Max Kepler homered to right field in the first inning for the Chattanooga Lookouts, but that would be one of just three hits they would manage Saturday night in a 4-1 loss to the Tennessee Smokies before a crowd of 4,138 at AT&T Field.
Tennessee starting pitcher Ryan Williams rebounded from Kepler’s homer and posted five straight scoreless innings to improve to 8-2 this season with a 2.60 earned run average. Starling Peralta worked hitless seventh and eighth innings for the Smokies before turning it over to P.J. Francescon, who closed out the Lookouts in the ninth.
The Lookouts kept their 1-0 lead until the fifth inning, when the Smokies got a double from Albert Almora and singles by Jacob Hannemann, Jacob Rogers and Stephen Bruno, with Rogers and Bruno driving in runs. That outburst put Tennessee up 3-1, and Hannemann made it 4-1 in the sixth with a homer to right-center.
Chattanooga dropped to 64-51 overall this season and 21-26 in the Southern League’s second half. The Smokies and Lookouts will wrap up their five-game series at AT&T this afternoon at 2:15.