Zach Lee had his best start of the season in a Lookouts uniform, but his effort was all for naught, as the Mississippi Braves scored their only runs of the game immediately following his exit in a 2-1 Mississippi win over Chattanooga in Monday evening action at AT&T Field.
Lee and his counterpart, Gary Moran (5-9), pitched brilliantly for their respective teams. The game quickly passed and neither team scored until the bottom of the sixth, when the Lookouts scored the first run of the game. J.T. Wise hit a 3-0 fastball into left field for a single to get the Lookouts going. After a Blake Smith strike out, Jake Lemmerman hit a ball into right field that was lost by Keenan Wiley and sailed past the perplexed outfielder. The play allowed a hustling Wise to score, but Lemmerman was caught in a pickle to end the inning.
Lee exited the game after the sixth inning and was replaced by Eric Eadington (1-1), who was immediately greeted with a ground-rule double by Joe Leonard. After a Wiley strike out, Philip Gosselin ripped a triple to right field, scoring Leonard. Former Lookout Jaime Pedroza then hit a ball to shortstop Jake Lemmerman, who made an errant throw at home, allowing Gosselin to score and Pedroza to reach first. Eadington was able to calm down to record the final two outs of the game, but the M-Braves took the lead, 2-1.
The Lookouts had a great opportunity to score at least one run in the ninth inning but came up empty. J.T. Wise led off the final frame with a double. Wise was then replaced by a speedier Joe Becker as a pinch runner. Blake Smith then grounded out to push Becker to third. Lemmerman followed with a walk to put runners on the corners, but C.J. Retherford popped up to second baseman Gosselin to give the Lookouts two outs. Lookouts pinch hitter Luis Nunez battled closer Ryan Buchter but struck out swinging to end the game.
Buchter earned his fourth save of the season for the M-Braves by preserving the win.
Inning by inning Recap of the game.
Box Score
The Chattanooga Lookouts and Mississippi Braves will wrap-up their five-game series at 7:15 P.M., Tuesday.
Tickets for this game or any other Lookouts home game can be purchased at the Lookouts Box Office at AT&T Field, online at www.lookouts.com, or by calling (423) 267-4849.