BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA - The Smokies and Barons were locked in a pitcher's duel early Monday night, but the Barons were able to break the deadlock with a walk-off in the 11th to get the win 4-3.Southpaw Chris Nunn took the mound for Tennessee and was effective right from the start.
BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA - The Smokies and Barons were locked in a pitcher's duel early Monday night, but the Barons were able to break the deadlock with a walk-off in the 11th to get the win 4-3.
Southpaw Chris Nunn took the mound for Tennessee and was effective right from the start. The Barons were hitless their first time through the lineup, and only managed to get two hits off of Nunn after five innings of play.
Opposing Nunn was Alec Hansen, and he was also dominant on the mound early. Hansen was also preserving a shutout after five innings before giving up the first run of the game after walking Ian Rice with the bases loaded in the sixth. That would be the end of the line for Hansen with Jack Charleston coming on from the bullpen. Trey Martin would smack a two-run double in the first at-bat against Charleston to extend the Smokies' lead to three.
Nunn would run into trouble in the sixth, giving up two singles and a walk to load the bases before being replaced by James Pugliese. Courtney Hawkins would single to get the first run for Birmingham, while Trey Michalczewski would tie the game up at three with a single to right one batter later. Pugliese would retire the next two batters to escape the jam and keep the game tied after six innings. James Norwood would pitch the seventh and eighth before turning the game over to Daury Torrez in the ninth frame.
The game would remain tied heading into the bottom of the tenth, where Eloy Jiménez singled to lead off the inning. He was followed up by a Nick Basto single and a Hunter Jones walk to load the bases. Torrez would battle out of it and escape the trouble to keep the game tied at three. Mason Robbins would drive in the winning run in the 11th for the walk-off 4-3 win.
The Smokies are back in action tomorrow night against the Barons, as Duane Underwood Jr. is expected to get the ball for Tennessee, while Brannon Easterling is scheduled to receive the start for the Barons. First pitch is set for 8:05 p.m. ET from Regions Field.
ABOUT THE TENNESSEE SMOKIES
The Tennessee Smokies are the Double-A affiliate of the World Series Champion Chicago Cubs. Members of the ten-team Southern League, Smokies baseball has been entertaining families and fans of America's national pastime in the East Tennessee region for over 100 years. To learn more about the Tennessee Smokies, visit www.smokiesbaseball.com
