BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - The Barons and Lookouts split their Tuesday doubleheader at Regions Field with Birmingham claiming the first 3-2 in extra innings and Chattanooga taking the second 4-0. Barons second baseman provided the fireworks in the first contest, hitting a walk-off home run in the bottom of the eighth inning.
While both games were scheduled for seven innings each, the first game of the night ran to eight. Birmingham jumped out to an early 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning on three hits. Tim Anderson led off with a triple and Jacob May drove him home with a single to center. After a Courtney Hawkins double moved May to third, the centerfielder scored on a Christian Marrero grounder.
Chattanooga came back to tie the game 2-2 with a run in the fourth and seventh innings to send the first matchup into extras, but DeMichele came through big-time for the Barons. As the first batter of the inning, the left-handed hitter rocked a Zach Jones fastball to right-center to secure a 3-2 Barons win.
It was the fifth walk-off hit for Birmingham on the season, and the second for DeMichele. The second baseman led the Barons to a 2-1 walk-off single April 25 against Pensacola.
Game two was the complete opposite as Birmingham was shutout 4-0. The Barons were held to just three hits between the pitching trio of Madison Boer, Cole Johnson and D.J. Johnson. The three pitchers struck out nine batters while allowing just two walks. The only Barons to record hits were Anderson, Danny Hayes and Martin Medina.
Madison Boer made his first start of the year in game two of the doubleheader. The right haner started a game on 8/21/2014 with Fort Myers. In that game he went three innings and did not give up a run. Overall, Boer has started 27 career games including 19 in 2012 with Fort Myers.
Byron Buxton drove in another run yesterday and has now recorded a RBI in 10 straight games. This month, Buxton is hitting .326 with 15 RBIs and eight extra-base hits. His 15 RBIs is the most in Double-A baseball in May.
Adam Brett Walker II has gotten off to a hot start this month. Monday night, the slugger hit his fourth home run of the month. In May, he has 12 RBIs and seven extra-base hits.
Stu Turner has thrown out seven runners this season. That ties him for the fourth-most amount of caught stealings in the league. In 2014 with the Miracle, Turner threw out 24 of 74 attempted base stealers for a .324%. That mark was the third highest in the league.
Right-hander Myles Jaye (2-1, 3.97 ERA) is set to pitch Wednesday's 12 a.m. game for the Barons, and fellow righty Jose Berrios (3-1, 3.25 ERA) will throw for the Lookouts. The game has already been declared a sellout.