Barons' Bats Back Dunning In Classic Win

In their return to their iconic former home, the Birmingham Barons (23-28) used a fabulous performance on the mound and an early offensive eruption to top the Chattanooga Lookouts (31-21) 7-1 on Wednesday afternoon at the 22nd Annual Rickwood Classic at historic Rickwood Field.

• Turning Point: The Birmingham bats broke through early against Lookouts starter Kohl Stewart (L, 3-3). Nick Basto got the scoring started with an RBI single to center in the second. Danny Mendick and Zack Collins each recorded a two-bagger later in the inning to give the Barons an early 4-0 lead, and that proved to be plenty of support.  
• By the Numbers: A workhorse on the mound, Dane Dunning (W, 3-1) was marvelous from his first pitch to his last. He tossed 7.0 brilliant innings, giving up just one run on five hits with a season-high nine strikeouts to earn his third win with the Barons.  
• Quotable: "He was dialed in. He was hitting his spots," said Barons manager Ryan Newman. "He did a great job of keeping Chattanooga at bay and he was outstanding."
• Moments That Mattered: Basto added a two-run single in the fourth to cap the scoring for the Barons. He finished 2-for-3 with three RBIs and a run scored. Collins finished 2-for-4 with two RBIs and Seby Zavala added three hits in his return from the disabled list.
• Facts and Figures: The win is Birmingham's first at Rickwood Field since 2013. The win improves the Barons record to 10-12 in the Rickwood Classic.
• He Said It: "The atmosphere was awesome and the crowd was behind us," Newman said. "It was great to put up the four spot in the second inning and it was a great game."
• Up Next: The Barons return to Regions Field on Thursday night to continue their series with the Lookouts at 7:05 p.m. Spencer Adams (2-6, 6.42) is set to start for Birmingham. Curt Bloom will have the call on 960 WERC News Radio and the iHeart Radio app.