Redbirds Rally Way to 8-5 Win

NEW ORLEANS, Louisiana - The Memphis Redbirds erased a 5-1 deficit after four innings and earned a series victory with an 8-5 win at the New Orleans Baby Cakes (Marlins) Thursday night in New Orleans, La.
The Redbirds have won 17 of their last 20 games and 10 of their last 11 series overall. Coupled with a loss by the Iowa Cubs, the Redbirds are 4.0 games behind the first-place Cubs with four games at Iowa to wrap up the regular season starting tomorrow night. A four-game sweep would give the Redbirds a third-straight division title.
The Redbirds are now 68-68 on the season and are back at .500 for the first time since being 23-23 after a win against Nashville on May 23, which was 98 days ago.
Memphis mashed a season-high six home runs in the game, which is the club's fifth five-plus home run game this month alone. The Redbirds have six games of five or more long balls this season, and from 2011-18 Memphis had five such games.
The game started with a first-pitch Randy Arozarena home run, which was Memphis' only scoring until the fifth when Max Schrock hit his second homer of the season. The Redbirds then hit two home runs in both the sixth and ninth innings to tie the game and plate the eventual winning runs.
Dylan Carlson trimmed the New Orleans (70-64) lead to 5-3 with a home run in the sixth, and Justin Williams tied the ballgame with a two-run shot a couple of batters later.
After the offense knotted the game at 5, the Redbirds bullpen took over and dominated to finish the contest. Kodi Whitley tossed scoreless sixth and seventh innings with four strikeouts, and he kept the game tied at 5 heading into the eighth.
Junior Fernandez came on in the bottom of the eighth and allowed a leadoff double, and New Orleans had runners on first and third with one out, but Fernandez induced a double play to get out of the inning.
The game remained tied at 5 heading into the ninth inning, when Ramón Urías proceeded to launch a two-run home run before Edmundo Sosa added some extra breathing room with his 17th round-tripper of the season.
Now leading 8-5, the Redbirds turned to Mike Mayers in the bottom of the ninth, who allowed back-to-back singles to start the inning and bring the tying run to the plate before wiping out the Baby Cakes by striking out the side to earn his sixth save of the year.
For the second-straight night each Redbird starting position player had at least one hit in the game. Arozarena has now reached base in 45-straight starts.
Austin Warner started the game on the mound and battled through 5.0 innings, allowing five runs, four earned, on seven hits.
The Redbirds head to first-place Iowa for a four-game series to conclude the regular season starting tomorrow night at 7:08. The series finishes with a 12:08 p.m. game on Monday. 
Upcoming Games of Note at AutoZone Park
Tuesday, Sept. 17 at 7:00: Triple A-National Championship Game presented by Ephesus Sports Lighting; free BBQ Nachos and a drink to all fans as part of "Nacho Average Tuesday" presented by Dave & Buster's

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