Smokies Escape With 7-3 Road Win

BIRMINGHAM – Elliot Soto and Luis Flores combined to drive in five with doubles in the second and ninth respectively and the Smokies escaped Birmingham with a 7-3 win on Tuesday night versus the Barons.

Soto was 2-for-4 in the game with two runs batted in and two runs scored. He batted out of the ninth spot in the lineup and contributed with two, two-out runs batted in.

Tennessee (12-8, 45-44) scored six two-out runs in the victory and with the win moved back into first place in the second half standings. The Barons (11-8, 40-49) fell back by a half game in the standings with the loss.

Flores’ insurance double in the ninth brought in three two-out runs. He was 1-for-3 with a run and three RBI.

The scoring started in the second when Dustin Geiger, who batted as the eighth hitter in Buddy Bailey’s lineup, bround in a run with a double off Barons starter Scott Snodgress. Geiger’s double scored Flores and gave the Smokies a 1-0 lead in the second frame.

Tennessee rallied for three runs on three hits in the second. Soto drove in the other two runs in the inning with a hustle double and the Smokies led 3-0 after two.

Starting pitcher Eduardo Figueroa ran with the three run cushion and kept the Barons scoreless over the first two. He allowed a run in the third, but the Smokies answered back with another run in the fourth.

Taylor Davis, who scored earlier in the game on Soto’s hit, led off the fourth with a double and scored later in the inning on a single through short by Jae-Hoon Ha.

Ha’s RBI single in the fourth put the Smokies up 4-1 and restored their three run lead.

Figueroa left the game with his club up 4-1 after four. He pitched four full innings and allowed a run on two hits. Figueroa walked five, but struck out one and did not earn a decision.

Tony Zych (3-4, 3.92) followed Figueroa out of the pen and would pitch two scoreless innings. He did not allow a hit and struck out two while walking only one.

Andrew McKirahan pitched the seventh and allowed a home run to Jared Mitchell. Mitchell’s home run closed the Smokies lead to 4-2.

McKirahan left the game after allowing just the one run in the seventh. Zach Cates worked the eighth, but would not last long in the inning. He gave up a lead off single to Rangel Ravelo and then lost a wild pitch that moved Ravelo to second. The inning continued with a flyout, but Cates would walk Josh Richmond and the Smokies removed him from the game.

Frank Batista entered out of the pen and would get Chris Curley to ground out for the inning’s second out. Ravelo scored on the force out hit into by Curley and the Barons closed the lead to 4-3. Batista (S, 4) eventually got out of the eighth without giving up another run and kept Tennessee’s lead intact.

The Barons pulled within one in the eighth with a run, but Flores extended the Smokies lead with a bases loaded double. Flores drove in three runs while clearing the bases in the ninth and the Smokies took a 7-3 lead.

Reliever and Barons closer Cody Winiarski allowed the double to Flores and gave up two hits in the inning. He walked two and struck out one while finishing the game for Birmingham.

Nestor Molina and Braulio Ortiz also appeared in relief for the Barons. Moline pitched two scoreless and allowed one hit while striking out two. Ortiz struck out two in a perfect eighth.

Birmingham stranded 10 and was 0-for-10 with runners in scoring position in the loss.

The Smokies stranded eight and was 4-for-13 with runners in scoring position.