Redbirds fall short

Redbirds fall short

Memphis Redbirds MEMPHIS, Tennessee – The Memphis Redbirds fell behind 7-3 after the midway point of the game and 8-4 after six-and-ahalf, and despite cutting the deficit to one run after the seventh inning could not come back to complete the sweep of the New Orleans Zephyrs (Triple-A Marlins) in an 8-7 loss Tuesday night.

Despite the loss, Memphis (37-41) has won four of the last five series after it took until the 16th series of the season to win its first. The Redbirds scored three in the seventh inning to bring the score to its eventual final margin of 8-7, but the Redbirds could not finish off what would have been their first four-game series sweep since June 2-5, 2015 against Las Vegas.

Charlie Tilson was 3-for-5 with a home run, three runs scored and a stolen base, and Michael McKenry also homered for the Redbirds and drew three walks. Randal Grichuk plated a pair of runs with a seventhinning double. Jose Martinez had two hits in the game as well.

Alex Reyes took his first loss of the season after giving up six runs, four earned, on six hits in 3.2 innings while striking out four.

Memphis led 2-0 after the first, thanks to a tworun single by Martinez after Tilson singled, McKenry walked and both stole a base. But the Zephyrs (37-40) scored a pair in the second, third and fourth innings and led 6-3 after the top of the fourth. Memphis’ run in the third came on McKenry’s fourth home run as a Redbird and second in his last two games.

The teams traded runs in the fifth, and the Zephyrs added to it in the seventh before the Redbirds scored three after the seventh inning stretch to make it an 8-7 game.

Grichuk’s two-run double and a sacrifice fly to deep center field by Dean Anna scored the runs, but Jacob Wilson flew out to end the inning.

Corey Littrell and Juan Gonzalez threw perfect eighth and ninth innings, and the Redbirds had the potential go-ahead run on first in the bottom of the eighth before Grichuk struck out to end the inning. The Redbirds went down in order in the ninth to finish the game.

After an off-day Wednesday, The Redbirds head to Omaha for four games and 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. The Redbirds are offering two different $19 ticket and food packages for the 4th, and the homestand runs through Sunday, July 10.

For tickets or for more information on the 2016 Redbirds season, contact the Redbirds front office at (901) 721-6000 or visit www.memphisredbirds.co m.

By Michael Schroeder