[tenthreeleader]

This was, to an extent, the championship series that wasn’t.

The previous fall, the North Division champion Lookouts were scheduled to meet the South Division champion Wahoos, the affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds. But Hurricane Irma washed out the entire series, leading to the league declaring co-champions. Who would come out on top one summer later?

Series 2 – Chattanooga Lookouts (3-2) at Pensacola Blue Wahoos (2-3)
Game 1 – April 11
Romero got the ball for the Lookouts in the opener and impressed again, working eight terrific innings and striking out four while allowing a single run. But his mates could manage only one run over the first seven innings against Cody Reed and Carlos Navas, with Corcino’s RBI single in the third off Reed accounting for their run and tying the game at 1-1. The deadlock remained until the eighth, when Chris Paul’s two out single chased home Cave with the go-ahead run. Sawyer’s RBI single in the ninth scored Nick Gordon and gave Gabriel Moya some insurance, the lefthander getting the last three outs for his first save.
Lookouts 3, Blue Wahoos 1

Game 2 – April 12 – Lookouts (4-2) at Blue Wahoos (2-4)
Thorpe claimed he was ready to pitch in the second game, and the trainers agreed, so Rob put him out there – against his better judgment. Lesson learned, as the Australian lefty was touched up for three runs in the home second. The key play in the inning was a Gordon error which prolonged the inning, and two singles later, the Lookouts trailed 3-1. A two-run homer by Tanner English tied the game in the third and the red-hot Cave scored Gordon with a single in the fifth to put the Lookouts up 4-3. However, Shedric Long belted a two-run homer off Thorpe in the sixth to put the home team ahead to stay. Tanner Rainey finished up for Pensacola for the save.
Blue Wahoos 5, Lookouts 4

Game 3 – April 13 – Lookouts (4-3) at Blue Wahoos (3-4)
Friday the 13th proved lucky for Cody Stashak, who improved to 2-0 with another strong start. After spotting the home team a run in the first, the Lookouts responded with a Gordon RBI single in the second to score Ryan Walker, and a Corcino double to score Gordon. In the fifth, Sawyer lined a double to the alley in left center field to score Gordon, Rooker’s single to left scored Sawyer, and Walker’s single to left scored Rooker and Wade to put the Lookouts too far ahead to catch. The Wahoos scored two Miss Congeniality runs in the last of the ninth to put a better face on a bad day at the office.
Lookouts 6, Blue Wahoos 3

Game 4 – April 14 – Lookouts (5-3) at Blue Wahoos (3-5)
Yeizer Marugo got the start for the Wahoos and barely made it out of the first inning. The Lookouts jumped him for four runs in the opening frame with Gordon and Corcino singling before the red-hot Sawyer plated them all with a three-run shot to make it 3-0 before a batter had been retired. Cave followed with a solo homer, his third in eight games, for a 4-0 lead and the Lookouts never looked back. Littell wasn’t able to start in his regular turn, so Jaye (1-0) filled in on a spot start and worked six innings, allowing two runs and five hits. Sawyer had three hits and four RBI, including a double as part of a three-run sixth that had the Lookouts in the catbird seat.
Lookouts 8, Blue Wahoos 3

Game 5 – April 15 – Lookouts (6-3) at Blue Wahoos (3-6)
With the series already in the bag, Cody Eades took the mound for Chattanooga and was hit for a first inning run on Shedric Long’s double, but the Lookouts responded with a two-run moonshot homer by Rooker, his second, in the second inning. Cave scored English with a single in the third, Wiel hit a long solo home run in the fourth, and the fight came out of the Wahoos. Eades (1-0) sailed through seven innings scattering five hits, and his mates added two more in the ninth to make the bus ride home a happy one indeed – with four road wins out of five in the bag.
Lookouts 6, Blue Wahoos 1

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