Difficult first inning dooms Lookouts again

A fan wears a Fourth of July Chattanooga hat during the Lookouts' home baseball game against the Jackson Generals at AT&T Field on Friday, July 5, 2019, in Chattanooga, Tenn.
A fan wears a Fourth of July Chattanooga hat during the Lookouts' home baseball game against the Jackson Generals at AT&T Field on Friday, July 5, 2019, in Chattanooga, Tenn.

There is no tougher inning for the Chattanooga Lookouts right now than the very first one.

The Jackson Generals scored three first-inning runs Sunday afternoon at AT&T Field and needed all of them as they held on for a 3-2 triumph before an announced crowd of 1,582. Sunday marked the fifth consecutive game in which the Lookouts have been scored upon in the first inning and the fourth in five in which the foe has scored multiple first-inning runs.

The Lookouts allowed three first-inning runs in Saturday night's 11-4 loss to Jackson and two first-inning runs in Friday's 8-4 setback against the Generals, and they yielded five first-inning runs during last Wednesday's 11-3 loss at Jacksonville.

Drew Ellis put Jackson ahead to stay Sunday with a two-run double to center field, with Ramon Hernandez singling to left to score Ellis to make it 3-0. Chattanooga's Jose Siri had an RBI single to right in the third inning, but the Lookouts didn't score again until Ibandel Isabel's home run to center with one out in the ninth.

The homer by Isabel was his 22nd this season.

Gavin LaValley followed Isabel's blast by fouling out, and Chattanooga's third consecutive defeat was sealed when Chris Okey grounded out to third. The Lookouts dropped to 44-43 overall this season and to 8-10 in the Southern League's second half.

The Lookouts and Generals will continue their six-game series Monday at 7:15 p.m.

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