Chattanooga Lookouts logoPinch-hitter Angel Sanchez broke a 1-all tie in the bottom of the seventh inning with a single, and the Chattanooga Lookouts won 2-1 over the Huntsville Stars in the Southern League's North Division playoff series Saturday night at AT&T Field.
That also gave the Lookouts a 2-1 series lead and a chance to advance to the championship round with a win in today's 2:15 p.m. game.
Ralston Cash (1-0) earned the pitching win with two scoreless innings in relief of Jeremy Kehrt, who allowed four hits and struck out six batters in five innings. Cash struck out six as well, and he, Jhan Martinez and Daniel Coulombe combined to throw four hitless innings.
Coulombe retired the final five batters of the game, including a pair of strikeouts in the ninth for his second save of the season. Chattanooga's pitchers struck out 15 in all; the Lookouts struck out nine times.
Jacob Barnes (0-1) was credited with the loss in relief of Huntsville starter Michael Strong,
Sanchez, who pinch-hit for Cash, lined a hit that scored Corey Seager from second base in the seventh. Seager had reached on a leadoff single, then moved to second on a Chris O'Brien sacrifice bunt.
The Stars took a 1-0 lead in the top of the fourth on a Nick Ramirez RBI single, but the Lookouts evened the score in the bottom of the inning on a two-out single by Daniel Mayora that scored Darnell Sweeney.
The teams combined for nine hits total, with no multihit performances.