Barons Bats Smoke Tennessee In Finale, 9-2

With a tremendous offensive display at the plate, the Birmingham Barons (46-47) erupted for a 9-2 win over the Tennessee Smokies (50-45) on Monday night at Smokies Stadium. The victory gives the Barons four wins in a five-game series for the first time this season.

• Turning Point: Leading 4-2 in the eighth, the Barons broke the game open for good with a furious rally that sent 11 men to the plate. Keon Barnum began the scoring by crushing his first triple of the season off the center field wall to plate Danny Mendick. Barnum then scored on a single from Alfredo González. Three hitters later, Alex Call doubled into the left-field corner to score two more runs, then he came around to score on a double from Zack Collins as the Barons extended the lead to 9-2, which proved to be the final.
• Moments That Mattered: The Barons used the long ball to take the lead on Monday. Mendick's solo shot, his 11th of the season, in the second gave the Barons the game's first run. Gonzalez added his first as a Baron this season, a solo shot in the fourth, to tie the game 2-2. Matt Rose then put the Barons up for good with his team-leading 13th homer of the season, a two-run blast in the sixth to take a 4-2 lead.
• By The Numbers: After a tough loss on Sunday, the Barons offense exploded for 14 hits to take the finale of the series. Gonzalez led the way by going 3-for-4 with the home run, two RBI, and two runs. Mendick was 2-for-3 with a home run, three runs scored, and a stolen base, his 15th of the season to tie for the team lead with Tito Polo. Collins, Call, and Rose each added two hits.
• Facts And Figures: While the bats put on a show, the arms were also on display for Birmingham. In his second start with the Barons, Tanner Banks (W, 1-1) threw another quality outing, giving up two runs on six hits with two walks and four strikeouts over 6.0 innings. Matt Foster, Ryan Burr, and Brian Clark each pitched scoreless innings to finish the win.
• Up Next: After an off day Tuesday, the Barons begin a 10-game homestand at Regions Field with game one of five against the Jackson Generals on Wednesday at 7:05 p.m. Alec Hansen (0-4, 6.04) is scheduled to take the mound for Birmingham against Jackson's Taylor Widener (4-5, 2.75). Curt Bloom will have the call on 960 WERC News Radio and the iHeart Radio app.