Six-run fifth paces Chattanooga Lookouts win

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The Chattanooga Lookouts used a huge fifth inning to win 6-3 Saturday night at AT&T Field and even their series with Mississippi.

The Lookouts (19-29) sent 10 batters to the plate in the sixth to turn around a 1-0 deficit in scoring all six of their runs. Included in the inning was an RBI triple from Noel Cuevas for the team's first run and a two-run triple form O'Koyea Dickson for the final two runs. Dickson had just entered the game when Scott Schebler was ejected in the fourth inning for arguing after being caught stealing.

Andres Santiago earned his first win of the season with 5 2/3 innings of two-run, seven-hit, six-strikeout pitching, while Mississippi's Jason Hursh, the Braves' No. 4-rated prospect, fell to 3-4 after being roughed up for six earned runs in 4 2/3 innings. Mike Thomas earned his first save of the season by escaping a bases-loaded, no-out situation in the ninth.

The M-Braves (26-22), perhaps taking a page out of the parent club's playbook, could not take advantage of several strong scoring opportunities, leaving the bases loaded in each of the fifth, sixth, seventh and ninth innings. The Lookouts went from starter Santiago to Juan Gonzalez to Hector Belo to Juan Noriega to escape the first three of those innings with just two runs scoring.

Santiago did the best damage control in the fifth after four consecutive softly hit singles gave the visitors a 1-0 lead to start the inning. The right-hander, who came in with a 6.08 ERA, then got opposing pitcher Hursh to ground into a fielder's choice out at home before getting Mycal Jones on a shallow fly to center and striking out Emerson Landoni looking.

In the seventh, after two walks and a hit batter loaded the bases with two outs, Lookouts manager Razor Shines called on Noriega, who ended the threat by getting hot-hitting Elmer Reyes to ground into a fielder's choice. Noriega worked through the eighth, allowing a run on run on two hits, but Jarret Martin brought some drama to the game by allowing the first three Braves to reach in the ninth.

Shines brought on Thomas, who proceeded to strike out Reyes and David Rohm and get Braeden Schlebhuber to ground out.

Darnell Sweeney led the Lookouts' 11-hit attack with three hits, including an RBI single in the fifth inning, giving him eight hits in the last four games. Brian Cavazos-Galves added a pair of hits as eight Chattanooga players recorded at least one.

Contact Lindsey Young at lyoung@timesfreepress.com or at 423-757-6296.

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