Mike Gonzalez, who homered for the second straight night, had three RBIs in the game.
photo by Tim Evearitt
The Lookouts broke a 4-4 tie with two runs in the eighth inning then held on to avoid a series sweep with a 6-5 victory over the Smokies on Friday night at Smokies Stadium in front of 5,771 fans.
Tennessee saw their ninth-inning rally come up one run short, as Lookouts first baseman Mike Gonzales homered and drove in three runs, including a crucial run-scoring single in the eighth inning.
The Lookouts improved to 30-23 with the win and snapped their six-game losing skid, while the Smokies fell to 31-24.
Tennessee and Chattanooga are now in a virtual tie for first place in the Southern League North Division with 15 games remaining in the first half.
Chattanooga snapped out of a mini-hitting slump sparked by Byron Buxton who led all batters going 3-for-5 for the Lookouts, while Adam Brett Walker went 2-for-4 and Gonzales went 2-for-4 with a home run and three RBI.
For the Smokies, Willson Contreras went 2-for-3 and Billy McKinney was 2-for-4, with the Contreras recording a hit for the 15th time over a 16 game stretch.
Billy McKinney is rated the Chicago Cubs No.7 prospect by MLB.com.
Chattanooga got on the board in the first, plating two runs. Buxton led off the contest with a single and then scampered home all the way from first on Jorge Polanco's run-scoring triple down the right field line to put the Lookouts ahead 1-0. Polanco would eventually come home courtesy of Max Kepler's RBI single to right, making it 2-0.
The Smokies would even the contest with two runs in the fourth. Kyle Schwarber beat an infield shift by dropping down an infield bunt single down the third base line and then advanced to third on Contreras' double to center before both were brought home on McKinney's two-run base hit to right, making it a 2-2 ballgame.
Both teams would then trade two more tallies each in the sixth, starting with a Lookouts home run in the top of the inning. Travis Harrison began with a free pass before scoring when Gonzales crushed his fourth home run of the year to right, giving Chattanooga a two-run lead once again at 4-2.
For the second time on the evening, the Smokies would erase a two-run deficit, answering back immediately in the bottom of the sixth. Albert Almora singled and Schwarber was hit by a pitch to send up the hot-hitting Contreras. He scored Almora with a line-drive single to center to cut the Lookouts' lead in half. Schwarber would then score soon after when former Lookout Chris Denorfia, who is with the Smokies on a Major League Rehab Assignment, lifted a sacrifice fly to right to draw the game even at 4-4.
Chris Denorfia played for the 2005 Chattanooga Lookoouts.
Two innings later, the Lookouts would again plate two runs to grab the lead for the third and final time. Polanco started the winning rally with a walk, and took third on Harrison's single to left prior to coming across on Kepler's sacrifice fly to left. The one-run advantage grew to a two-run lead after Adam Brett Walker tripled and then came home on Gonzales' RBI single to left to cap the Lookouts' output.
The Smokies came to bat in the bottom of the ninth needing two runs to tie and three to win. They plated one run and put the tying run in scoring position but fell a run short in the end. McKinney started the inning with a double to right and Stephen Bruno was hit by a pitch before both advanced 90 feet on a sacrifice bunt to bring up Wes Darvill. He smacked a sacrifice fly to center to bring home pinch runner Jacob Hannemann and narrow the margin to one. Lookouts reliever Cole Johnson was able to get the final out via a strikeout to give the Lookouts the win.
Johnson notched his first save of the season after firing the last two innings, fanning three behind reliever J.T. Chargois (1-0), who earned his first win. Chattanooga starter Brett Lee did not receive a decision in his Double-A debut after allowing four earned runs on five hits in five innings of work.
Smokies starter Ivan Pineyro also did not receive a decision after yielding four earned runs on seven hits, adding one walk and six strikeouts over six frames. Tennessee reliever Starling Peralta (0-1) suffered the his first defeat of the season.
Box
The Lookouts move on to take on the Jackson Generals in a five game series beginning Saturday night in Jackson, TN.
Hitting coach, Brad Allen, and pitching coach, Stu Cliburn, look on from the steps of the dugout.
photo by Tim Evearitt