The Chattanooga Lookouts extended their win streak to three games Tuesday night, but not before the Mobile BayBears made the crowd at AT&T Field a little anxious in the 5-4 outcome.
The Lookouts (32-25) scored the game's first five runs but had to hang on as the visitors scored three runs in the eighth and one in the ninth. Mobile (21-36) had runners on second and first when Chattanooga closer Joel Kuhnel induced Jo Adell to line out softly to first baseman Gavin LaValley to end the game for his ninth save.
The win kept the Lookouts two games behind Montgomery and a half-game behind Jackson in the Southern League's North division with 12 games remaining in the first half. The Biscuits defeated Tennessee 1-0 and Jackson routed Birmingham on Tuesday.
Chattanooga jumped on Mobile starting pitcher Luis Madero for two runs in the first inning on an RBI fielder's choice by Tyler Stephenson and Mitch Nay's run-scoring double. The lead grew to 4-0 in the third when Michael Beltre drove in Nay and Brantley Bell with a two-out double to center field.
The Lookouts' Packy Naughton, in his third Southern League start after going 5-2 at Class A-advanced Daytona Beach, pitched six shutout innings to earn his second win here. After allowing 16 hits and five runs in 10 previous innings, he surrendered only three hits, had no walks and fanned six batters Tuesday.
The lead grew to five in the seventh when TJ Friedl stroked an RBI triple. The extra run was needed as the BayBears rallied in the eighth against reliever Nick Howard. Consecutive two-out doubles by Adell and Jahmai Jones plated two runs, and Brandon Sandoval greeted Kuhnel with a run-scoring single to cut the lead to two.
Mobile made it a one-run game in the ninth on Connor Justus' two-out single, with Erick Salcedo following with a single before Kuhnel retired Adell to secure the win.
Alfredo Rodriguez, Nay and Friedl had two hits each for the Lookouts, who were just 3-for-14 with runners in scoring position. Adell and Sandoval had two hits apiece for Mobile.
Game four of the five-game set is tonight at 7:15. The first three have gone the Lookouts' way by a total of four runs.
Contact Lindsey Young at lyoung@timesfreepress.com or at 423-757-6296. Follow him on Twitter @youngsports22.