Thursday night, the Chattanooga Lookouts got the job done.
Eventually.
The Lookouts (40-25) clinched the Southern League’s North Division first-half title with an 8-6 victory over the Jacksonville Suns in front of a crowd of 2,534 at AT&T Field. It will be the club’s 14th playoff appearance thanks to their first divisional title since 2006, and that assures them of at least two home games when the playoffs roll around.
The win ended the Lookouts’ streak of home losses at six, but it didn’t come without some tense moments as the Suns (29-37) rallied from seven runs down to bring the player representing the tying run to bat in the top of the ninth.
Chattanooga’s Max Kepler finished 3 for 4, with a pair of triples to his credit, and scored two runs. He knocked in the team’s first run in the first, then he – along with Miguel Sano – scored on a double by Travis Harrison, who then scored on a groundout.
Stephen Wickens and Adam Brett Walker had home runs in the third, when Mike Gonzales had a sacrifice fly to left field as the Lookouts’ lead grew to 8-1.
David Hurlbut (3-2) earned the win, allowing two runs and striking out four in seven innings. He left with an 8-3 lead, but the Suns scored twice in the eighth inning.
J.T. Chargois came in for the save, but Jacksonville kept trimming its deficit, cutting it to 8-6 on a two-out RBI double by Carlos Lopez in the top of the ninth, but the next batter, Austin Nola, grounded out to shortstop to start the celebration.
Alex Wimmers (4-1, 4.84) is scheduled to start this evening for the Lookouts in the third game of the series, which starts at 7:15. Austin Brice (2-5, 6.59) is expected to take the mound for the Suns.
Contact Gene Henley at ghenley@timesfreepress.com. Follow him at twitter.com/genehenleytfp.