Santiago guides M-Braves to 7-4 win over Smokies to even series
KODAK, TN - Mississippi Braves starting pitcher Andres Santiago earned his second-straight win on the mound and went 2-for-3 at the plate with three RBI in the 7-4 win over the Tennessee Smokies on Sunday. The win in front of 3,981 at Smokies Stadium evens the series, forcing a rubber
KODAK, TN - Mississippi Braves starting pitcher
Santiago (W, 2-0) sailed through the first two innings on 16 pitches and pushed his hitless innings streak against the Smokies to 16 consecutive frames. Santiago threw a no-hitter in his last start against the Smokies on August 28, 2014, while a member of the Chattanooga Lookouts. Santiago then pitched for the Smokies in 2015 as a member of the Chicago Cubs organization.
The Smokies though recorded two hits against Santiago in the third inning and got on the scoreboard first with the first of two home runs from Jason Vosler.
The lead was shortlived as Santiago collected the first of his three RBI with a single that scored
Mississippi pulled away in the fifth inning after sending eight batters to the plate and scoring four runs.
Santiago's two-hit performance is the third this season by an M-Braves' starting pitcher, joining
Vosler hit his second home run of the game in the bottom of the sixth inning, a two-run shot that cut the lead to 6-3.
Santiago left the game after 6.0 innings of three-run baseball, yielding six hits and no walks while striking out two.
Demeritte blasted
M-Braves relievers
The win pushes the M-Braves record on the road trip to 5-4 and the club is also 5-4 against the Smokies this season.
The rubber match of the five-game series in East Tennessee will be an 11:00 am (CT) first pitch against the Tennessee Smokies at Smokies Stadium on Sunday. This will be the final matchup between the clubs in 2018. RHP
The M-Braves will return home to Trustmark Park on Wednesday, May 23 for a five-game series against the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp. The game will feature two promotions in AMR First Responders Wednesday presented by AMR (All First Responders/Emergency Response personnel, including law enforcement and firefighters, may purchase a $7 ticket in all seating areas, excluding Suite Level, when presenting ID. Excluding July 4) and Strike Out Hunger presented by the Mississippi Food Network (Fans who bring a canned food item to the Trustmark Park Box Office will receive a voucher for one $3 Field Level ticket).