Thursday, June 12, 2008
For Immediate
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Contact: Jim Tocco
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Biscuits and BayBears split doubleheader
Eldridge steals two, scores two, knocks in two
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MONTGOMERY- The rain held off Thursday night for the Montgomery Biscuits (32-35) and the Mobile BayBears (27-39) to play a doubleheader that made up for Wednesday night's rain out.
Montgomery took game one, 4-2, behind starter Jake McGee and the bullpen combination of Brian Henderson and Ryan Reid. McGee lasted four and 1/3 innings, giving up five hits and two runs, while walking five and striking out two. The left hander looked solid out of the gate and did not allow a run until his fifth inning of work.
John Hester started the BayBears' fifth with a single, followed by an Orlando Mercado walk. Gerarado Parra knocked in the first run with an RBI single, which loaded the bases for Rusty Ryal. Ryal drew a walk to make the score 3-2 and that was all for McGee.
Brian Henderson swooped in to pick up his first victory in 2008. The lefty specialist faced just one batter, but got a huge double play to end the inning, when Bryan Byrne lined out to Chris Nowak at third base. Ryan Reid would do the rest, pitching a scoreless two frames without allowing a hit. He struck out three and walked just one.
The Biscuits offense got going in the fourth inning, when Montgomery jumped out to a 3-0 lead. Mobile Starter Brooks Brown escaped two bases loaded jams in the third and fourth innings, but couldnt pull off the hat trick in the next frame. Brown gave up back-to-back-to-back singles to Sergio Pedroza, Matt Spring and Josh Asanovich with one out in the fourth. Rashas Eldridge plated his first of two in game one, bouncing a fielders choice to the right side. Ronnie Merrill did the rest of the damage with a two-run double.
Brown lasted five innings and allowed three runs on six hits while walking five and striking out three. Montgomery would add an insurance run on a suicide squeeze in the sixth off of reliever Cody Evans. Eldridge came through with the RBI sacrifice bunt that scored pinch runner Johnny Raburn, who was dashing toward home with the pitch.
In game two the Biscuits offense fell flat against BayBears starter Adam Howard. Howard pounded the strike zone for six solid innings. He allowed one run on three hits, while striking out two and walking two. The towering right hander picked up his sixth victory of the season, good enough for tops on the Mobile pitching staff.
Montgomery touched up Howard for one run in the bottom of the first, but that would be all. Eldridge led off the game with a single and stolen base. He would come around to score on a Chris Nowak sacrifice fly. With one out in the third, Eldridge would single and swipe his team leading thirteenth base of the season, but ended the inning standing on second.
The Biscuits did not mount much more of an attack until the bottom of the seventh. After BayBears closer Reid Mahon got his first two men, John Jaso worked a pinch hit walk, followed by a single from Johnny Raburn. In the end, Mahon would remain perfect in save opportunities. He struck out Eldridge to seal the game, making him 15-for-15 in saves, slamming the door on the Biscuits.
Mike Prochaska made the start for the Biscuits in game two and came away on the short end. The veteran soutpaw threw well, allowing just one run through his first five innings. Consecutive hits from Chris Rahl and Gerardo Parra put the BayBears on the board in the third and then in the sixth the duo struck again. Rahl led off with a single and stolen base and was followed by a Parra base hit.
With two on and no outs, Prochaska was lifed for reliever Colter Bean. The winning run came around on a bases loaded catchers interference call that allowed Cesar Nicolas to reach first and bring home Rahl. Cyle Hankerd would add some insurance with a towering sacrifice fly that drove in Parra.
Bean finished his outing by striking out the side in the seventh, but the Biscuits ultimately fell, 3-1.
The rubber match of the short three game series is scheduled for Friday night at 7:05. It is Super Hero Night at Riverwalk Stadium in a match up between a couple of right handers. The Biscuits will send Wade Davis to the mound, looking to rebound from his shaky road start in Birmingham. For the BayBears it will be Tony Barnette taking the hill. The two teams will continue to battle this weekend, when the Biscuits and BayBears shift locations to Mobile to conclude the first half
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