Wednesday afternoon was so hot and sultry at AT&T Field that even the Texans struggled.
Chattanooga Lookouts starting pitcher Chris Withrow, a 22-year-old from Odessa, allowed 12 hits and five runs in five innings in a 7-5 loss to Jackson. The heat index reached 101 degrees in the late innings, but it was "only" 99 when Withrow was pulled.
"It gets hot back home, but we don't have the humidity like you do here, so you sweat a lot more," Withrow said. "It was pretty bad out there today. I was trying to get all the liquids I could in me to stay hydrated."
Jackson took a 6-5 lead in the eighth inning on Scott Savastano's one-out sacrifice to right that scored Carlos Triunfel and added insurance in the ninth when Johermyn Chavez's single to center scored Vinnie Catricala. The Lookouts never led but tied the game 5-5 in the sixth when Griff Erickson doubled to deep center with the bases loaded to score two runs.
The loss snapped a three-game winning streak for the Lookouts, who continue to lead the Southern League's North Division with a 19-13 record.
"It's been miserable, and that's why I'm so proud of these kids and what they've been able to do," Lookouts pitching coach Chuck Crim said. "We just got back from Huntsville, and that was really hot. There is no escaping it in this league, and I think it says something about how tough our kids really are.
"These guys are sitting in the dugout, and everything is wet and heavy on them. Water is completely dripping off the bills of their hats. It's unbelievable what these kids go through when they pitch."
Withrow tallied three strikeouts in the first inning but allowed a single to Catricala and doubles to Savastano and Rich Poythress as the Generals grabbed a 2-0 lead. Jackson extended its advantage to 3-0 when Triunfel opened the fourth with a home run to left-center, and the Generals made it 4-0 later that inning when Jake Shaffer doubled to right and scored on a single to center by Catricala.
Wednesday's game lasted three hours and 28 minutes, marking the sixth time in the last seven games [excluding doubleheaders] at AT&T in which the length of game surpassed three hours. In three of those six instances, the game surpassed four hours.
Lookouts right fielder Kyle Russell, a 25-year-old Texan from Magnolia, believes this summer is not as bad as last year.
"Last year was just different for me because I came from the California League, which is hot but doesn't have the humidity," Russell said. "I guess I'm more used to the humidity. I lost 20 pounds last year and was so skinny it was disgusting."
Allen Webster (2-1, 5.83) is scheduled to start tonight's 7:15 game for the Lookouts, with Tom Wilhelmsen (4-4, 5.06) scheduled for the Generals. Will Savage (10-3, 3.75) was set to start tonight but has gone home to Oklahoma City to be with his wife for the birth of their first child.