Lookouts lose in Southern League title series opener

photo Chattanooga's Jeremy Hazelbaker rounds third in the second inning of the Lookouts' Southern League playoff game against Jacksonville Suns on Wednesday at AT&T Field.

The Jacksonville Suns got all the runs they needed in the first two innings Wednesday night at AT&T Field and defeated the Chattanooga Lookouts 5-3 in the opening game of the best-of-five Southern League baseball championship series.

The series continues tonight with the Lookouts hosting again at 7:15. Jon Link (0-0, 3.00 ERA) is scheduled to pitch for Jacksonville and fellow right-hander Steve Smith (0-1, 7.71) is slated to take the mound for Chattanooga.

Play shifts to Jacksonville on Friday with games scheduled Saturday and Sunday, if necessary, in the best-of-five series.

Lookouts starter Andres Santiago's outing was an insecure one from early on, beginning when he served up a single to leadoff-batter Austin Nola. By the time he was pulled for a pinch-hitter in the bottom of the second, Santiago (1-1) had surrendered four hits, walked four, hit one and thrown three wild pitches and Chattanooga was trailing 5-1.

Chattanooga manager Razor Shines complemented Santiago for being the team's best pitcher during the playoff drive down the final stretch of the season. But he simply said the right-hander "didn't have it tonight."

"He couldn't find the plate," Shines said. "His control was off. You get behind in the count against a good team and they're going to put a good swing on the ball."

Meanwhile, Suns starter Jose Urena (1-0) held the Lookouts in check for four consecutive innings after giving up one-out singles to Jeremy Hazelbaker and Scott Schebler and Daniel Mayora's sacrifice fly on right-fielder Joe Benson's diving catch.

Mayora then led off Chattanooga's sixth with a double off the right-field wall and Corey Seager, who had struggled against Urena, striking out in his first two at-bats, homered on the first pitch he saw to cut it to what proved to be the final margin. Seager singled in the eighth and was the only Lookouts player with more than one hit.

Five Lookouts relievers combined to pitch seven innings and, although the bullpen gave up six of Chattanooga's 10 walks, they limited Jacksonville to four hits and left eight baserunners stranded.

"Our bullpen is pretty good," Shines said. "Seven scoreless innings; I'll take that every night."

J.T. Realmuto sparked Jacksonville with a 2-for-3 effort, including two walks, an RBI and two runs scored. Joe Benson was 2-for-5 with a double and an RBI.

"That's a good ballteam," Shines said of the Suns. "Anybody still playing this time of year is a good ballteam. It's going to be a good series. We're going to come out and tomorrow and play hard. I promise you that."

Contact Kelley Smiddie at ksmiddie@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6653. Follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/KelleySmiddie.

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