A ninth inning comeback attempt from the Atlanta Braves was held off on Friday afternoon as the Cincinnati Reds knotted.up a three-game series with a 3-2 victory at Great American Ballpark. Both teams are scheduled to finish out the series tonight in NASCAR fashion, facing off in the MLB Speedway Classic at Bristol Motor Speedway in Tennessee. Cincinnati’s Chase Burns takes to the mound with an 0-3 record and a 6.26 earned run average and will be countered by Atlanta’s Spencer Strider. Strider is 5-8 with a 3.71 ERA. Coverage on WRBI this evening begins at 6:45 with first pitch scheduled for 7:15.
Today’s matchup is the first MLB game to be played in the state of Tennessee and is a record-breaker. The game has sold over 85,000 tickets and will break an MLB attendance record for single-game attendance. 84,587 was the record in 1954 when the New York Yankees came to Cleveland Stadium. This Saturday’s game will see a pair of Hall of Famers throw out ceremonial first pitches. Chipper Jones from the Braves and Johnny Bench for the Reds will take to the mound during the pregame festivities.
The Indiana Fever have now won four games in a row, defeating the Dallas Wings 88-78 on Friday night in Texas. Kelsey Mitchell scored 23 points for the Fever while two teammates racked up a double-double. Aliyah Boston had 12 points and 11 rebounds while Natasha Howard notched 11 points and 16 rebounds. Indiana is now 16-12 and visits the Seattle Storm on Sunday. Tipoff is scheduled for 3 p.m. and will be nationally televised on ABC.
