Smith Walk-Off Sends Sky Sox over Cubs 7-6
Batting for reliever Mike Gallo, Smith belted a 2-0 pitch from Ben Howard over the right-field fence for his 12th home run. The dramatic blast extended his hitting streak to 18 games.
"Yeah, T.R. [manager Tom Runnells] came over, woke me up and told me to get up to the plate," Smith joked on KZNT Radio's postgame show. "I got a good pitch and hit it."
Smith, a 2004 second-round draft pick of the Colorado Rockies, also homered against Iowa on Thursday and is hitting .417 (15-for-36) with eight RBIs in his last 10 games.
The Cubs had rallied to tie the game, 6-6, in the eighth on RBI singles by Mike Mahoney and pinch-hitter Kevin Hart.
Clint Barmes, Omar Quintanilla, Joe Gaetti, Lino Garcia and pitcher Mike Esposito each knocked in a run for the Sky Sox. Gallo (2-6) fanned three in 1 2/3 scoreless innings for the win after Esposito allowed four runs -- one earned -- on eight hits with three strikeouts in seven innings.
Howard (5-4) recorded four outs and took the loss. Cubs starter Randy Wells was charged with three runs on six hits and a walk with three strikeouts in five innings.
Geovany Soto hit a three-run homer and Buck Coats went 3-for-5 with a triple and an RBI for Iowa.