Felix Jorge picked up his first win of the season for Chattanooga.
photo by Tim Evearitt
Off to a 3-5 start, the Lookouts had only been averaging 2.75 runs per game. Saturday night Chattanooga topped that mark in two separate innings, crushing the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp 10-1.
Jacksonville's Mike Kickham (0-1) was perfect through 10 batters and escaped a bases-loaded jam for a scoreless fourth inning.
In the fifth inning, he began with a walk to Jose Gonzalez and single by third baseman Ryan Walker to begin the inning. After a strikeout and a wild pitch put two runners in scoring position, Lookouts shortstop Nick Gordon hit a two-run single to center field. Kickham finished five innings, allowing two earned runs on four hits with one walk and six strikeouts.
The game was scoreless through the first four innings before the Looks tallied two runs in both the fifth and eight innings and three runs in the sixth and ninth innings.
Felix Jorge pitched 5 2/3 innings, giving up one run on just three hits. He walked three and struck out four. Over his 11 starts in Double A last season, Jorge averaged a meager 3.9 K/9, but through his first two starts of 2017 he has seven strikeouts over 9 2/3 innings.
Jorge almost ran into trouble in the fourth inning, thanks in part to two passed balls by catcher Gonzalez. The 29-year-old backstop made up for those miscues in a big way, drawing a leadoff walk in the fifth inning and later coming around to score the game's first run. The next inning, Gonzalez hit a three-run homer.
Gordon, who started at second base, continued his hot start. He was on base three times in six trips to the plate, drawing a pair of walks to go with a two-run single.
Engelb Vielma and Ryan Walker each had two hits for the Lookouts.
Luke Bard (2 1/3 IP, 2 H, 1 BB, 4 K) and Nick Burdi (1 IP, 1 H, 1 BB, 1 K) combined to throw 3 1/3 shutout innings out of the bullpen.
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The Jumbo Shrimp conclude their inaugural home series with Chattanooga at 3:05 p.m. Sunday, when Jacksonville right-hander Chris Mazza is scheduled to face Lookouts right-hander Paul Clemens (0-0).
Ryan Walker had two hits in the 10-1 blowout.
photo by Tim Evearitt