MEMPHIS, Tennessee – For the second-straight night the Memphis Redbirds bullpen had to escape a ninth-inning jam, and the Redbirds will now go for a four-game sweep of the New Orleans Zephyrs (Triple-A Marlins) after a 4-3 win Monday night.
Miguel Socolovich entered with two on and no outs in the ninth, and he stuck out the final two he faced to end the game after giving up a single. That came on the heels of Sam Tuivailala striking out the side and leaving the bases loaded in the top of the ninth last night to preserve a 6-4 Memphis win.
Eight different Redbirds (37-40) had one of Memphis’ nine hits on the night, led by Alberto Rosario’s two knocks and an RBI. Charlie Tilson entered the game in fifth and had a triple, his seventh of the season, leaving him one shy of tying the Redbirds’ single-season record.
Memphis’ bats were quiet through the fifth inning, and the Redbirds trailed New Orleans (36-40) 2-0 after the top of the sixth. Deck McGuire pitched 6.0 solid innings on the night, scattering nine hits and giving up those two runs which came on an RBI groundout and a home run.
The Redbirds got on the board in the sixth with a pair of runs to tie the game at two, and the Redbirds added two more in the seventh on David Washington’s 13th home run as a Redbird and 18th of the season overall combining his time in Memphis and Double-A Springfield. The 18 home runs lead the Cardinals organization.
Dean Kiekhefer came on in the top of the eighth and gave up a single, but the runner was erased on a double play. Kiekhefer got into trouble in the ninth with a pair of walks, before Socolovich entered and put out the fire with a pair of strikeouts to end the game and leave the tying run on second.
The two teams had a benches-clearing brawl in the fifth inning that led to six ejections, and the game was delayed 41 minutes by rain before the start.
Tomorrow night’s series finale between Memphis and New Orleans is King Cotton $1 Hot Dog Night with a first pitch scheduled for 7:05. After a four-game road trip, the Redbirds will be back at AutoZone Park on July 4 to start a seven-game homestand with a holiday edition of postgame fireworks, presented by AutoZone.
For tickets or for more information on the 2016 Redbirds season, contact the Redbirds front office at (901) 721-6000 or visit www.memphisredbirds.com.
