Late, Clutch Hitting from Madrigal Propel Barons to Series Opening Win

KODAK, Tenn. - After failing in his first four at bats, Nick Madrigal delivered in a big way in his fifth and final at bat to give the Birmingham Barons (7-4, 34-46) a 6-2 win over the Tennessee Smokies (5-6, 38-42) Sunday night from Smokies Stadium.

With runners on first and second, the White Sox No. four prospect lined a triple into the left-center gap to plate Laz Rivera and Luis Robert. The Barons broke the tie and went up 4-2, their first lead of the game.
The triple was Madrigal's third as a Baron and extended his current hitting to eight consecutive games.
The productive inning didn't end there for the Barons. Blake Rutherford continued his torrid streak at the plate, with an RBI double to score Madrigal. A few batters later, Luis González brought Rutherford home on a sac fly to make it 6-2.
After a leadoff walk, Barons reliever Danny Dopico retired the next three Smokies to help the Barons keep their place atop the Southern League's South Division in the second half.
Barons left-handed pitcher Kodi Medeiros didn't start Sunday's contest, but he sure made his impact on it. Medeiros came in from the fifth to ninth innings, pitching five scoreless frames, allowing just two hits and not allowing a run.
Medeiros earned his second win of the season, but more importantly lowered his ERA as a reliever to a miniscule 1.57. After a tough start of the season in the rotation, he has thrived in the bullpen and given up just three earned runs in 16.2 innings.
After Tennessee took an early lead, first baseman Gavin Sheets quickly evened the score at 1-1 with a long solo home run to right. It was Sheets' ninth homer of the season and RBI No. 51, second in the Southern League coming into the day.
Over his last 10 games, Sheets is now hitting .361 with 13 hits, 11 RBI and two home runs.
A Jhonny Pereda RBI single in the fourth for Tennessee put the Smokies back on top 2-1, but it evaporated quickly. Barons catcher Nate Nolan crushed his third homer of the season, a solo shot, to even it up at 2-2 until extra-innings.
After making his first Double-A appearance in the previous series against Mobile, newly arrived pitcher Vince Arobio made the first start of the season on Sunday. Arobio logged the first two innings, giving up one run and punching out three Smokies.
The Barons are now riding a season-high five-game winning streak.
The Barons will continue their series against the Smokies on Monday with an evening start at 6:00 p.m. Left-hander Tanner Banks (1-5, 3.26) will make his 10 start as Baron this season.
WJQX-FM 100.5 will be the home of the Barons on Monday. Fans can tune into the Coca-Cola Pregame Show starting at 5:45 p.m.
The Birmingham Barons are the proud Double-A affiliate of the Chicago White Sox. The Barons will open the home portion of their 2019 season, which celebrates the 25th anniversary of Michael Jordan's lone year in baseball, against the Tennessee Smokies at 7:05 p.m. April 10 at Regions Field. For ticket information, game schedule, promotions calendar or additional information about Regions Field, please visit barons.com or call (205) 988-3200.
Southern League Champions: 1906 • 1912 • 1914 • 1928 • 1929 • 1931 • 1958 • 1967 •1983 • 1987 • 1989 • 1993 • 2002 • 2013
33-Year Double-A Affiliate of the Chicago White Sox