Taylor Trammell, Cincinnati Reds' #2 top prospect, slammed his first home run of the season - a second inning three-run shot.
photo by Tim Evearitt
Near-sellout crowds were entertained by post-game fireworks at AT&T Field on Thursday and Friday nights, but they didn’t have much impact on the outcomes as the Chattanooga Lookouts lost both times by giving up late-inning runs.
The Lookouts decided to create some fireworks of their own on Saturday night and the result was the first win of the season. Final score was 6-5 as the home team came from behind twice to beat the Montgomery Biscuits.
Game four of the five-game series will be played on Sunday afternoon with the first pitch set for 2:15.
Montgomery took an early lead with two runs in the first inning, using two walks, two hits and two Chattanooga errors to make that happen.
Jesus Sanchez and Tristan Gray had back-to-back run-scoring singles to give the visitors from Alabama the early lead.
The Lookouts, who left the bases loaded in the first without scoring, finally dented the scoreboard in the second.
Narciso Crook ripped a double down the line in left to lead off and scored on a single up the middle by Cassidy Brown. A two-out double by Jose Siri was followed by a three-run homer off the Blue Cross billboard in right-center by Taylor Trammell as Chattanooga took the lead at 4-2.
Neither team scored in the next three innings, but the Biscuits tied it with two runs in the sixth before taking a 5-4 lead on Gray’s solo homer in the seventh.
The Lookouts left two stranded in the seventh after not scoring, but they refused to be denied after creating another scoring opportunity in the eighth.
Brantley Bell walked to lead off before advancing on a single by Crook. A sacrifice by Brown put runners on second and third with one out. Pinch-hitter Alfredo Rodriguez struck out swinging for the second out and things looked bleak for a minute before T.J. Friedl’s infield single drove in Bell with the tying run.
Then with the infield drawn in, Siri bounced a single up the middle for his third hit of the game as Crook raced home with what turned out to be the game-winning run.
Alex Powers, the fifth pitcher used by Chattanooga, then retired the side in order in the ninth to save the win for Ryan Hendrix, who had allowed one hit while getting three outs in the eighth.
While Hendrix was the winner, Matt Krook was the loser after allowing the two runs in the eighth on three hits and a walk.
Siri had three hits for the Lookouts as he raised his batting average to .333 while Friedl and Crook both had two hits. The winners finished with 11 hits for the game.
Sanchez, Gray and Lucius Fox all had two hits each for the Biscuits.
The Lookouts are now 1-2 for the season while the loss is Montgomery’s first after two wins.
A good crowd of 5,008 was on hand to witness the win and to be entertained by the always-funny Zooperstars.
MONTGOMERY 200 002 100 – 5 7 1
CHATTANOOGA 040 000 02x – 6 11 2
Rosenberg, Bivens (6), Krook (8) and Pinto; Moss, Strahan (5), Payano (6), Hendrix (8), Powers (9) and Brown.
(Email John Hunt at nomarathonmoose@gmail.com)