Barons Comeback Bid Falls Short In Tennessee

The Birmingham Barons nearly overcame a 9-3 deficit Friday night but couldn't complete the comeback falling 10-8 to the Tennessee Smokies in front of 4,995 fans at Smokies Park.

The Smokies stormed out to a 5-0 lead after four innings, scoring all five runs against Barons starter Matt Wickswat (1-5, 11.15). Wickswat allowed six hits and walked five in just 4.0 innings of work.

Tyler Saladino collected two of his three RBI on the night with a two-run single in the fifth, cutting the deficit to 5-2. However, the Smokies would score three runs in the bottom half of the inning and another run in the sixth to take a 9-3 lead.

The Barons would mount a valiant comeback attempt in the seventh, scoring five runs on a two-run home run by Jared Mitchell, a Saladino RBI double and an Erik Morrison two-run single cutting the deficit to one run at 9-8. The Barons were unable to complete the comeback bid as they were held scoreless over the final two innings, falling by a final score of 10-8.

Smokies starter Dallas Beeler (3-5, 4.21) picked up the win allowing two runs on six hits in 5.0 innings. Frank Batista recorded the final five outs of the game for his 13th save of the season.

With the loss the Barons fell to 35-43 on the year while the Smokies improved to 39-40. The Barons will look for a series victory Saturday night as LHP Pedro Hernandez (7-2, 2.73) takes the hill against LHP Erik Jokisch (3-1, 3.38). First pitch is scheduled for 5:15 PM CDT.