By Josh Cook
It was a good night to be named Chris and play for the Louisville Bats.
Led by the bats of Chris Burke and Chris Denove, both of whom went 3-for-4, Louisville rallied from a 4-1 deficit to beat the Pawtucket Red Sox 6-5 Monday night. The game also saw closer Jon Adkins tied the franchise record with his 39th career save.
Burke singled, tripled and homered to knock in four runs and score twice, while Denove scored a pair of runs as the Bats (30-35) won their second straight game and for the fourth time in their last six.
Louisville scored the first run of the game in the third inning thanks to its trio of Chrises.
Chris Valaika walked with one out, advanced to second on Denove's single, then scored on Burke's single.
The Red Sox (28-37), though, scored a pair of runs in the bottom of the third and fourth innings off Louisville starter Matt Maloney.
The Chrises struck again in the fifth when Denove singled, then Burke followed with his fourth homer of the season to left field to make it 4-3 against Pawtucket starter Kris Johnson.
Louisville scored three runs, all with two outs and all charged to Red Sox reliever Chad Paronto (2-5), in the sixth. Denove started it off with a single, then Burke followed with an RBI-triple. Zack Cozart walked before Yonder Alonso doubled home Burke and Cozart to make it 6-4.
Maloney (6-3) gave up 11 hits and four runs (three earned), while walking two and striking out one over 5 1/3 innings. Jesus Delgado and Joseph Krebs combined for three innings of scoreless relief before Adkins came on in the ninth. He gave up two hits and a run in two-thirds of an inning for his ninth save of the season and his 39th all-time, which ties Louisville's franchise record set by Mark Grater.
Alonso and Michael Griffin added two hits apiece for the Bats, who were out-hit 15 to 12 but still won the game.
The two teams close out their four-game series at 7:05 p.m. Tuesday night. Louisville left-hander Travis Wood (4-4, 3.77 earned-run average) is slated to go against Red Sox righty Michael Bowden (1-2, 5.06).
