Schultz and Iriarte Give Up Only One Run in 7-1 Barons Win

Tim Elko hit a two-run home run to lead the Birmingham Barons to a 7-1 win over the Biloxi Shuckers before 3,160 at MGM Park on Saturday night. With the win, the Barons have won five straight over the Shuckers and improved to 29-14 for first place in the Northern Division.

Recent call-up LHP Noah Schultz pitched four innings, only giving up one hit with five strikeouts. Winning pitcher RHP Jaire Iriarte (2-3, 2.77) went five innings, giving up only three hits, one earned run, and two walks with five strikeouts.

The Barons scored first in the game when Wilfred Veras doubled to left field, and then Jacob Burke singled to right field, and the Barons took an early 1-0 lead in the top of the second. Burke stole second, Tyler Neslony singled home Burke, and the Barons led 2-0.

In the top of the third inning, Duke Ellis singled and stole second and third base in the top of the third inning. Ellis leads the Southern League with 30 on the season with those two stolen bases. Jacob Gonzalez doubled off the wall in center field, and Ellis scored. Brooks Baldwin's RBI single to center field scored Gonzalez. Elko hit a two-run home run to left field, and the Barons led 6-0. Elko has an active 12-game hitting streak and is 25-of-79 for May for a .316 average.

In the top of the eighth inning, Neslony walks, Ellis reaches on an error, and Gonzalez singles to score Neslony, and the Barons lead 7-0. Biloxi scored on a Mike Boeve RBI single, scoring Eric Brown at the bottom of the ninth inning.

Gonzalez had two hits and two RBIs, Elko had the home run and two RBIs, Veras had three hits, Burke had two hits and RBI, and Neslony had two hits and RBI in the win. Next, the Barons will go for the series six-game sweep on Sunday as LHP Jake Eder (1-1, 4.91) will take the mound for the Barons. Birmingham will return home on Tuesday to face the Rocket City Trash Pandas for a seven-game series next week.