79 is Fine! Shuckers Break Single Season Win Record in Style

The Biloxi Shuckers (79-57, 36-28) earned their franchise-record 79th win of the season with a 3-2 walk-off win over the Birmingham Barons (64-70, 32-34) on Thursday night at MGM Park. Gabriel Noriega's two-run single in the tenth provided the ninth walk-off win of the season for Biloxi.
Both starting pitchers shut down the opposition with quality starts. RHP Zack Brown churned out six frames while allowing just four hits and striking out three. LHP Tanner Banks bested Brown by lasting seven with four strikeouts to his name.
The run that each pitcher surrendered came on a pair of sacrifice flies. The Shuckers plated their run in the second. After Trent Grisham led off with a double, Luis Aviles Jr. Jr. brought him in on a fly ball out to right field. In the sixth, Brown's last inning of work, Joel Booker's leadoff double came around on a Zack Collins sac fly to tie the game at one.
The relief cores for Biloxi and Birmingham kept things square to the tenth inning without either team posing a threat. The Barons brought their bonus runner home in the top of the tenth. Trey Michalczewski scored after a sacrifice fly from Danny Mendick followed a sacrifice bunt, but Jon Olczak (W, 10-3) polished off his two innings of work by allowing just the singular unearned run.
In the bottom of the frame, Biloxi began their threat when Grisham plopped a perfect drag bunt down the first base line to put runners at the corners. Blake Allemand sent a ground ball to third base where Michalczewski had difficulty making up his mind. The third baseman thought about grabbing an out at second, but tried to tag out Weston Wilson who dove back into third base safely, loading the bases with nobody out. Noriega then stepped up and delivered the game-winning, two-run single off LHP Brian Clark (L, 2-4) that scored both Wilson and Grisham.
The walk-off win marks the 79th of the season for Biloxi, a new franchise record. It is their ninth walk-off of the year and third in the month of August.
The Shuckers hold a half-game lead in the second half of the South Division and will send RHP Braden Webb (0-0, 2.57) to the mound on Friday night. Birmingham will toss RHP Felix Paulino (0-1, 3.60) in a start with first pitch coming at 6:35 PM CT at MGM Park on a Fireworks Friday.
The Biloxi Shuckers are the Double-A Affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers. The Shuckers play at MGM Park in Biloxi, Mississippi. For more information please visit biloxishuckers.com and follow us on Twitter @biloxishuckers and at facebook.com/biloxishuckers.com. Playoff tickets and single game tickets for the Biloxi Shuckers 2018 season are on sale now and can be purchased at the MGM Park box office or over the phone through Ticketmaster at (800) 745-3000. Group outings are also available and can be reserved by calling 228-233-3465 or visiting www.biloxishuckers.com.