The Chattanooga Lookouts were able to get hits Thursday night. They couldn't, however, translate those into runs.
The Tennessee Smokies had a three-run eighth inning Thursday night at AT&T Field, breaking a 1-all tie and defeating the Lookouts 4-1 in front of 2,301 fans. The loss dropped first-half North Division champion Chattanooga to 9-16 in the second half of the Southern League season.
D.J. Baxendale stretches to throw Thursday in a defensive effort against the Tennessee Smokies.The teams now travel to Kodak, Tenn., to continue the series, which resumes tonight at 7:05.
The Lookouts totaled 10 hits Thursday but left just as many runners on base. That was four more hits than the Smokies accumulated, yet the visitors stranded only five runners.
The only runs through seven innings came in the first. Tennessee's Jacob Hannemann led off the game with a walk and scored on a one-out Wilson Contreras single to center, and Levi Michael began Chattanooga's first at-bat with a double and scored on a Max Kepler single to right field.
The Smokies pushed three runners across the plate in the eighth against relief pitcher Jake Reed, who fell to 4-4 with the loss. A leadoff single by Bryant Flete was followed by a Tyler Pearson sacrifice bunt and a Hannemann single to left field. A groundout by Albert Almora Jr. gave the Smokies the lead, and they added to it with a Jacob Rogers single and a Billy McKinney double.
The Lookouts put two runners on base with one out in the bottom of the ninth, but a Michael flyout and a Heiker Meneses groundout ended the game.
Zach Cates (2-2) pitched two innings in relief of Tennessee starter Rob Zastynzny and got the win. P.J. Fransescon was credited with the save.
Jacob Wheeler (1-1, 3.09 ERA) is set to start on the mound for the Lookouts tonight.
Contact Gene Henley at ghenley@timesfreepress.com. Follow him at twitter.com/genehenleytfp.