Max Kepler homered twice in the Lookouts win.
photo by Tim Evearitt
Unlike the 2014 Southern League Championship in which Jacksonville swept Chattanooga, the Lookouts beat Biloxi Thursday, 6-1, to assure at least four games and an opportunity to capture the crown at home.
The Lookouts took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning on a Max Kepler solo home run.
They extended their lead to 5-0 in the fifth after another Kepler homer, this time a grand slam in the fourth inning.
In the seventh the Shuckers had the good sense to intentionally walk Max Kepler only to see the next batter, Travis Harrison hit an RBI single to put the Lookouts up 6-1.
Kepler was the hero of the evening for the Lookouts, finishing the game 2-4 with a pair of runs scored, five RBIs and a walk. Kepler's two home runs were the Lookouts only extra-base hits of the evening.
"I've been struggling a little," the Twins' No. 6 prospect admitted. "I can tell that people are trying to pitch me differently or pitch around me, and I'm not going to lie -- it got to me. I really want to hit. I got into swinging at some stuff I shouldn't have. Today I was much more patient in my at-bats and tried to get back to that same mind-set and not be greedy in looking for my pitch."..
Shortstop Heiker Meneses was 2-3 with a walk and number nine hitter, Shannon Wilkerson, was 2-4.
After allowing 10 earned runs in 6 2/3 innings at the beginning of August, Jason Wheeler was sent down from his second Triple-A stint, but the turnaround was not immediate as Wheeler carried a 4.86 ERA the rest of the month and allowed 3 runs in 5 2/3 innings in his final start before the postseason. In his first playoff start, the southpaw went 6 innings, allowed just 3 hits and 1 run, walking 2 and striking out 5.
On Thursday night, he improved on that performance with 7 innings of one-run ball, allowing the same number of hits, striking out the same number of batters, and allowing one more walk. With these two stellar starts, Wheeler’s ERA sits at 1.29 this postseason.
Jason Wheeler was sharp in the Lookouts win Thursday.
Nick Burdi gave up a hit and a walk in the eighth inning but recorded a pair of strikeouts to keep the Shuckers scoreless. J.T. Chargois walked the first hitter in the bottom of the ninth to give Biloxi some hope, but made quick work of the next three hitters to send the Shuckers home.
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Following a travel day Friday, Chattanooga and Biloxi meet Saturday night at AT&T Field for Game 3 of their best of five series for the Southern League Championship.
Kepler made a tremendous diving catch in the fourth inning.
photo by Tim Evearitt