Thursday, August 25, 2005
L 7-5
Chattanooga, TN --- Stephen Smitherman connected for a sixth-inning grand slam as the Chattanooga Lookouts defeated the Carolina Mudcats 7-5 at Bell South Park on Thursday night, ending the most voluminous season-series in franchise history.
Smitherman drilled an 0-2 pitch from Mike McNutt (L, 3-2) with one out to send the Lookouts ahead 7-4. Chattanooga filled the bases on a pair of one-out singles and a walk to D'Angelo Jimenez.
The Mudcats won the 37-game season-set 26 games to 11. Carolina's lead in the North wilted to two games over West Tenn, pending the Diamond Jaxx' outcome in Mississippi on Thursday night.
After trailing 2-0 following two innings, Carolina (34-24, 75-51) took a 3-2 lead for Nic Ungs in the third. Ungs walked with one out against Josh Hall (W, 5-5), then was singled to third by Frank Moore. Robert Andino smoked a single into left to score Ungs, then following a double-steal, JC Muniz hit a grounder to bring Moore in from third. Andino was trapped between second and third for the second out, but Muniz went to second, then advanced to third on a wild throw by Kevin Howard. Reggie Abercrombie rolled an infield single down the third base line to score Muniz with the go-ahead run.
Ungs allowed consecutive doubles in the fourth to tie the score at 3, then escaped a bases-loaded, one-out jam in the fifth, striking out Rick Bell to end the inning on his 100th pitch.
Trailing 7-4 in the ninth, Robert Andino slugged his fifth homer leading off the inning against Bubba Nelson (S, 12).
Muniz saw his career-best 10-game hitting streak snapped, going 0-5, the only starter without a hit during the game.
Luke Lockwood (2-6, 3.35) starts against the Mobile BayBears Jack Cassell (2-2, 4.06) at Five County Stadium on Friday night, the final regular-season series at home for the Mudcats.
CAROLINA 0 0 3 0 1 0 0 0 1 --- 5 11 1 9
CHATTANOOGA 0 2 0 1 0 4 0 0 x --- 7 13 1 11
WP - Hall (5-5)
LP - McNutt (3-2)
S - Nelson (12)
HR - Smitherman (11), Andino (5)
Time: 2:42
Att: 2,422 |
