Five Smokies Combine to Shutout M-Braves

PEARL, MS - The Tennessee Smokies (15-26) shutout the Mississippi Braves (25-18) 2-0 in the series opener Tuesday night at Trustmark Park. LHP Luis Lugo (W, 1-3) earned his first win after tossing five scoreless innings with two strikeouts Tuesday. Lugo allowed two hits, three walks, and stranded five baserunners.

RHP Juan Gamez struck out two and worked around a pair of walks in a scoreless sixth. After a pair of errors and a single loaded the bases for Mississippi in the seventh, RHP Dakota Chalmers struck out two and induced a pop up to get himself out of the jam. LHP Wyatt Short struck out the side in the eighth and RHP Manuel Rodriguez (SV, 4) pitched a perfect ninth to close out the game.

The Smokies scored their runs in the first and fourth. Christopher Morel doubled and moved to third on an error with one out in the opening inning, then scored on a wild pitch to give the Smokies the lead. In the fourth, Tyler Payne reached on a fielder’s choice and came around to score Nelson Maldonado’s RBI double.

The Smokies and M-Braves continue their series at Trustmark Park Wednesday night. First pitch between RHP Cam Sanders (0-2, 5.70) and RHP Nolan Kingham (4-1, 2.64) is scheduled for 7:35 PM ET. Fans can hear all Smokies games by going to https://www.milb.com/tennessee/fans/audio-listen-live.

The Smokies return home on Tuesday June 29 to begin a six game series with the Rocket City Trash Pandas. Tickets are available and can be purchased online, over the phone, or by visiting the box office.

ABOUT THE TENNESSEE SMOKIES

The Tennessee Smokies are the Double-A affiliate of the Chicago Cubs. Members of the eight-team Double-A South 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 www.smokiesbaseball.com.