The Chattanooga Lookouts are no longer saddled with a 14-game losing streak, but their tough times continue.
Chattanooga dropped a 4-3 decision to the Tennessee Smokies in 10 innings Sunday afternoon before an AT&T Field crowd of 2,372, marking the 19th loss in 21 games for the Lookouts. The Lookouts were 44-40 overall and 8-7 in the Southern League’s second half following a home win over the Jackson Generals on July 4, but they are now 46-59 overall and a league-worst 10-26.
Sunday’s setback was among the more difficult ones in Chattanooga’s skid, as a wild pitch by Lookouts relief pitcher Juan Martinez on a third strike coupled with a throwing error by catcher Chris Okey allowed Tennessee to turn a 2-2 tie into a 4-2 lead in the top of the 10th inning. The Lookouts got within 4-3 in the bottom of the 10th on Stuart Fairchild’s single to center field that scored Calten Daal, but the game ended when Tyler Stephenson was called out on strikes with runners on the corners.
Chattanooga took a 1-0 lead in the first inning on a Taylor Trammell RBI single to center, but the Smokies went up 2-1 on Christian Donahue’s two-run home run to right-center in the second. Brantley Bell’s RBI single to left in the sixth produced the 2-2 deadlock that resulted in extra innings.
The two teams play at AT&T again Monday night at 7:15.