Smokies Fall In Close Contest To Lookouts, 1-0
SEVIERVILLE - The Smokies and Lookouts entered the ninth inning on Saturday night knotted at 0-0 and it was Chattanooga who was able to score the lone run of the contest in the top of the ninth on their way to a 1-0 win.
RHP Brad Markey was impressive on the mound for Tennessee as he struck out three Lookouts and gave up just five hits. RHP Joe Nathan took over for Tennessee in the ninth and gave up a solo shot which stood as the game-winning run.
"Markey was good. He threw quite a few pitches, he would get ahead of guys and pitch back into the count when he had chances to put guys away," Smokies' Manager Mark Johnson said. "In the end he got the job done and made it through six and gave us a chance and kept us in the ball game."
The Smokies now sit at 7-8 in the second half and 35-50 overall while the Lookouts are 10-6 in the second half and 46-40 on the season.
The Lookouts' offense was the first to cause trouble on Saturday night. In the second inning, RF Travis Harrison (2-4, HR, RBI, R, SO) led off with a single then CF Niko Goodrum (0-3, SO) was hit by a pitch with only one retired. Harrison moved to third after a passed ball by C Victor Caratini (1-4, SO), but Markey (6.0 IP, 5 H, 3 SO) was able to get out of the jam by striking out C Stuart Turner (1-4, SO) and getting 2B Levi Michael (0-4, SO) to ground out.
SS Leo Reginatto (1-4, SO) led off the fourth with a double for Chattanooga, but Markey was again able to escape the inning unharmed as the next three Lookouts lined out.
The Smokies' offense put something together in the fifth, but were unable to break the 0-0 tie. DH Bijan Rademacher (2-4) started the frame with a single followed by a base knock off of the bat of SS Carlos Penalver (1-3, SO, BB). 2B Daniel Lockhart (2-3) advanced the runners with a sacrifice bunt. CF Trey Martin (0-3) followed that up by reaching on a fielder's choice and 3B Chesny Young (0-4, BB) was given a free pass to first as he drew a walk. LHP David Hurlbut (8.0 IP, 8 H, 4 SO, 1 BB) got out of the tough spot by striking out LF Ian Happ (0-4, SO).
Lockhart led off the seventh inning for Tennessee with a bunt single and advanced all the way to third after Hurlbut was charged with a throwing error as he tried to flip the ball to first with his glove hand. The Smokies weren't able to drive him home however as Martin lined out and Young reached on a fielder's choice in which Lockhart was gunned down at home.
RHP Stephen Perakslis (2.0 IP, H, SO) took over for Markey to start the seventh inning and the 25-year-old retired the Lookouts in order and gave up just one single in the eighth.
"Perakslis was lights out," Johnson said. "He got 3-0 on the first hitter and after that he was very efficient with his pitches and kept the ball down in the zone and used his fastball well inside and put guys away when he needed to."
The Smokies then gave the mound to six-time MLB All-Star Nathan (0.2 IP, HR, SO) to start the ninth frame and on just his third pitch thrown, Harrison sent one out of the yard over the left field wall to break the tie and give Chattanooga a 1-0 lead.
Hurlbut went a full eight innings for the Lookouts and threw just 97 pitches during his outing. RHP Trevor Hildenberger (1.0 IP, H, SO, BB) came on to close out the contest in the ninth and he was successful in doing so as he picked up his 13th save of the year. Hurl but improved to 7-4 on the season while Nathan fell to 0-1 on the year for Tennessee.
The Smokies and Lookouts will do it all again on Sunday night with the first pitch set for 5:05 p.m. EST. RHP Tyler Skulina (3-7, 4.93 ERA) will take the mound for Tennessee while LHP Tyler Jay (0-0, 0.00 ERA), the Minnesota Twins' No. 5 prospect according to Baseball America, will make his Double-A debut for Chattanooga.
The Pilot Pre-Game Show will kick off the broadcast at 4:50 p.m. ET, leading up to the 5:05 p.m. ET first pitch. Sunday evening's broadcast can be heard on Sports Radio WNML 99.1 FM and 990 AM and online at http://smokiesbaseball.com/ or via the TuneIn Radio or MiLB First Pitch apps.
Fans are encouraged to arrive to the park early on Sunday as the first 1,500 patrons through the gates will receive a Kyle Schwarber Bobblehead courtesy of Vanderbilt Mortgage. It will also be Top Gun Night presented by Knoxville Harley Davidson at Smokies Stadium featuring special on-field games, scoreboard graphics and music paying homage to 1980's classic film. Like all Sunday contests, it will be a U.S. Cellular Family FUNday at the ballpark. For $48, fans can enjoy a package that includes four tickets, four meal vouchers and two kid's zone wristbands.
The Tennessee Smokies Charity of Choice for the 2016 season is Alzheimer's Tennessee. Alzheimer's Tennessee's mission is to serve those facing Alzheimer's disease and related dementias, to promote brain health through education, and to champion global prevention and treatment efforts. For more information on how to join the Tennessee Smokies in helping Alzheimer's Tennessee achieve their mission, please visit http://www.alztennessee.org/smokies/.
Single-game tickets, as well as multi-voucher and season ticket packages are still available, and can be purchased online at http://smokiesbaseball.com/, or by calling the Smokies Ticket Office at file://localhost/tel/865-286-2300
ABOUT THE TENNESSEE SMOKIES
The Tennessee Smokies are the Double-A affiliate of the Chicago Cubs. Members of the ten-team Southern League, Smokies baseball has been entertaining families and fans of America's national pastime in the East Tennessee region for over 100 years. To learn more about the Tennessee Smokies, visit http://www.smokiesbaseball.com/.