MOBILE, Ala. -- Ed Easley's one-out infield hit off Scott Rice in the bottom of the ninth inning scored A.J. Pollock from third base as Mobile won its Southern League baseball series opener Friday night against Chattanooga, 5-4.
The host BayBears went up 4-2 in the sixth, when Ollie Linton had an RBI single to center field and Marc Krauss added an RBI double to left. Scott Van Slyke led off the eighth with a homer to left to pull the Lookouts within 4-3, and Van Slyke temporarily tied it with another homer to left with two out in the ninth.
The teams are set to play two seven-inning games tonight, with the opener scheduled for 7:05 EDT. Michael Antonini (9-9, 4.13 ERA) is scheduled to start the opener on the mound for the Lookouts, with Jarrod Parker (11-7, 3.70) scheduled for the BayBears.
The Los Angeles Dodgers optioned relief pitcher Josh Lindblom, who is 1-0 with a 2.29 earned run average in 16 big-league appearances this season, back to Chattanooga.
Right fielder Kyle Russell, whose playing time had decreased since the arrival of Alex Castellanos, was bumped up to Triple-A Albuquerque. In 120 games with the Lookouts this season, Russell hit .259 with a team-leading 19 home runs, but his 144 strikeouts led the entire Southern League.