Starting pitcher Drew Thorpe threw 5.2 shutout innings as the Birmingham Barons defeated the Chattanooga Lookouts 2-0 before a crowd of 3,412 at Regions Field on Saturday night. The game was delayed 10 minutes, but it didn't bother Thorpe as he pitched 5.2 innings, only giving up two hits, no earned runs, and two walks with seven strikeouts in the Baron's sixth shutout of the season. The Barons had only one shutout all season last year.
Thorpe has a rocky first inning, leaving the bases loaded but getting Lookouts catcher Jack Rogers to ground out to second base to end the inning. After that, Thorpe cruised the rest of the game, lowering his ERA to 1.50 and getting his sixth win of the season.
The Barons (24-13) threatened in the bottom of the third inning but couldn't score a run. Alsander Womack singled on a soft ground ball in the infield, Jason Matthews singled to center with one out, but the Barons left them stranded.
In the bottom of the fourth inning, Brooks Baldwin led the inning off and hit a home run to right field for his second home run. Later in the inning, Wilfred Veras singled on a sharp ground ball, and Michael Turner singled, but again, with one out and runners on the corner, the Barons couldn't score. In the bottom of the seventh inning, Womack singles on a line drive to center field; Womack steals second and advances to third on an error by the first baseman. Matthews singles home Womack, and the Barons led 2-0.
In relief, Garrett Schoenle, Gil Luna, and Adysin Coffey close out the game for the Barons to win. It was the third save for Coffey this season. In the win, Womack and Matthews had two hits. Tatum had two stolen bases, and Duke Ellis got his league-leading 25 stolen bases. He leads all of Double-A. The Barons improved to 16-3 at Regions Field this season. The Barons winning percentage of .842 at Regions Field leads all minor-league baseball. Last season, in the first half, the Barons only won nine home games.