Birmingham Completes Ninth Inning Comeback Against Chattanooga

The Birmingham Barons were down five runs after two innings played against the Chattanooga Lookouts, however, there were still seven innings left to play. The Barons stormed back with nine scattered runs with three runs coming in the bottom of the ninth inning to walk off the Lookouts. Birmingham sealed the 9-8 victory against Chattanooga on an RBI single from Xavier Fernandez to score Adam Hackenberg.

In the first inning, Barons starting LHP Garrett Schoenle started off in not the most flattering way in allowing a leadoff home run by Blake Dunn. Dunn secured the early lead for the Lookouts, Ivan Johnson and Michael Trautwein extended the lead with two RBI doubles in a row. The Lookouts ended the top of the first with a four-run lead and seemingly all the momentum.

Chattanooga, in the top of the second, padded the lead a little more with a run that came off of a sacrifice fly from Francisco Urbaez that scored Dunn. Birmingham now stared at a 5-0 scoreboard and Jose Rodriguez took it upon himself to get the Barons on the board in the bottom of the inning.

Rodriguez kicked off the bottom of the inning with a solo shot over the right field wall, his 14th of the year. The Chicago White Sox No. 5 prospect leads the Barons in home runs, runs (38) and RBIs (36). The Barons cut the lead to four runs, however, that did not take long as the Lookouts put up a two-run frame in the top of the fourth.

In the fourth inning, Rece Hinds hit a two-RBI double putting the Lookouts on top by six runs. After the two-RBI double, Schoenle was relieved from his duties on the mound by RHP Jeremiah Burke. Burke escaped the fourth with no more damage added to the scoreboard and send the Barons to the plate.

In the bottom of the fourth, Birmingham was able to tack on another run to bring it back to a five-run deficit. The Barons sole run in the inning came off of a Moises Castillo single to center field that scored Yoelqui Cesepdes in the process.

At the halfway point of the ballgame, the ballgame sat in favor of Chattanooga by a score of 7-2, nevertheless there was a lot of baseball left to be played. The Barons may have been down by five runs but no team has shown more grit than Birmingham, and this game was no different.

The Barons started their uphill climb back into this game with a two-run bottom of the sixth inning, thanks to Castillo and Bryan Ramos. Castillo drove in his second RBI of the game off a single to right field that scored Cespedes. Ramos collected his lone RBI of the night on a hit-by-pitch with the bases loaded that scored Adam Hackenberg from third.

Birmingham closed the gap to three runs but left a few base runners on in an inning that could have been huge for the home team. The Barons were able to combat that feeling with another two-run frame, this time in the bottom of the seventh.

In the seventh, Fernandez captured two of his three RBIs on the night in a crucial home run that did not just impact the scoreboard. Fernandez’s two run blast scored Hackenberg to close the gap to a three-run deficit and erupted the home team dugout.

The Barons bats were getting the job done at the plate, yet the pitching from RHP Nick Gallagher was near flawless to aid the comeback efforts. Gallagher finished his 2.0 IP with one hit allowed and two strikeouts, in seven batters faced.

The momentum was starting to sway towards the Barons, nevertheless the Lookouts were not going to go down without adding one more run. In the top of the eighth, LHP Jonah Scolaro relieved Gallagher from the mound and allowed one earned run off a Dunn single that scored Quincy McAfee.

Birmingham also was not able to get any sort of offense in the bottom of the eighth, leaving the comeback to the final inning of regulation.

LHP Gil Luna came in for the 9th and delivered in not allowing the Lookouts to add anymore to their lead. Luna finished his night allowing two runs and collected one strikeout in his 1.0 IP.

The Barons are familiar with walk offs as they accomplished the feat in Game 2 against Pensacola just three days prior in a 10-9 battle. Birmingham was looking to pull off another comeback and Luis Mieses started off the efforts in the right way.

Mieses kicked off the hits in the bottom of the ninth with his 20th double of the season. With Mieses at second base, Cespedes was patient at the plate and collected his team-leading 36th walk of the season to put two Barons on with one out. A batter later, Hackenberg smacked a two-RBI double into left field to tie the ballgame at eights. Fernandez, with rain starting to come down hard on Regions Field, delivered the game winning single on a sharp liner to left field that scored Hackenberg.

Birmingham walked off Chattanooga to secure Game 1 of six in Birmingham. The Barons have now won three straight and will look for their fourth with LHP Tommy Sommer taking the bump for Game 2.