasted his 10th home run of the season to give the BayBears (65-67 overall, 28-36 second half) a 4-2 lead. The following inning, Mitch Spires drove in Riley Unroe with a sacrifice fly to add a run of insurance. Unroe extended his Southern League hit streak to 14 games with an RBI single earlier in the game.
However, the Biscuits (76-60, 39-27) scored six runs in final three frames to win their first game when trailing after eight innings. Miles Mastrobuoni started the comeback with an RBI single in the eighth, Brett Sullivan tied the game with a two-run single in the ninth, and David Rodríguez smacked a go-ahead three-run homer in the 10th.
Despite a Brendon Sanger two-run homer in the bottom of the 10th, the BayBears fell one run short. Brandon Sandoval hit a two-out infield single, but Unroe flied out to the warning track in left field to end the game. Yoel Espinal earned his 10th save for Montgomery.
Mike Broadway (2-2) retired all six batters he faced in the win. Dario Beltre blew his second save, giving up two runs in the ninth, and Matt Custred (3-5) took the loss for his second straight outing.
The BayBears continue the five-game home series against Montgomery Friday at 7:05 p.m. CDT. Right-handed pitcher Joe Gatto (3-4, 5.96 ERA) is scheduled to make the start against southpaw Brock Burke (6-1, 1.79 ERA) for the Biscuits. Live coverage can be seen on MiLB.tv (subscription required, promo code: BAYBEARS) and heard on the BayBears Broadcast Network, the TuneIn Radio App, and the MiLB First Pitch App, with the Countdown to First Pitch starting at 6:45 p.m.
The BayBears host regular-season home games through Labor Day, September 3. Single-game tickets and ticket packages are currently on sale. Group and hospitality offerings for the 2018 season can be reserved by calling (251) 479-BEAR (2327).
 
About the Mobile BayBears
The Mobile BayBears are the Double-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Angels and play their games at Hank Aaron Stadium in Mobile, Ala. The BayBears were founded in 1997 and have won four Southern League titles in 1998, 2004, 2011, and 2012. Additionally, the 1998 and 2011 championship squads were named Minor League Team of the Year by Baseball America. More than 160 former BayBears have reached the Major League level, including All-Stars Max Scherzer, Paul Goldschmidt, Jake Peavy, Carlos González, and Justin Upton. For more information on the Mobile BayBears and Hank Aaron Stadium, please visit MobileBayBears.com, call (251) 479-BEAR (2327), or contact Steve Goldberg via email at [email protected].
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