Tatum's Late Home Run Gives Barons 4-3 Win on Tuesday Night
By Jeff Allison With the game tied at 3-3, Terrell Tatum hit a solo home run to give the Birmingham Barons the 4-3 win over the Tennessee Smokies before 2,383 at Regions Field on Tuesday night. Tatum hit his fifth home run of the season to give the Barons the
By Jeff Allison
With the game tied at 3-3, Terrell Tatum hit a solo home run to give the Birmingham Barons the 4-3 win over the Tennessee Smokies before 2,383 at Regions Field on Tuesday night. Tatum hit his fifth home run of the season to give the Barons the win.
Starting pitcher Jairo Iriarte pitched six innings, giving up eight hits, two earned runs, and four walks with three strikeouts. Reliever Eric Adler pitched a perfect seventh inning. Max Roberts gave up only a walk in the eighth inning, and Anthony Hoopii-Tuionetoa only gave up one hit, getting his fourth save of the season.
Tennessee (66-42) scored first in the game in the top of the first inning on a sacrifice fly scoring Brett Bateman, and the Smokies took a 1-0 lead. In the bottom of the third inning, Matt Hogan walked, stole second, Jason Matthews walked, and Mario Camilletti hit the ball to right, moving Hogan to third base. Jacob Gonzalez made a sacrifice, but scoring Hogan and the Barons tied the game at 1-1.
With two outs, Wilfred Veras tripled to right field, scoring Matthews, and the Barons took the 2-1 lead. In the top of the fourth inning, an RBI double by Pablo Aliendo scored Fabian Pertuz, and the game was tied at 2-2. In the top of the fifth inning, a Luis Verdugo RBI single to center field scored Haydn Verdugo and the Smokies to the 3-2 lead.
In the bottom of the fifth inning, Hogan walked and went to third base on a Matthews single to center field. Mario Camilletti hit a sacrifice fly to left field, scoring Hogan from third base, and the game was tied at 3-3. In the bottom of the seventh inning, Tatum hit the solo home run to right field, giving the Barons the 4-3 lead. The Barons bullpen was lights out the rest of the way, giving the Barons the home win.
Matthews went 2-for-2 with a run scored. Veras had two hits and an RBI. Next, the Barons will play game 2 of the six-game series with the Smokies. RHP Juan Carela (0-1, 6.00) will start for the Barons on Wednesday night.