Braves Fall 4-3 in 13 Innings

Pearl, MS — The Mississippi Braves (3-7) fell to the Montgomery Biscuits (4-6) 4-3 in 13 innings in front of 3,082 fans on Saturday night.  Montgomery jumped out to a 3-0 lead, but Mississippi tied it at 3-3 in the bottom of the sixth in a nine-hitter inning off of Biscuits’ reliever Scott Shuman.  It stayed tied until the 13th frame, when Michael Sheridan’s first hit of the day brought in Henry Wrigley from second base, an unearned run to put the Biscuits ahead for good.

Montgomery scored first when Mark Thomas hit an RBI single to score Omar Luna from second with two outs in the second inning.  Henry Wrigley hit his third home run of the season in the fourth to extend the lead to 2-0.

The Biscuits extended their lead to 3-0 on a controversial play in the sixth.  With the bases loaded and one out, Sheridan bounced a ball back to reliever Gary Moran.  Moran threw to Kennelly at the plate, who then turned to first for a double play, but the umpire said that Kennelly took his foot off the plate and the run scored, making it 3-0.  The run proved to be huge, as the Braves’ three runs in the sixth tied the game instead of putting them ahead.

In the sixth, Shuman loaded the bases, walking all three hitters he faced before being relieved by Alex Koronis.  Koronis allowed all three inherited runners to score, but he got Phil Gosselin to pop out to end the sixth in a 3-3 tie.

The game stayed that way until the go-ahead run in the 13th.  Mississippi thought it had a walk-off single in the ninth when Joe Leonard hit a line drive up the middle with Gosselin standing at second.  Brad Coon threw out Gosselin at the plate, though, and the game went to extras.

Gary Moran was stellar in long relief for the Braves once again.  He pitched five scoreless innings after replacing Chris Masters in the sixth.

With the win, Montgomery takes the series three games to two.  The Braves take their first road trip of the season, a 10-game trip starting with five games at the Jackson Generals (double-A, Seattle).  Game one of the series features LHP Luis Avilan (0-2, 6.75 ERA) against RHP Andrew Carraway (2-0, 0.69 ERA).  First pitch from Pringles Park is at 6:05 PM Sunday, with the pre-game show beginning at 5:30 on 103.9 WYAB and online here.  Listen in as the Braves try to start out on the road right.

Kyle

Official M-Braves release:

Biscuits claim extra-innings series finale
Michael Sheridan drives in game-winning run

For Immediate Release: Saturday, April 14, 2012

PEARL, MS—Michael Sheridan delivered the decisive run-scoring single in the top of the 13th inning as the Montgomery Biscuits claimed a 4-3 victory in the Saturday night series finale at Trustmark Park.

Henry Wrigley delivered a one-out single and took second on an error by the second baseman to get things started in the 13th frame. Emeel Salem, the pinch runner, took third on a ground out before coming in to score on Sheridan’s single to center field.

The Biscuits (4-6) plated four runs on 10 hits while the M-Braves (3-7) scored three runs on nine hits. The Braves also committed one error.

Montgomery took an early 1-0 lead in the top of the second inning. Omar Luna walked and took second on an wild pitch. After moving to third on a ground out, Luna came in to score on a Mark Thomas single.

A solo home run off the bat of Henry Wrigley extended the Biscuits’ lead to 2-0 in the top of the fourth frame.

Tyler Bortnick led off the top of the sixth with a double to left field. Cole Figueroa followed with a single and Wrigley walked to load the bases. Bortnick then came in to score when Michael Sheridan grounded out, making it a 3-0 game.

The M-Braves responded with a three-run sixth to tie the game at 3-3. Ian Gac, Joe Leonard, and Adam Milligan all walked to load the bases. Matt Kennelly followed with a RBI single to center field before Barrett Kleinknecht walked to plate Leonard. Adrelton Simmons later drew a two-out walk to bring home Kennelly, the game’s tying run.

The game remained scoreless through the 12th frame, before the Biscuits broke through in the decisive 13th inning.

Merrill Kelly (1-0) worked the final three frames, striking out one batter, to notch the win. Chris Jones (0-1) took the loss, giving up an unearned run on two hits and a strikeout.

Chris Masters started and went five innings for the M-Braves. He gave up three earned runs on five hits, one homer, and three walks while fanning two.

Biscuits’ starter and former M-Braves pitcher Jacob Thompson limited the Braves to just five hits and two walks. He struck out four in the contest, but did not factor in the decision.

The M-Braves start a 10-game road trip with a five-game series against the Jackson Generals. Lefty Luis Avilan (0-2, 6.75) takes on Generals’ right-hander Andrew Carraway (2-0, 0.69) in game one at Pringles Park. First pitch is scheduled for 6:05 PM.

Montgomery Biscuits (4-6): 4 R 10 H 0 E
Mississippi Braves (3-7): 3 R 9 H 1 E

W: Merrill Kelly (1-0)
L: Chris Jones (0-1)

Time: 4:07
Attendance: 3,082