SMOKIES FALL TO BARONS 6-1

BIRMINGHAM, AL - The Tennessee Smokies lost 6-1 to the Birmingham Barons on Friday night in Birmingham. Tennessee scored the first run of the game, but the Barons took control after that. 
Tennessee struck first, scoring in the top of the first inning. After Zack Short and P.J. Higgins both drew walks to start the frame, Trent Giambrone drove in Short on a single to right field, making it 1-0 Smokies. Birmingham tied the game at 1-1 on an RBI-groundout in the bottom of the first. The Barons added two more runs in the second inning to take a 3-1 lead. 
A three-run third inning for Birmingham gave them a 6-1 advantage. Giambrone led the Smokies offense with two hits and one walk. Jesse Hodges also recorded two hits for Tennessee. Short and Wynton Bernard each had one. 
Keegan Thompson started on the mound for the Smokies. Thompson pitched 2.2 innings, allowing six runs on nine hits and three walks. He also struck out three. Zach Hedges relieved Thompson in the third inning. Hedges threw 2.1 scoreless innings, giving up just two hits while striking out two. He handed the ball to Jordan Minch to start the sixth inning. Minch added 2.0 shutout frames, allowing only one hit. He struck out four batters in the two innings he pitched. 
Tennessee and Birmingham will meet for the series finale on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. Kodi Medeiros (7-7, 3.81 ERA) is going to start for the Barons and Duncan Robinson (7-4, 3.39 ERA) will oppose him for the Smokies. Robinson is coming off 6.0 shutout innings against Biloxi on Aug. 12. He is holding batters to a .186 batting average in the month of August.
ABOUT THE TENNESSEE SMOKIES
The Tennessee Smokies are the Double-A affiliate of the 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