Smokies win final game of the season

SEVIERVILLE, TN - The Tennessee Smokies shutout the Pensacola Blue Wahoos by a score of 3-0 to end the 2018 season on Monday. Eddy Martinez led the team with a game-deciding three run double in the third inning.
A hot start from Smokies starting pitcher Keegan Thompson kept the game scoreless for five innings. Thompson notched four strikeouts and just one hit in his first three innings on the mound. 
Tennessee struck first in the bottom of the third inning, as Blue Wahoos starting pitcher Wyatt Strahan exited the game after walking two straight batters. P.J. Higgins reached base with one out on an infield single to load the bases for Tennessee with just one out. 
Eddy Martinez cleared the bases with a line drive down the third base line to give the Smokies an early 3-0 lead in the third inning. Martinez's 53rd RBI of the season proved to be the game-winner.
Thompson was replaced in the sixth inning by Tennessee reliever Zach Hedges after hurling 71 pitches on the day. Thompson kept up his stellar home pitching with five strikeouts and just one hit in five innings of work. 
Pensacola didn't have a runner reach second base until the top of the seventh inning, when a wild pitch from Hedges advanced Narciso Crook. 
After two innings on the mound, Hedges and Thompson combined for seven scoreless innings. Brad Markey relieved Hedges to start the eighth inning and close out the game for the Smokies.
Markey kept things in check for Tennessee for one inning before Jordan Minch and Jake Stinnett came in to close the final game of the season. The Blue Wahoos expended five pitchers, who combined for four hits, seven walks and six strikeouts in the loss. 
The Smokies finished the season with a 31-37 record in the second half of the season and an overall record of 67-71. Tennessee's record was good for third overall in the Southern League North division. 
The Smokies open up the 2019 season with a series against the Mississippi Braves starting on Thursday, April 4th. 
Written by Seth Raborn, broadcast Assistant for the Tennessee Smokies
The full schedule for this season and information regarding single-game tickets, season tickets, and mini plans can be found online at smokiesbaseball.com, or by calling the Smokies Ticket Office at 865-286-2300.
ABOUT THE TENNESSEE SMOKIES
The Tennessee Smokies are the Double-A affiliate of the Chicago Cubs. Members of the ten-team Southern 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