M-Braves drop both ends of DH; lose series 3-2

PEARL, MS -- Five home runs and fourteen doubles made for an exciting twin-billing Monday at Trustmark Park, as the Mississippi Braves (11-14) lost two tough games, 6-3 and 7-6 (8), to the Tennessee Smokies (15-10) to drop the series three games to two.
In game one, a 10:35 matinee start, right-hander Max Fried (2-3) took the loss as the starter, giving up six runs (all earned) on seven hits over four innings of work. The Smokies capitalized on two-out hitting all day, and it started in the first inning of game one when David Bote drew a two-out walk. Yasiel Balaguert, Jason Vosler and Ian Rice followed with three straight doubles to take a 3-0 lead.
Tennessee scored two more runs in the third and another in the fourth before Fried was pulled. Cael Brockmeyer picked up his first long ball of the season in the third, a two-run shot to deep left field. In the fourth, Charcer Burks hit a leadoff home run to center, the only run of the game the Smokies scored with less than two outs.

For the Braves bullpen, Chad Sobotka and Joe Rogers combined to no-hit the visiting Double-A Cubs affiliate over the last three innings to keep the game close.
Offensively, the M-Braves struggled to capitalize with timely hits and stranded six batters. Travis Demeritte was the only player with two hits, a single and double, and plated one of Mississippi's three runs. Although the Braves got four doubles in their seven hits, they were held hitless after the fourth and could not mount a comeback.
In game two, Mississippi flipped the script on Tennessee and jumped out to a 3-1 lead after the third, thanks to two-out hitting and great pitching. 19-year-old prospect Mike Soroka (2-2) got his fifth start of the season and went 5.2 in the no-decision. Soroka was touched for four runs on nine hits, but did not walk anyone and struck out six.
The story of game two was the comeback made by the Smokies. Tennessee put three balls over the wall en route to a twelve-hit game. Vosler started the second inning with a blast over the stadium fence out onto the street in right field, a no-doubter that put the visitors up 1-0. Soroka did not give up another run until the fifth when a two-out double by Burks made it 4-2. In the sixth, after the Braves pushed it back to 6-2, Soroka ran into trouble with two outs. A single by Andrew Ely put runners on second and third as Ely took second on the throw to third. Then Erick Castillo ht a line drive single into right, scoring both runners and ending Soroka's night.
Michael Mader ended the inning, but in the seventh, it was the Smokies who again used two-out hitting to score runs and tie the game. Jacob Hannemann hit a two-out double with nobody on, and manager Luis Salazar brought in Evan Phillips. Three pitches later, Bote blasted a two-run bomb to straight away center and the comeback was complete. Phillips (1-1) retired the next batter, but the Braves were unable to score in their half of the seventh.
In the eighth, Vosler blasted his second homer of the day to put the Smokies out front 7-6.
Offensively, Mississippi responded to the solo homer in the second with three runs in the third, one in the fourth and two in the fifth. Armando Araiza, Keith Curcio and Adam Brett Walker collected doubles, as the Braves scored five of their six runs with two outs. However, the M-Braves were held hitless over the last three innings.
James Pugliese (3-1) got the win out of the bullpen for Tennessee, throwing two scoreless innings to end the game. Tennessee took the series three games to two by winning the last three games of the week.
The Mississippi Braves will be back in action Wednesday, May 3 at Birmingham.
Game 1
Mississippi: 3-7-0
Tennessee: 6-7-2
WP: Hedges (3-2)
LP: Fried (1-3)
SV: Markey (1)
Time: 2:25
Game 2
Mississippi: 6-9-0
Tennessee: 7-12-2
WP: Pugliese (3-1)
LP: Phillips (1-1)
BS: Phillips (1)
Attn: 2281
Time: 2:28