If the Chattanooga Lookouts qualify for the playoffs in their first season at Erlanger Park, it will have to be attained in the Southern League’s second half.
Chattanooga’s quest for a North Division first-half title ended Saturday night with a 3-1 loss to the Knoxville Smokies at Covenant Health Park. Knoxville improved to 38-30 with only Sunday’s 2 p.m. finale remaining, while the Lookouts dropped to 36-32.
The Lookouts grabbed a one-game advantage in the division with Tuesday’s 5-3 triumph and Wednesday’s 5-2 win, but Knoxville then reeled off three straight. Chattanooga only scored two combined runs in those three setbacks, managing just three hits both Friday and Saturday.
Chattanooga’s first half began with a pair of seven-game winning streaks in April, which helped propel the Lookouts to a sizzling 15-3 start.
The second half of the season for the Lookouts begins at 7 p.m. Tuesday, when the Pensacola Blue Wahoos visit Erlanger Park.
Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com.