Thursday, May 15, 2008
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Biscuits walk off with 8-7 win in back-and-forth opener
Montgomery loses 5-0 lead but Andrus single wins it
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MONTGOMERY – The Montgomery Biscuits (17-24) squandered a substantial early lead at Riverwalk Stadium Thursday night and found themselves froced to come from behind in their series opener against the Tennessee Smokies (15-26).
But Erold Andrus' ninth-inning pinch-hit groundball found a seam in the middle of the infield, and John Jaso and Chris Nowak scored to provide Montgomery an 8-7 win.
The Biscuits built a 5-0 lead against Tennessee starter Jeff Samardzija, with two runs in the first on a Jaso groundout and a Nowak single and two more in the second, both on a Rashad Eldridge single. Montgomery scored one more in the fourth when Rhyne Hughes singled home Johnny Raburn. Samardzija departed in the fifth, after allowing a solo homer to Nowak, his third of the year and first since April 17. The prospect righty allowed 10 hits and six earned runs in four innings.
The Smokies were helped out by some poor Montgomery defense and triple-machine Robinson Chirinos.
Chirinos, the Smokies' shortstop, tied a Southern League record by tripling three times, once to each part of the Riverwalk Stadium outfield. It was the sixth time a Southern Leaguer has accomplished the feat, and the first time since Chattanooga's Paul Hollins did it on April 20, 1986.
In his only at-bat in which he didn't triple, Chirinos hit a slow, two-out roller to second baseman Pat Cottrell. But Cottrell misplayed the ball, loading the bases for right fielder Matt Camp, who promptly unloaded them with a triple.
The runs were unearned to Biscuits starter Jake McGee (5.1 IP, 6 H, 4 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 3 K). Mc Gee departed the following inning, after allowing a one-out single.
The Biscuits' bullpen faltered again, as Smokies left fielder Jake Fox clubbed a home run to left to greet Montgomery reliever Kevin Lynn. Tennessee scored again in the seventh on a Chirinos triple, but Jason Cromer came on with one out to strand Chirinos at third.
Chirinos tripled again in the ninth, high off of the left field wall, and scored on a two-out double by Kyle Reynolds against Steve Andrade.
The Biscuits made a winner of Andrade, though, as Jaso doubled to lead off the inning and Nowak followed with an infield single. Sergio Pedroza moved Nowak to second with an infield dribbler and Gaby Martinez was intentionally walked, setting up Andrus in a pinch-hitting role for Cottrell.
Andrus, the team leader in RBIs, now has 29. Martinez walked four times in the game, tying a club record set by Elijah Dukes in 2005.
Montgomery righty Wade Davis leads the Biscuits Friday night against Tennessee southpaw Donnie Veal in the second game of the set. Gametime is 7:05.
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