Blue Wahoos Drop Rain Shortened Opener In Chattanooga

The Blue Wahoos fell into a first-inning deficit, then inclement weather hit Saturday to thwart any chance of climbing back in a 5-1, rain-shortened, road loss against the Chattanooga Lookouts.
The game at AT&T Field in Chattanooga, Tenn. was halted after five innings when heavy rain began. Since five full innings were completed, it counted as an official game.
It began a five-game series with the backdrop of former Blue Wahoos manager Pat Kelly, now the Lookouts manager, going against a Pensacola roster filled with Lookouts players from a year ago, before the teams swapped affiliations.
Chattanooga pitcher Scott Moss (2-1, 3.55 ERA), a former Florida Gators standout, and fourth-round selection by the Cincinnati Reds in 2016, worked all five innings Saturday, allowing four hits, two walks and three strikeouts.
He got all the run support he needed in the first inning. Chattanooga scored three runs off Blue Wahoos starter Sean Poppen, (2-2), all after two outs.
Jose Siri, who played in Pensacola last season as the Reds affiliate, drove in the first round after Taylor Trammel and Ibandel Isabel both drew walks off Poppen. Siri finished 2-for-3 with a run scored.
Tyler Stephenson, the Reds' heralded catcher prospect, followed with an RBI single to score Siri and Isabel.
In the third inning, Trammel tripled with one out, then scored on a wild pitch to make it 4-0.
The Blue Wahoos got their only run in the fourth inning on an RBI single from Mitchell Kranson.
Poppen struggled Saturday, working just three innings, allowing five hits, four runs, three walks and struck out. Aside from Kranson, Travis Blankenhorn, Jordan Gore and Joe Cronin had the three hits.
With both Mississippi and Biloxi also losing to North Division teams Saturday, the Blue Wahoos did not lose any ground in the standings. They have a five game lead on the M-Braves, six games ahead of Biloxi.
But they have struggled recently in run production. The Blue Wahoos have scored just 10 runs in the past five games, including just two runs the past two games.
The Lookouts and Blue Wahoos will play at 1:15 game on Sunday, then a pair of 6:15 p.m. games on Monday and Tuesday.