By Jeff Allison
CHATTANOOGA, Tennessee -- The Birmingham Barons hold on for a 10-9 thriller over the Chattanooga Lookouts before 6,316 at Erlanger Park on Sunday afternoon. The Barons took a 5-0 lead, then trailed 6-5 after six innings, but outscored the Lookouts 5-3 in the final three innings.
Starting pitcher Connor McCullough pitched 4.0 innings, giving up only three hits, no runs, a walk with two strikeouts. Jarold Rosado pitched a perfect fourth inning with two strikeouts. Jacob Heatherly pitched 0.1 innings, giving up one hit, four earned runs, three walks with a strikeout. Eric Adler pitched 0.1 inning, giving up a hit, two earned runs, and two walks. Chase Watkins gets the win in relief. He went 1.1 innings, giving up only a walk with three strikeouts. Jackson Kelley pitched 0.1 innings, giving up one hit, two earned runs, four walks, and a strikeout. Nick Altermatt gets his first save of the season, pitching 1.2 innings, giving up only one hit with two strikeouts.
The Barons (13-14) scored five runs in the top of the fifth inning. Jordan Sprinkle singled and stole second. Samuel Zavala walked. Both players moved up on a balk. Hot-hitting Jacob Burke singled, scoring Sprinkle. Jeral Perez's infield single scored Zavala. The Barons led 2-0. Wilfred Veras hit a home run to right field, scoring Burke and Perez, his fourth of the season. The Barons took a 5-0 lead.
The Lookouts (18-9) scored six runs to take a 6-5 lead. A Dominic Pitelli grand slam was the big blow. Chattanooga took the 6-5 lead.
In the top of the seventh inning, Braden Montgomery singled. Alec Makarewicz walked. A wild pitch moved both runners to third and second base. Burke singled to center field, scoring Montgomery. The Barons tied the game at 6-6. Perez walked. A wild pitch scored Makarewicz, and the Barons took a 7-6 lead. Andy Weber hit a triple off the right field wall, scoring Burke and Perez. Juan Gonzalez singled to center field, scoring Weber, and the Barons led 10-6.
In the bottom of the eighth inning, the Lookouts scored three runs to bring Chattanooga within a run one game. With only one out and two runners on base. Altermatt came in the game and got Jay Allen II to fly out and Shane Sasaki to strikeout to preserve the Barons one-run lead.
In the bottom of the ninth inning, the Lookouts got their first runner to first base with no outs, but Altermatt got the next three batters out and a fly ball to Zavala to end the game.
For the Barons, Burke had three hits, two RBI, two runs scored, and a stolen base. In his last three games at Chattanooga, Burke is 8-for-15 (.533) with two doubles, a triple, six RBI, and two stolen bases. Veras had the three-run home run. Weber had a triple, two RBI, a run scored, and a walk.