MEMPHIS, Tennessee – The Memphis Redbirds outlasted the Louisville Bats (Triple-A affiliate, Cincinnati Reds) for a 5-0 win on a comfortable Thursday night at AutoZone Park. The Redbirds now lead the six-game series two games to one.
Both starting pitchers for Memphis (55-62) and Louisville (50-66) kept the opposing batters off balance early. Zach Lee went 4.0 scoreless innings with six strikeouts for the Bats, while Connor Thomas was even more impressive for the ‘Birds. The lefthander went 5.2 scoreless innings with four strikeouts and just five hits allowed.
The game remained knotted at zero until the bottom of the seventh, when Memphis finally broke the goose egg. With the bases loaded and two outs, Austin Dean laced a double off the top of the right field wall, scoring Brendan Donovan, Kramer Robertson and Nolan Gorman and putting the Redbirds in front for good. It was a great turnaround for Dean, who had been 0-3 at the plate with three strikeouts on the evening prior to that at-bat.
Memphis continued the late rally with two more runs in the bottom of the eighth. Alec Burleson and Brendan Donovan plated the runs via an RBI double and an RBI single respectively. Donovan has hits in five consecutive games, while Burleson has three doubles and three runs driven in over the past two games.
The Redbirds bullpen made sure all the late offense wouldn’t go waste. Ramon Santos, Austin Warner and Jacob Bosiokovic combined to throw 3.1 scoreless and hitless innings to lock down a win. Bosiokovic has been downright phenomenal since his call-up to Triple-A. The former Ohio State Buckeye has allowed just three hits in four scoreless relief appearances with 10 strikeouts in 6.0 innings.
The Memphis Redbirds are the proud Triple-A Affiliate of the St. Louis Cardinals. Memphis has claimed four League Championships and one Triple-A National Championship since their affiliation with St. Louis began in 1998. For the latest team news, follow the Redbirds on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Ticket information can be found at memphisredbirds.com/tickets.
