Hale, Gac, Simmons fuel Braves to 4-0 Win over Montgomery

Behind a strong performance by David Hale on the mound and a great day at the plate for Ian Gac and Andrelton Simmons, the Mississippi Braves (3-6) downed the Montgomery Biscuits 4-0 at Trustmark Park.

Tonight’s David Hale was night-and-day different from the first time we saw him on April 8.  His first time out against the Mobile BayBears saw him go just 1 2/3 innings and allow six runs on six hits.  Tonight, he didn’t allow a run in six no-hit innings before being pulled for the bullpen.  The only two blemishes on his night were two walks, and both runners never advanced beyond first.  The Biscuits (3-6) failed to put a runner in scoring position all night on Braves pitching.

Meanwhile at the plate, Gac went three-for-three with a single, double and triple, driving in a run each at bat.  Andrelton Simmons also got three hits including a triple, and he scored two of the Braves’ four runs.  It was a strong night all around for Mississippi, and they make Saturday’s game five a rubber match.

Hale threw just 75 pitches in his six innings of work, but early in the season you’ll always see a strict pitch-count limit on guys as they build their arm strength and go later into ball games each start.  While it would have been nice to see Hale continue and see how long he could keep the no-hitter, there’s no point in risking injury early in the season and keeping him in the ballgame any further.  If this had been July or August, Hale would have absolutely continued to pitch into the 7th and beyond.

Game five of the series is Saturday at 6:00 PM central, and it’s the finale of a season-opening ten-game homestand.  LHP Chris Masters (0-0, 4.15 ERA) takes on Biscuits’ RHP Jake Thompson (0-0, 9.00 ERA).  Pre-game starts at 5:30 on 103.9 WYAB, and you can stream the game live online here.

Until tomorrow,

Kyle Tait