Felix Jorge gave up 2-of the-3 home runs to Jason Rosler. Ryan Eades was touched for the other homer.
photo by Tim Evearitt
Jason Vosler hit three home runs and drove in six runs, as the Tennessee Smokies defeated the Chattanooga Lookouts 8-4 on Wednesday.
A 16th-round pick out of Northeastern in 2014, Vosler lifted his 2017 batting average 38 points to .218 with his 3-for-5 afternoon and doubled his season RBI total to 12. His only previous multi-homer game came in July 2015 when he hit a pair for Class A Advanced Myrtle Beach against visiting Potomac.
Tennessee, which handed Chattanooga its third straight loss after a doubleheader sweep on Tuesday, jumped out to an early lead with two runs in the first inning.
The rest was all Vosler. After a groundout in the first, he hit two-run shots (all to right field) in the third, fifth and seventh -- the first two coming off Lookouts starter Felix Jorge (2-1).
Jorge, the Twins' No. 9 prospect, had allowed just one long ball in his first three starts of the season.Jorge took the loss after a rough outing in which he allowed six runs and 10 hits over five innings.
The home runs by Vosler, all two-run shots, came in the third, fifth and seventh innings.
Chattanooga yielded a season-high 13 hits to the Smokies, with leadoff man Charcer Burks collecting three hits.
Starter Jen-Ho Tseng improved to 2-0 with the Smokies, allowing four runs -- three earned -- on six hits and three walks over six innings. He struck out two. Tseng has held Southern League batters to a .213 average in his first four starts this season after yielding a .308 mark in 22 starts on the circuit last year.
After being blanked in both ends of Tuesday's twin bill, Chattanooga bounced back with four runs in the loss. First baseman Jonathan Rodriguez contributed a two-run homer, his third of the season.
Travis Harrison singled twice, scoring two runs for the Lookouts.
Chattanooga's Mason Melotakis pitched another scoreless inning in relief,and Nick Burdi struck out two batters in a scoreless ninth inning. Both keep their ERAs of 0.00 intact. Melotakis has thrown 8 2/3 innings, and Burdi has tossed 7 1/3 innings so far.
Box
The Lookouts are on the road for their next series playing the Jackson Generals.
Jonathan Rodriguez hit his third home run of the season
photo by Tim Evearitt