It may be time for Lookout fans to set some money aside for the purchase of playoff tickets. The Chattanooga Lookouts moved to six games in front of second-place Greenville beating the G-Braves Monday night, 6-1.
Chattanooga got off to a fast start in the first inning thanks to Jesse Gutierrez’s enormous three-run blast over the left field wall.
Left hander Lance Caraccioli kept Greenville from crossing home plate until the sixth inning. Tony Pena singled went to second on Caraccioli’s throwing error, and took third on a wild pitch. He scored on a sacrifice fly to left by Andy Marte.
Caraccioli (2-0) surrendered just one run while giving up four hits, two walks and striking out eight.
The Lookouts got the run back in their half of the sixth inning. Edwin Encarnacion, at second after leading off with a double, broke for third base as pitcher Ray Aguilar turned to throw to second. Aguilar threw to third baseman Marte who missed the ball allowing Encarnacion to score.
Chattanooga added two insurance runs in the seventh inning. With Jeff Bannon and Andrew Beattie aboard, second baseman Bryan Anderson tripled to left plating Bannon and Beattie.
The Lookouts got "a gift" of three runs in the eighth inning due to a mental error and a real error by the Greenville defense.
A routine ground ball to short by Bannon resulted in a base hit after second baseman Brent Butler failed to cover second base. Brian Peterson followed with a double that drove in Tony Blanco and Bannon. Pitcher Crawford Paxton singled but center fielder Ardley Jansen let the ball go under his glove allowing Peterson to score the Lookouts final run.
Crawford Paxton, relieving Caraccioli, shut out Greenville in the eighth and ninth innings.
The Lookouts had nine hits to five for Greenville. Each team committed two errors.
Bryan Anderson was 2-for-3 with two RBI; Edwin Encarnacion was 2-for-4; Jesse Gutierrez went 1-for-4 with three RBI; Brian Peterson as 1-for-4 with two RBI; and Crawford Paxton, Tony Blanco, and Jeff Bannon each had a hit.
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The Lookouts open a four-game series Tuesday night against the Jacksonville Suns.
Each Lookout game can be heard at 1310 AM radio or over the Internet at www.lookouts.com
Jesse Gutierrez watches the flight of the ball after hitting a long home run (#16) over the left field wall in the first inning. Click to enlarge photo.
- Photo2 by Tim Evearitt