Elko Thumps Grand Slam in 7-4 Win Over Lookouts in Final Game of the Year
The Birmingham Barons ended their season just how they started it: In a road win. This time the Barons knocked off the Chattanooga Lookouts in a 7-4 final. The Barons also ended the 2023 season with a series victory as they beat the Lookouts 4-2. In the Game 6 victory,
The Birmingham Barons ended their season just how they started it: In a road win. This time the Barons knocked off the Chattanooga Lookouts in a 7-4 final. The Barons also ended the 2023 season with a series victory as they beat the Lookouts 4-2. In the Game 6 victory, Tim Elko was the most prolific at the plate with starting LHP Ky Bush handling his duties on the bump.
The game started with three innings of scoreless baseball. Both teams' starting pitching was stellar to kick off the game as there was only one hit in the innings, a Terrell Tatum single.
Elko broke up the scoreless game with a grand slam in the top of the fourth inning. The University of Mississippi alum with the base clearing home run tallied his sixth homer of the year and 23 RBI. The Barons on-base during the home run were Colson Montgomery, Terrell Tatum and Alsander Womack.
Bush continued his dominance until he was relieved at the start of the sixth inning. The southpaw finished his outing allowing one hit and zero runs with two walks to go with three strikeouts. Bush was relieved in the sixth by RHP Chase Plymell.
Plymell pitched a total of 1.0 innings with zero hits, zero runs, one walk and three strikeouts. The Barons protected their lead on the mound and at the top of the seventh they padded two more runs onto it.
Birmingham in the seventh collected two runs off of one swing of the bat from Jason Matthews. Matthews in his lone hit of the day smacked a single to center field that scored Victor Torres and Moises Castillo.
RHP Jared Kelley took over the mound in the bottom of the seventh inning as it was his lone inning of work. Kelley finished his outing with zero hits, zero runs, one walk and one strikeout.
In the eighth, the Barons tallied their final run of the ball game off of Alsander Womack’s bat. Womack smacked a ball over the right center field wall to collect his seventh home run of the season.
LHP Gil Luna took the mound to kick off the bottom of the eighth inning. Luna could not finish the inning as he ended his 0.1 IP with four hits, four runs, three earned runs and one walk. LHP Fraser Ellard had to come in to finish off the inning, and the game for the Barons.
Ellard finished his 1.2 IP with zero hits, zero runs and three strikeouts as he collected his second save of the season for the Barons.
Birmingham finished off the season with their fourth series win of the season and with an overall record of 51-87. The Barons came in fourth in the Southern League North and last in the Southern League as a whole.