FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 30, 2021
Attention: SPORTS/NEWS
Contact: Leslie Soffa
Office: (865) 286-2342
Email: [email protected]
SMOKIES LOSE IN EXTRA INNINGS, LOOKOUTS WIN SERIES
Payne drives in three in loss
CHATTANOOGA, TN – The Tennessee Smokies (9-14) lost their series finale against the Chattanooga Lookouts (15-9) at AT&T Field 7-6 in 11 innings Sunday afternoon. The Smokies led 5-3 with two outs in the ninth before Michael De Leon tied the game with a two-run home run to right field, De Leon also drove in the winning run for the Lookouts in the 11th.
Tyler Payne’s two-run double in the top of the first scoring Darius Hill and Miguel Amaya got the Smokies on the board. Yoel Yanqui’s RBI single in the bottom half cut the Lookouts deficit in half. In the fifth, Hill scored on Payne’s groundout and Amaya scored on Christopher Morel’s RBI single to extend the Smokies lead to 4-1. Brian Rey’s RBI single in the bottom half cut the Lookouts deficit to 4-2.
Amaya scored his third run of the game on a wild pitch in the seventh. In the bottom of the eighth, Yanqui scored on a sacrifice fly to cut the Smokies lead to 5-3. Leonardo Rivas led off the ninth with a walk, and scored on De Leon’s game-tying two-run home run off RHP Cayne Ueckert.
Both teams scored their bonus runners in the tenth. For the Smokies, Morel drove in Grayson Byrd in the top half. Rey scored for the Lookouts in the bottom half. After the Smokies went scoreless in the top half of the 11th, De Leon drove in the winning run in the bottom half.
RHP Erich Uelmen did not factor in the decision, he allowed just two runs in five innings. Payne finished 2-for-5 with a double and three RBI. Morel and Byrd also finished with two hits, Morel also drove in two runs. Amaya reached base four times and scored three runs in the loss.
The Smokies will begin a series against the Birmingham Barons at Regions Field in Birmingham, AL Tuesday night. First pitch is scheduled for 8:05 PM ET. 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.
