Suns fall to M-Braves 4-2

PEARL, Miss. - The Jacksonville Suns (1-1, 31-41) fell to the Mississippi Braves (1-1, 35-36) by a 4-2 score in the second game of the five-game series at Trustmark Park on Friday night.

Suns starter Patrick Johnson (3-4) took the loss, allowing four runs (three earned) on nine hits with no walks and five strikeouts. Braves starter Victor Mateo (1-2) earned the win, working five and a third innings allowing two runs (one earned) with four walks and a strikeout. Mississippi reliever Madison Younginer worked a scoreless ninth to earn his team-best fifth save of the season.

For the second straight game, the Suns scored in the top of the first inning. After Yefri Perez extended his hitting streak to 10 games with a leadoff double, J.T. Riddle scored him on an RBI single to give the Suns a 1-0 lead. The Suns kept the lead until the bottom of the second, when the Braves scored a pair of runs to lead 2-1, with the go-ahead run scoring on a sacrifice fly by the pitcher Mateo.

Mississippi added two more runs in the bottom of the fourth with an RBI single by Willians Astudillo and an RBI triple by Johan Camargo to extend the lead to 4-1. The Suns loaded the bases with no one out in the top of the fifth, when pinch-hitter Chris Curley hit into a double play that scored Garrett Weber to cut Mississippi's lead to 4-2, which would be the final.

Suns relievers Tim Berry, Austin Brice, and Drew Steckenrider didn't allow any runs over the last four innings, and Steckenrider struck out four of the six batters he faced in the seventh and eighth innings.

The Suns and Braves will continue the series with the third game of the five-game set tomorrow night at Trustmark Park at 7 p.m ET. The Suns will start right-hander Asher Wojciechowski (0-0, 1.93 ERA) against Mississippi right-hander Rob Whalen (5-4, 2.16 ERA). Fans can listen to the game on the Suns Baseball Network, beginning at 6:45 p.m. with the pregame show "Suns On Deck" on FM 102.3 The Beach, the TuneIn Radio app, and www.jaxsuns.com.

ABOUT THE SUNS: The Jacksonville Suns are beginning a new era of affordable family fun under new ownership in 2016. With a FUNdamentally Different promotional schedule and a new lineup of ticket packages for the upcoming season, there is a reason for everyone to get part of the action by calling the Suns at (904) 358-2846 or visiting www.jaxsuns.com.