The week began on a positive note for the Chattanooga Lookouts as they defeated the Biloxi Shuckers by a 7-6 final at AT&T Field Tuesday night.
It’s been a downhill slide ever since for the home team, including a 15-3 drubbing on Saturday night that evened Biloxi’s record at 30-30 and the Lookouts too at 31-31. The Shuckers won for the fourth straight game while the Lookouts have now lost four in a row.
The six-game series will conclude on Father’s Day Sunday with the first pitch set to be thrown about 2:15.
The Lookouts have played some close games this summer, including some that weren’t decided until late in the contest, but that wasn’t the case on Saturday.
The guys in blue who play their home games in Mississippi made it a no-contest early as the Shuckers sent 13 hitters to the plate in the first inning while the announced crowd of 3,549 was still trying to settle into their seats.
During that inning, they collected half of their 18 hits and scored eight runs. It lasted almost a half-hour and during that time, the Shuckers had a home run, a triple, two doubles and five singles.
It almost looked like a glorified batting practice for the visitors.
It was way more than Lookout starter Andrew Abbott could handle as he was replaced by J.C. Keys with two outs following a walk to Joey Wiemer.
Abbott took the loss after allowing all eight runs on eight hits before his teammates ever got to bat for the first time.
It wasn’t much of a game as Biloxi added three runs in the fourth before wrapping things up with two in the fifth and two in the ninth.
Meanwhile, the Lookouts got on the board on Alex McGarry’s solo home run in the fourth before scoring their final two runs in the seventh when the outcome had long been determined.
Pedro Severino, a Major League veteran with seven years at the top who has been with the Shuckers since last Friday on a rehab assignment, led the way with four hits while scoring three times and driving in two.
Sal Frelick and Wiemer both had three hits, including Wiemer’s team-leading 14th home run that drove in the first two runs in the opening inning.
Jackson Reetz and Noah Campbell both had a pair of hits as every Biloxi player in the lineup except Yeison Coca had at least one.
James Free and Quincy McAfee both had two hits for Chattanooga as they finished with six as a team.
Free singled in the seventh and later scored on a wild pitch while McAfee walked following Free’s single and later scored on a sacrifice fly by Michael Siani.
But on a night when it wasn’t quite as hot and miserable as it has been this week, the Lookouts took another one on the chin.
T.J. Shook was the winning pitcher and improved to 2-0 after allowing one run on five hits in six innings of work. He also had seven strikeouts and two walks.
Both teams will be off on Monday with Chattanooga traveling to Sevierville begin a series with the Smokies on Tuesday.
BILOXI 800 320 002 – 15 18 0
CHATTANOOGA 000 100 200 – 3 6 0
Shook, Floyd (7), Hintzen (9) and Reetz; Abbott, Keys (1), Salinas (4), Branche (8) and Free.
(Email John Hunt at nomarathonmoose@gmail.com)