Birmingham's Yolbert Sanchez makes a put out at second on Chattanooga's Yoel Tanqui (39). Umpire Dillon Wilson makes the call. The Barons moved into a tie for first place in the Double-A South with their 10-5 win over the Lookouts.
photo by Glen Austin
Lorenzo Cedrola was scorching a path down to first base and tried to beat out a throw in the bottom of the fifth. The throw was close, but the Lookout’s star player was called out by the first-base umpire. Cedrola slammed his helmet down in disgust, the protective equipment thrown with such force that it bounced into the sky like a basketball. The umpire ejected Cedrola, and the centerfielder didn't stop walking until he got back to the clubhouse.
Chattanooga’s fans had to have been almost as enraged as they watched their team drop their third consecutive game to the Birmingham Barons, this time by a score of 10-5.
This tied Chattanooga (36-30) and Birmingham (37-31) in the Double A South standings.
Jameson Fisher started the game by slipping a ball through the infield gap in right, and Romy Gonzalez flashed in from second to give the Barons their first run. Fortunately for the home crowd, starter Mac Sceroler locked in after that and the Barons left the first inning with that solitary run on the board rather than five like the previous night.
Birmingham starter Kade McClure was shaky to start the game as well, as TJ Hopkins and Lorenzo Cedrola both got on base without putting the ball in play. After Drew Mount’s grounder moved a runner to third (and resulted in a forceout at second), Chattanooga’s Wilson Garcia had a chance to drive in a few runs. Instead, he lunged at the first pitch he saw and weakly grounded out to end the inning.
Birmingham continued to shell Chattanooga pitching to start the second inning too. Joe DeCarlo drove a single into left, and then J.J Muno knifed a tricky ball into right. Drew Mount’s throw was late and a little off-line, and a hard-charging Muno went to third. Tyler Neslony drove in a couple more when his line drive into the left-field corner took several seconds to get relayed.
The nightmare inning didn’t get any better for Sceroler after that, with center fielder Ian Dawkins taking first on a strikeout because of a wild pitch and Nelsony running to third. Catcher Carlos Perez hit a majestic 327 foot bomb near the leftfield pole to clear the bases and bring in runs four, five, and six. Lookouts fans remained starving for good pitching on a well-attended “Thirsty Thursday.”
Brian Rey gave Lookouts fans something to cheer about in the bottom of the second when he singled to center on a well-struck ball. Third baseman Byrd Tenerowicz got them to roar a little louder a few minutes later when his double into that difficult leftfield corner moved Rey to third. Yoel Yanqui drove in those two on a single into left, but he tried to make too much out of too little, and was tagged out while trying for second base.
Watching with several dozen of the UT-Chattanooga football team was head coach Rusty Wright, who also got to throw out the first pitch. Coach Wright said it was a great opportunity to have the team bond.
“We’re trying to break some of the monotony of the summertime,” coach Wright said. “We’re giving them an excuse to get out and see Chattanooga a little bit. We have freshmen who haven’t been out a lot, and we’re just trying to have fun as a team.”
Mac Sceroler finally started to settle down over the next few innings, and the Lookouts threatened in the bottom of the fourth. With runners on second and third with two outs, Yanqui had another chance to drive in a pair of additional runs. Lightning wouldn’t strike twice though, and Yanqui missed on an inside pitch. Sceroler’s night was over after that, and in came Dylan Baker. Sceroler’s final line was four innings pitched, eight hits, and six earned runs.
Instead of giving up a double to left, Baker instead gave up a double to Craig Dedelow to the right field corner instead. A wild pitch got past catcher Chuckie Robinson and moved Dedelow to third, and then Yolbert Sanchez slapped a single to right and got him home. Carlos Perez doubled in his fourth RBI of the game in the top of the sixth, making it an 8-2 game.
Birmingham put two more runs on the scoreboard in the eighth inning, and Chattanooga added one more run in the eighth and two more in the ninth. The Lookouts will have a chance to avenge the loss Friday night at 7:15.
BIRMINGHAM 150 011 020 - 10-17-1
CHATTANOOGA 020 000 010 - 5-12-1
McClure, Vargas (5), Tago (8), Ledo and Perez; Sceroler, Baker (5), and Robinson, Figueroa (9) and Schuyler
WP: Vargas
LP: Sceroler