Speed, Power Lead Barons To 5-4 Win

With timely offense and another dominant night from the bullpen, the Birmingham Barons (5-3) edged the Montgomery Biscuits (2-6) 5-4 on Friday night in front of a record-setting crowd of 8,683 at Regions Field. The win gives the Barons a two games to one lead in the five-game series.

• Moments That Mattered: The big hit for the Barons came in the bottom of the third inning. With two on and one out, Keon Barnum  crushed an 0-2 pitch from Biscuits starter J.D. Martin (L, 0-2) over the left field fence for a 3-run home run, his first of the season, to give the Barons an early 5-1 lead they would not give up.
• Quotable: "He had two strikes on me, so I had to choke up and see a good pitch over the plate to hit, and I put a good swing on it," said Barnum. "I just kept putting the work in, and I knew the hit was going to come."
• Turning Point: In the fifth, Colton Turner  (W, 2-0) came in to relieve Barons starter Jordan Guerrero with the bases loaded and nobody out. Turner promptly induced a sacrifice fly from Dalton Kelly and got Nathan Lukes to ground into an inning-ending double play to preserve a 5-4 Barons lead with the tying run stranded on third base. Jorge Rondón and Ian Hamilton  (S, 2) combined to pitch the final three innings to finish the win.
• Facts And Figures: After not stealing a base for the first seven games of the season, the Barons put on a running display on Friday, led by Tito Polo . The Colombian recorded a career-high four steals over the first four innings to become the first Baron with four steals in a game since Hoss Bowlin on June 22, 1964 at Chattanooga.
• He Said It: "He's unreal. That dude is so speedy," Barnum said of Polo. "He really got it done tonight."
• By The Numbers: Friday's attendance of 8,683 is the largest in the six-season history of Regions Field, topping the previous high of 8,672 set on July 3, 2017. It also marks the Barons' second straight sellout and 42nd overall at Regions Field.
• Up Next: In game four of the series on Saturday night, the Barons are scheduled to send Ian Clarkin  (1-0, 0.00) to the mound against Montgomery right-hander Benton Moss (0-1, 7.36). First pitch is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Curt Bloom will have the call on 960 WERC News Radio and the iHeart Radio app.