Although he gave up four solo home runs, Lewis Thorpe won his first game of the season.
photo by Tim Evearitt
The Biloxi Shuckers (25-16) and Chattanooga Lookouts (27-14) combined for seven home runs over the first half of Thursday night's game as the Lookouts grabbed a 6-4 victory in Game One of a five game set. The victory was the fourth straight for the first place Looks who now lead second place Jackson by five games in the North Division.
All but one of the game's runs came on the longball, and every run was scored in the first four and a half innings before the howling winds died down.
Corey Ray led off the first with a solo shot for the third day in a row. Jake Hager followed with a blast to left, his third of the season, to give Biloxi a 2-0 lead against starter LHP Lewis Thorpe (W, 1-3).
After Brian Navarreto answered with an RBI-single in the second, Clint Coulter and Troy Stokes Jr. retaliated with their own solo homers.
All four of the Shuckers' runs came on the solo home run against Thorpe who lasted five innings.
RHP Thomas Jankins (L, 6-2) kept the ball down in the zone most of the night, but left a few pitches over the plate in his later innings. In the top of the fourth, Chris Paul belted a two-run tater to left. One frame later, LaMonte Wade went the opposite way to left field to tie the game at four. After a Brent Rooker double, Zander Wiel socked a two-run dinger into the left field jet stream to put Chattanooga up 6-4.
In the bottom of the fifth, the wind halted. With two outs, Jake Gatewood represented the tying run and shot a hard fly ball to deep left. Wade made a fantastic leaping grab to record the final out of the inning. The left fielder injured his shoulder on the way down and left the game.
RHP Todd Van Steensel (H, 1) and RHP Ryne Harner (S,3) each provided two innings of scoreless relief on the way to the Lookouts' win. Pinch-hitter Mitch Ghelfi stood in as the tying run with two down in the ninth, but Harper struck him out to end the game.
Box
The two sides will partake in Game Two on Friday night at 7:35 p.m. with RHP Cody Ponce (1-2, 6.20) taking on Chattanooga's RHP Kohl Stewart (3-1, 5.40).