Barons win 6-2 against the Smokies for the 1st Win of 2026

By Jeff Allison

KNOXVILLE, Tennessee -- Ryan Galanie hit a two-run home run in the first inning, and the Birmingham Barons went on for a 6-2 win over the Knoxville Smokies before 3,447 at the Covenant Health Park on Saturday night. The Barons' pitching staff struggled in the first game of the series, but turned it around tonight, only giving up two runs on seven hits and two walks.

Starting pitcher Connor McCullough pitched 3.0 innings, giving up four hits, one earned run, one walk, and two strikeouts. Relief pitcher Jarold Rosado (1-0, 0.00) gets the win, getting three strikeouts in his one inning in relief. Chase Watkins followed, going 1.1 innings, giving up two hits and one earned run. Jackson Kelley pitched 1.2 innings, giving up only a walk. Riley Gowens, who usually is one of the Barons' starters, goes the final 2.0 innings and gets three strikeouts.

The Barons score first in the game when Caden Connor singled on a ground ball to right field, and Galanie followed with a home run over the left field fence. With the two runs, the Barons led 2-0.

The Smokies scored in the bottom of the first after a Jefferson Rojas double, Edgar Alvarez singled on a ground ball to right field to cut the Barons' lead to 2-1.

In the top of the fifth inning, Jordan Sprinkle walked, and then he stole second and third base with only one out in the inning. Rikuu Nishida was hit by a pitch, and then Braden Montgomery followed with a sacrifice fly to centerfield, scoring Sprinkle on the play. The Barons led 3-1.

In the bottom of the fifth inning, Karson Simas scored on a balk, and the Barons led 3-2. The Barons broke the game open in the top of the seventh inning, scoring three runs. Jorge Corona started the inning on a walk. Sprinkle gets an infield single, and Nishida puts down a sacrifice bunt to move the runners to third and second with one out. Connor singled on a ground ball to right field, scoring Corona and Sprinkle. Galanie was hit by a pitch, and Jeral Perez doubled on a sharp line drive to centerfield, scoring Connor. With the runs, the Barons led 6-2.

Gowens pitched the final two innings, getting a one-two-three inning in both innings. In two years with the Barons, that was Gowens' first relief appearance, as he has made 39 consecutive starts the last two years.

Connor had two hits, two RBI, and two runs scored. Perez had two hits and an RBI. Sprinkle had one hit, two runs scored, and two stolen bases in the Barons' win.