Down by a run in the eighth, Seth Loman blasted a two-run shot with two outs to give the Birmingham Barons a 6-5 win over the Lookouts in Thursday night action at AT&T Field.
The Lookouts lost ground in their quest to make the Southern League playoffs.
Current Standings
Both teams exchanged runs in the second inning. An RBI double from Jake Oester accounted for Birmingham’s run, while Rafael Ynoa drove home Jake Lemmerman with a single in the bottom portion of the inning for the Lookouts.
The Barons took the lead in the fifth with two more runs. After a Miguel Gonzalez single and Tyler Saladino walk, Brady Shoemaker hit a ball very softly to third baseman C.J. Retherford, who made a wild throw to first, allowing the two runners to score.
Lemmerman tied the game with a two-run homer in the bottom of the sixth inning to put the score at 3-3.
Chattanooga broke the stalemate in the seventh with two runs. Luis Nunez led off with a walk and scampered to third on a fielding error by shortstop Saladino on a ball hit by Retherford. Another costly play by Birmingham, a fielding error by first baseman Andy Wilkins, allowed Nunez to score and Retherford to advance to third. The batter on the play, Kyle Russell, however, was tagged out after he strayed too far away from first on the play. Griff Erickson then ripped a double off of Salvador Sanchez (1-0) to give the Lookouts a 5-3 lead.
The lead would not hold up.
Birmingham took control of the game in the eighth scoring three runs. Carlos Sanchez led off the inning with a triple and eventually scored on a Jose Martinez single. Lookouts reliever Steven Ames (1-3) came on in relief and gave up a two-run shot to Seth Loman to give the Barons the lead.
Another walk-off win was not to be.
Despite allowing two runners in the bottom of the ninth, Santos Rodriguez was able to induce a game-ending double-play to earn his seventh save of the season for the Barons.
Inning by inning Recap of the game.
Box Score.
The Chattanooga Lookouts and Birmingham Barons continue their five-game series at 7:15 P.M., Friday. A fireworks show follows the game.
Tickets for this game or any other Lookouts home game can be purchased at the Lookouts Box Office at AT&T Field, online at www.lookouts.com, or by calling (423) 267-4849.
Jake Lemmerman hit a two-run homer for the Lookouts.
- Photo2 by Tim Evearitt