BayBears take 3 in a row from West Tenn

MOBILE, Ala. - A great start to the second half for the BayBears as they grabbed their third consecutive victory with a 10-4 smacking of the West Tenn Diamond Jaxx on Wednesday afternoon at Hank Aaron Stadium.

Early run support provided a comfortable cushion for Jarrod Parker (4-3) who made his return to the BayBears (40-33, 3-0) after a brief stint on the disabled list. Parker was strong through five innings as he only allowed a run on three hits while striking out three.

Luis Munoz (2-4) had numerous issues early for the Jaxx (27-46), mostly with his control. Munoz surrendered a lead-off bunt single to Evan Frey in the first inning while Pedro Ciriaco reached on a fielder's choice and an error before Munoz hit Sean Coughlin to load the bases. Cyle Hankerd, who cracked a two-run double in the first on Tuesday, didn't have the opportunity to do it again as he was walked to make it 1-0. Ricardo Sosa was also given a free pass with the bags full to put the BayBears up by two.

Munoz coughed up a couple more in the second as Bryan Byrne doubled home Ciriaco with two outs. Bryne was knocked in on a Hankerd single, and the BayBears were seemingly on their way, in front 4-0.

Parker's only blemish came in the fourth when he walked Mel Stocker to start the frame. Stocker scored on a two-out RBI single by Matt Mangini. West Tenn drew closer in the sixth as former BayBear Colt Morton brought home a run with a knock off Kyler Newby.

Yunesky Sanchez provided some insurance for the BayBears with a one-out RBI single in the seventh as Sosa scored, but West Tenn still wouldn't go away. They picked up two more in the eighth to draw within one while a diving catch in right by Chris Rahl prevented Leury Bonilla from tying the game with a two-out blooper.

In the bottom of the eighth, the BayBears pulled away with five unearned runs thanks to a missed catch at first by reliever Anthony Varvaro. That opened the door for Sosa, Sanchez, James Skelton and Ciriaco to all drive in runs. Daniel Stange (S, 8) slammed the door in the ninth after recording the final out in the eighth.

The BayBears and Jaxx take the field for game four of their six-game set on Thursday night at 7:05 as Cody Evans (3-7, 456) gets the start. For Hank Aaron Stadium tickets, call (251) 479-BEAR or log on to www.mobilebaybears.com.