Redbirds blow late lead, fall 7-6 to Jacksonville in extras

A 5-1 lead vanished in front of 10,058 at AutoZone Park on Thursday afternoon, and Memphis paid for every missed chance late. The Redbirds fell 7-6 to Jacksonville in extra innings after carrying a 5-1 edge into the eighth and a 5-3 lead into the ninth, their first loss of 2026 when ahead in either of those late-game spots after starting 19-0 in those situations.

Memphis had done enough early to make the finish look routine. Leo Bernal tied the game at 1 with a solo homer in the second inning, then Joshua Báez, the Cardinals No. 3 prospect, crushed a 430-foot two-run shot in the third for his ninth homer of the season. Nelson Velázquez added another solo blast in the sixth, giving the Redbirds three home runs and what looked like a comfortable cushion.

Hunter Dobbins helped build that cushion with the deepest start of his season. He allowed one run on six hits over his outing, walking one and striking out two, and he handed the game off with Memphis still in control. From there, the margin evaporated. Scott Blewett was the only Memphis reliever to post a scoreless appearance, working 1.1 innings, while Jacksonville kept chipping away before delivering the final blow in extras. The bullpen and defense could not close the final three innings, turning a strong position into a damaging defeat.

The loss carried immediate weight in the International League race. Memphis entered Thursday tied with Gwinnett for first place and had spent every day of the 2026 season at least tied for first, so the collapse put that run in jeopardy. It also came during a six-game homestand and opened a Jacksonville series that had already been rough on Redbirds pitching after a 15-5 loss two nights earlier and another lopsided defeat Wednesday. Gwinnett had already tightened the race once with a 4-2 extra-inning win on April 16, and this was another reminder that first place in the International League West can change fast when late leads disappear.