The Chattanooga Lookouts are proving that baseball still has a place this time of year in the city's sporting landscape.
As do super heroes and used cars.
The Lookouts played before their second sold-out crowd in as many nights Saturday, falling to the Pensacola Blue Wahoos 8-1 before an audience of 6,381. Saturday marked the 23rd consecutive year in which the Lookouts have hosted "Used Car Night," which followed Friday's second annual "Super Hero Night" that drew a crowd of 6,372 at AT&T Field.
"There was never the plan to put these two nights together and sell out a weekend, but that's what has happened," Lookouts president and general manager Rich Mozingo said. "We were kind of testing the waters to see if last year's success with 'Super Hero Night' was a fluke, and apparently it wasn't."
While Lookouts fans were doubling the fun in the stands, the Blue Wahoos were doubling all over the field in the series finale. Bryson Smith and Marquez Smith had third-inning doubles that helped the guests stake a 2-0 lead, and they increased the advantage to 5-0 in the fifth when Jesse Winker, Marquez Smith, Juan Duran and Kyle Skipworth each doubled.
Duran had a two-run double in a three-run sixth inning that put Pensacola up 8-0.
In addition to winning the final two matchups in the five-game series, Pensacola won the second contest.
This weekend's packed crowds at AT&T Field also came at a time when football camps of all levels are getting started around the region. In addition, the Chattanooga Football Club was playing its National Premier Soccer League semifinal at Finley Stadium on Saturday night.
"There is still plenty of room for baseball this time of year," Mozingo said.
The Lookouts, who are 56-45 overall this season and 13-20 in the second half, open a five-game series in Jackson tonight at 7:05 EDT.
Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6524.