M-Braves Fall to Barons 2-1 for Second Straight Night

PEARL, MS – The Mississippi Braves (33-34) lost a second straight 2-1 game to the Birmingham Barons (24-44) in front of 4,068 fans on Saturday night at Trustmark Park.

Tanner Gordon spun six innings of one-run ball. The right-hander has allowed one run and six hits over 12 innings in his last two starts. In eight Double-A starts, Gordon is 3-3 with a 3.09 ERA in 43 2/3 innings.

Birmingham brought across a run on a sacrifice fly to take a 1-0 lead in the second inning.

Starter Garrett Schoenle pitched a season-high 6 2/3 innings for Birmingham and allowed one run. The lefty retired 13 in a row to start the game.

Tyler Tolve broke up the perfect game with a line drive to left field in the fifth. Tolve went 2-for-3 with two singles and an RBI, extending his on-base streak to 18 games.

Jesse Franklin V punched a grounder through the right side for a base hit in the seventh. After stealing a base and advancing to third base on an error, Franklin scored on a sacrifice fly from Tolve to tie the game at 1-1. Cade Bunnell doubled with two outs to chase the Schoenle out of the game, but he was left stranded at second base.

The M-Braves bullpen again kept the club in the game. Domingo Gonzalez struck out a pair in the seventh to extend his scoreless streak to 14 2/3 innings over 13 relief appearances. Ben Norman hit a solo shot in the eighth to give Birmingham a 2-1 lead, but Alec Barger struck out the side in the ninth to keep it at a one-run game.

Tolve got aboard with a base hit but never moved past first base in the final frame.

The M-Braves will play for a series split in the first half finale tomorrow afternoon.

The series finale is on Sunday at Trustmark Park. A starter to be named will pitch for Mississippi while RHP Cristian Mena (4-5, 5.34) will start for Birmingham. The first pitch is at 2:05 pm CT, with coverage starting 15 minutes before on 102.1 The Box, First Pitch App, and Bally Live.