Lange Hits and Deals His Way To 7-3 Win

CHATTANOOGA, TN - The Tennessee Smokies (38-39, 5-3) tied a season high fourth win in a row with a 7-3 victory over the Chattanooga Lookouts (39-38, 3-5) at AT&T Field on Thursday night. The Smokies recorded double-digit hits for the fifth straight game.
In just his second start with the Smokies, RHP Alex Lange (W, 1-0) provided on all fronts. Connor Myers set the table in the third with a loud triple off the wall in left field. His triple was his team-leading fifth of the season. One batter later, Lange helped his own cause with an RBI line drive into right field to secure his first career hit and a 1-0 Smokies lead. 
The Lookouts picked up their first run of the game in the fourth. Jose Siri legged out a leadoff double to jumpstart the inning. He came around to score and tie the game on an RBI-groundout by Ibandel Isabel.
Myers cracked his second extra-base hit of the night with a double to lead off the fifth. He came around to score for a second time on a Roberto Caro single. The Smokies extended their lead even further thanks to a slew of Chattanooga errors. Lookouts starter LHP Reiver Sanmartin (L, 0-2) and second baseman Brantley Bell each tossed an errant throw to plate both Caro and Vimael Machin. Jesse Hodges drew a bases loaded walk to cap off a four run fifth inning, running the score to 5-1.
Myers' two hits pushed his current hit streak to a season high eight games. Since the All-Star break he has recorded seven RBIs with seven extra base hits and leads all Smokies hitters with a .480 average.
Lange continued to add to his impressive resume on the night. He picked up his second base hit of the game on a leadoff single up the middle. He came home to score thanks to a Vimael Machin sacrifice fly to make it a 6-1 game. On top of his big at-bats, Lange tossed six full innings to secure his first win as a Smokie. He gave up only one run on just four hits. 
The Lookouts put together a comeback attempt in the ninth. Isabel blasted his Southern League leading 19th home run to push the deficit to 7-3. The lead dwindled no further as RHP Michael Rucker got out of the inning and secured the win for the Smokies.
Tennessee will look to win their season-best fifth game in a row Friday night against the Lookouts. RHP Thomas Hatch (4-7, 4.74) will make his team-leading 16th start of the season for the Smokies, while the Lookouts' starter is still TBD. First pitch is scheduled for 7:15 EDT.