Barons fall to Suns 4-3

From Birmingham Barons on Tuesday, May 1:

Birmingham, AL — The Jacksonville Suns snapped the Birmingham Barons' five-game winning streak Tuesday night, winning 4-3 in front of 2,059 fans at Regions Field.

Drew Garcia was responsible for all three Barons runs on the evening. He gave the Barons a 2-1 lead in the third on a two-run double to left scoring Jared Mitchell and Damaso Espino. Garcia would plate the Barons last run in the fifth with a sacrifice fly giving the Barons a 3-1 lead.

Baron's starter Jose Quintana cruised through the first five innings before running into trouble in the sixth as the Suns tied the game on an RBI single by Russell Mitchell and a groundout by Curt Smith.

In the seventh, Santos Rodriguez (0-1, 6.94) relieved and allowed a triple to Jake Smolinski. After a one out walk, Smolinski scored on a Shawn Bowman sacrifice fly, giving the Suns a 4-3 lead.

The Barons were unable to mount a rally in the eighth or ninth innings, falling for the first time in six games 4-3. With the loss, the Barons are now 14-12 on the season. Rodriguez took the loss, allowing a run on one hit in 2.0 innings. The win went to Suns starter Jose Alvarez (1-0, 3.98) who allowed three runs (two earned) on seven hits in 6.0 innings. Evan Reed pitched a perfect ninth for his leagueleading seventh save.

The Barons will look to get back on the winning track tomorrow as Nestor Molina (3-1, 3.80) takes the hill against Suns starter Bryan Evans (0-2, 5.75). First pitch is scheduled for 11:00 AM.