Two Southern League teams that have been heading in opposite directions all season continued on their respective paths Wednesday night at AT&T Field, where the Chattanooga Lookouts thumped Mississippi 7-2 before an announced crowd of 1,415.
Max Murphy started the onslaught in the first inning with a double to center field that scored LaMonte Wade and Jonathan Rodriguez to give the Lookouts a 2-0 lead. T.J. White doubled to left to score Murphy to make it 3-0.
Chattanooga improved to 83-45 overall and 41-17 in the second half with 12 games remaining in the regular season, while Mississippi dropped to 51-75 and 17-39.
The Lookouts put the game away with a four-run fourth inning, with Edgar Corcino’s single to right scoring Ryan Walker and Levi Michael, and Wade’s single to center scoring Nick Gordon and Corcino. Wade’s two-run hit gave the Lookouts their largest lead at 7-1.
Before Wednesday’s game, Lookouts starting pitcher Felix Jorge was promoted to Class AAA Rochester. In 22 starts with the Lookouts, Jorge had a 10-3 record and a 3.54 ERA.
Two pitchers, Anthony McIver and Keaton Steele, joined the Lookouts from high Single-A Fort Myers. McIver and Steele each worked two scoreless innings Wednesday in relief of starter D.J. Baxendale.
Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6524.