Nothing has come easy for the Chattanooga Lookouts in recent weeks.
The month of July has been one to forget as they had lost 16 of 20 games prior to Thursday’s game and were battling daily just to maintain a little self-respect.
The Rocket City Trash Pandas have been in town this week and the two teams had split the first two games, but the Lookouts got a little help from Mother Nature on Thursday night before emerging with a 4-3 victory in a game called by heavy rain and lightning with two outs in the eighth inning.
Some of the darkest clouds on record had surrounded AT&T Field prior to the delay and lightning just kept getting closer and closer.
And then with the Trash Pandas batting in the top of the eighth and runners on first and third with two outs, home plate umpire Dylan Bradley had seen enough and signaled for the teams to leave the field.
Almost immediately, heavy rain pounded the playing surface and the game was suspended from some 40 minutes before it was made official with the Lookouts ahead.
Rocket City, which had trailed the entire game, missed a golden opportunity in the seventh as they scored twice and got within run, only to have Jordyn Adams take a called third strike to end the inning with the bases loaded.
Then in the eighth, Livan Soto and Ryan Aguilar had reached on singles and were on first and third when the game was called.
Who knows what might or might not have happened after that, but the Lookouts were awarded the win and now stand 6-18 in the second half while the Trash Pandas are now 12-12.
The Lookouts took a 2-0 lead in the first inning on a pair of solo homers by Elly De La Cruz and Alex McGarry, the one by De La Cruz being his first as a Lookout and given an unofficial measurement of 512 feet.
A double by Preston Palmeiro drove in Adams with Rocket City’s first run as they cut Chattanooga’s lead in half.
De La Cruz then made it 3-0 in the fifth with a triple to right-center that drove in Michael Siani, who had walked to lead off.
Matt McLain walked with two outs and the Lookouts then executed a perfect double steal as McLain broke toward second and got a throw his way before De La Cruz broke toward home and barely beat the throw for a 4-1 advantage.
Zach Humphreys walked and Preston Palmeiro doubled to lead off the seventh. Humphreys then scored on a single by Torii Hunter Jr. while Palmeiro scored on a fielder’s choice grounder to second by Kevin Maitan.
Jose Gomez singled and Braxton Martinez walked to load the bases, but Stevie Branche saved the day when he left the bases full on the called third strike on Adams to end the threat.
Andy Fisher, who relieved starter Ricky Salinas in the fifth, earned the win and is now 3-0 for the season.
Rocket City starter Sean McLaughlin took the loss after allowing two runs on three hits in 3.1 innings.
Palmeiro and Aguilar both had two hits to lead the Trash Pandas as every Rocket City starter except Humphreys had at least one. The Trash Panda catcher did walk three times and scored once.
De La Cruz and Hopkins both had two hits for the Lookouts, who finished the game with just six. McGarry’s homer and Ivan Johnson’s two-out double in the fourth were the other two.
Game four of the series is scheduled for 7:15 on Friday.
ROCKET CITY 000 010 2 – 3 10 0
CHATTANOOGA 200 202 0 – 4 6 1
McLaughlin, Hernandez (4), Ingram (6) and Humphreys; Salinas, Fisher (5), Olson (5), Branche (7), Garcia (8) and Free.
(Email John Hunt at nomarathonmoose@gmail.com)