KODAK - After a shutout win yesterday, the Tennessee Smokies' (30-33) pitching staff kept the Chattanooga Lookouts' (34-28) bats quiet again in a 4-1 win at Smokies Stadium on Monday night. After a scoreless first frame, the Smokies drew first blood in the second inning. A pair of singles from Clayton Daniel
KODAK - After a shutout win yesterday, the Tennessee Smokies' (30-33) pitching staff kept the Chattanooga Lookouts' (34-28) bats quiet again in a 4-1 win at Smokies Stadium on Monday night.
After a scoreless first frame, the Smokies drew first blood in the second inning. A pair of singles from Clayton Daniel and Gioskar Amaya put runners on the corners for Jhonny Pereda. With a full count, Pereda lined a ball into left field to score Daniel.
Chattanooga answered during their next at-bat when Taylor Trammell boomed a ground rule double to right sending Michael Beltre home to tie the game. The ground rule double kept Jose Siri from scoring, as he was required to stop at third which kept the game tied at one.
A pair of runs in the bottom half of the third regained the lead for the Smokies. Southern League All-Star Vimael Machin blasted a no-doubter solo home run deep to right field off RHP Tony Santillan (L, 2-4). The Smokies loaded the bases afterwards from a single, walk, and hit by pitch to put Amaya at the plate. A sacrifice fly from Amaya doubled the lead and was his first of two RBIs on the night.
RHP Thomas Hatch (W, 3-6) earned the win after holding the Lookouts to one run on seven hits while striking out six batters over five innings. By reaching the five inning mark, Hatch has now tossed at least five innings in seven straight starts and is 3-1 in that stretch.
Amaya tacked on his second RBI, stretching the lead to 4-1, when he punched a ball deep to center scoring P.J. Higgins in the fifth.
Smokies relievers RHP Jake Stinnett and LHP Wyatt Short (S, 4) added four scoreless innings to close out the game. Short ran into some trouble in the ninth after giving up a two-out double, single, and walk to load the bases, but he struck out Tyler Stephenson to secure the save.
Tennessee and Chattanooga conclude the battle of I-75 Tuesday night at Smokies Stadium. SL All-Star Cory Abbott (4-2, 3.39 ERA) takes the mound for the Smokies; the Lookouts wrap up the series with RHP Johendí Jiminian (1-2, 3.93 ERA) with first pitch coming at 7 PM ET.
