SIX RUN SEVENTH LEADS LOOKOUTS TO WIN OVER SMOKIES
Assad tosses second straight quality start
SEVIERVILLE, TN – The Tennessee Smokies (13-26) fell to the Chattanooga Lookouts (23-17) 8-4 Saturday night at Smokies Stadium. The Smokies took a 3-1 lead into the seventh, but the Lookouts scored six times in the inning to take the lead. RHP Javier Assad pitched six innings allowing just one run, he surrendered seven hits and had three strikeouts.
T.J. Hopkins’s RBI double in the second inning started the scoring. The Smokies broke into the run column in the third. With two outs, Hopkins dropped a ball in centerfield that allowed D.J. Artis to score. Darius Hill followed with an RBI single to put the Smokies in front. Brennen Davis’s RBI single in the sixth inning extended the Smokies lead to 3-1.
The first two Lookouts in the seventh reached against RHP Garrett Kelly (L, 0-1). After a run scored on Robbie Tenerowicz’s sacrifice fly, Jose Barrero’s RBI single tied the game. Two batters later, Yoel Yanqui hit a grand slam off Kelly to give the Lookouts a 7-3 lead.
In the eighth, Hopkins scored on a groundout to extend Chattanooga’s lead to 8-3. Davis led off the bottom of the ninth with a single, moved to third on Nelson Maldonado’s double, and scored on Artis’s sacrifice fly to round out the scoring at 8-4.
Carlos Sepulveda finished 2-for-5 with a stolen base. Davis and Artis both had two hits and an RBI. RHP Ethan Roberts pitched a scoreless ninth inning with a strikeout in the loss.
The Smokies and Lookouts conclude their series at Smokies Stadium on Sunday afternoon, with first pitch scheduled for 2 PM. Fans can hear all Smokies games by going to https://www.milb.com/tennessee/fans/audio-listen-live.
ABOUT THE TENNESSEE SMOKIES
The Tennessee Smokies are the Double-A affiliate of the Chicago Cubs. Members of the eight-team Double-A South League, Smokies baseball has been entertaining families and fans of America’s national pastime in the East Tennessee region for over 100 years. To learn more about the Tennessee Smokies, visit www.smokiesbaseball.com.
