Strumpf homers, reaches four times in game two.
SEVIERVILLE, TN – The Tennessee Smokies (42-51) split the Sunday afternoon doubleheader with the first place Birmingham Barons (51-44) at Smokies Stadium. Birmingham took the first game 4-3 in eight innings, the Smokies bounced back to win the second game 7-1.
Mitch Roman’s RBI single in the second inning of game one gave the Barons a 1-0 lead. Birmingham extended the lead to 3-0 in the fourth inning after Craig Dedelow’s two-run home run.
The Smokies had just two hits entering the fifth inning before exploding for a three-run inning to tie. Andy Weber drew a lead-off walk, and scored on Tyler Payne’s RBI double. Cam Balego kept the rally going with an RBI double of his own to score Payne. After a strikeout, Carlos Sepulveda’s RBI single on the eighth pitch of the at-bat tied the game.
Yoelqui Cespedes began the eighth inning at second base, and scored the eventual winning run on Carlos Perez’s one-out, RBI single. Delvin Zinn was the Smokies runner at second in the bottom half. He got to third with one-out after an error, but was left stranded after a strikeout and fly out ended the game.
Ryan Jensen did not factor in the decision in his Double-A debut, he allowed four hits, three runs, and two walks in four innings. Bryan Hudson tossed three scoreless innings with three strikeouts in relief.
Nelson Velazquez got the scoring started in game two with a 449 foot, three-run home run to left field in the bottom of the first inning. The blast was his sixth of the season.
Cespedes’ RBI double in the third scored Birmingham’s only run of the second game. In the bottom of the third, Chase Strumpf’s two-run home run, his seventh of the year, extended the Smokies lead to 5-1.
The Smokies broke the game open with two runs in the sixth. After Ofreidy Gomez walked the bases loaded, Velazquez hit a two-run single to round out the scoring at 7-1.
Velazquez finished game two 3-for-4 with a home run, five RBI, and two runs. Strumpf was 2-for-2 with a home run, double, two RBI, and two walks. Samuel Reyes (W, 1-1) retired all six Barons he faced for his first Double-A victory, Brandon Hughes closed out the day by striking out five over two scoreless innings.
The Smokies will head to Chattanooga to begin a six game series with the Lookouts on Tuesday night. First pitch from AT&T Field is scheduled for 7:15 PM. Fans can hear all Smokies games by going to https://www.milb.com/tennessee/fans/audio-listen-live.
