[tenthreeleader]

Series 5 – Tennessee Smokies (7-13) at Chattanooga Lookouts (12-8)
Game 1 – April 26
Welcoming struggling Tennessee to AT&T Field looked good in practice but in the opener, reality proved different. The Smokies scratched out single runs in the first, third, fourth and fifth innings against Romero, but two were unearned. Reserve catcher Brian Navaretto answered for the Lookouts with his first homer of the season but Tennessee broke a 4-4 tie in the seventh when Ian Rice homered off new pitcher Adam Bray. The Smokies added two more in the ninth off Matt Magill and that was that.
Smokies 7, Lookouts 4

Game 2 – April 27 – Smokies (8-13) at Lookouts (12-9)
Lewis Thorpe was wonderful in the second game of the series for the Lookouts. The Australian lefthander fanned nine Smokies in seven innings of work and allowed only one hit but his four walks meant he didn’t last past the seventh inning. LaMonte Wade’s second home run of the season, coming off Smokies starter Tyler Clifton, was all the Chattanooga pitching staff needed. Gabriel Moya and Tyler Jay split the eighth and ninth inning as the home team squared the series.
Lookouts 1, Smokies 0

Game 3 – April 28 – Smokies (8-14) at Lookouts (13-9)
Kohl Stewart had a strong start for Chattanooga, allowing only one run and four hits over seven strong in game three of the series. But it was the unfortunate Matt Magill who struggled in the late going. It was Rice, hitting his second homer of the series, who put Tennessee ahead to stay in the eighth inning as part of a two-run uprising. Rooker slammed a pair of homers for the Lookouts, his seventh and eighth of the young season, as he showed why he was one of the Twins’ better power prospects. Despite allowin Rooker’s second homer, reliever Duane Underwood earned the win for the Smokies in game three.
Smokies 3, Lookouts 2

Game 4 – April 29 – Smokies (9-14) at Lookouts (13-10)
Wade had the big bat for Chattanooga in game four, going four-for-four and driving in two runs as the Lookouts won the fourth game with ease. Runs in each of the first four innings staked Cody Stashak (4-1) to a 9-1 advantage and the Lookouts cruised. The unfortunate Thomas LeBron allowed nine runs, all earned, and 13 hits over three innings of hard labor, while Stashak was nicked for Erick Castillo’s solo homer the sixth. Stashak didn’t have his best stuff, allowing single runs in four innings, but the Lookouts were too far ahead to catch. All nine Lookouts starters had at least one hit, with six having two or more as part of a 17-hit attack.
Lookouts 12, Smokies 4

Game 5 – April 30 – Smokies (9-15) at Lookouts (14-10)
Watching Zack Littell pitch his way into and out of trouble for 5.2 innings was nerve-wracking, but he emerged completely unscathed as the Lookouts won the rubber game of the series. You could argue that Dailyn Martinez pitched better for Tennessee, but the worst news of all came in the fourth when Cave – the league’s leading hitter at .385 with five home runs – landed awkwardly while diving for a fly ball and fractured his wrist. He’s expected to miss about six weeks, a crushing blow to a team finding itself. However, the red-hot Nelson Molina, promoted to the leadoff position, drove in two runs and raised his batting average to .367 in the process. Yet this win came at a cost.
Lookouts 4, Smokies 0
Standings – 15-10, 1st place – 2 GA of Jackson, 3 GA of Birmingham

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