The Chattanooga Lookouts scored three runs in the first inning but needed two in the ninth to edge the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp 5-4 in Southern League baseball Thursday night at AT&T Field.
The Lookouts began their home stand with another win that kept the North Division’s first-half champions three games ahead of the second-place Tennessee Smokies in the second half. The Smokies also won 5-4 on Thursday, in 11 innings against Mobile.
Chattanooga (16-5) scored its tying and winning runs off Daniel Schlereth, losing for the first time and sustaining his first blown save for the Jumbo Shrimp (11-10). LaMonte Wade began the bottom of the ninth with a single to right field, and T.J. White followed a one-out walk for Max Murphy with a tying double to left. After Travis Harrison was intentionally walked to load the bases, Alex Perez reached on a fielder’s choice to first in which Taylor Ard couldn’t stop Murphy from scoring the winner.
Jonathan Rodriguez and White had RBI doubles in the first inning, sandwiched around a run-scoring single by Murphy.
Rodriguez and White each was 2-for-4, and starting pitcher Stephen Gonsalves pitched five innings with nine strikeouts and three runs allowed, only one earned. After three innings with an unearned run and only three hits yielded by Randy LeBlanc, Paul Clemens raised his season record to 3-0 with a hitless ninth.