Barons manager pulls team off field

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Barons manager pulls team off field
05/07/2006 2:58 AM ET
By Christopher Heine / Special to MLB.com

The Jacksonville Suns claimed an 11-5 win over Birmingham on Saturday night when Barons manager Chris Cron pulled his team from the field in the eighth inning.
Cron's decision followed three bench-clearing incidents, a handful of brushback pitches and harsh words from both dugouts.
With one out in the top of the eighth, Jacksonville's Matt Kemp took two inside pitches from reliever Edwardo Sierra. The second grazed Kemp's jersey, and as he walked toward first base, he exchanged words with the Barons dugout, emptying both benches for the third time.
While no punches were thrown, Cron argued that Suns players should have been ejected. When none were, he pulled the Barons off the field, effectively forfeiting the game.
It wasn't the first time the teams appeared ready to rumble at Hoover Metropolitan Stadium.
In the bottom of the sixth, Birmingham's Corey Smith gestured toward the mound with his bat after taking a couple of high-and-tight pitches from Suns starter Spike Lundberg. Smith later scored but began shouting at Lundberg from the dugout at the end of the inning.
The dugouts again emptied, and Smith apparently was ejected.
A.J. Ellis went 2-for-4 with a double and three RBIs to lead Jacksonville (17-13). Andy LaRoche also had two hits and drove in a run, while Abreu and Andy Raglani each contributed a pair of hits.
Lundberg (4-1) was credited with the Southern League's fifth complete game of the season, giving up five runs on eight hits with three strikeouts in seven innings.
Birmingham's Ryan Rodriguez (1-3) got roughed up for 11 runs on 11 hits in 5 1/3 innings.
Michael Myers had two hits and two RBIs to pace the Barons (14-16).
This story was not subject to the approval of the National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues or its clubs.