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Smokies Drop Series Against Chattanooga
Sevierville, TN - The Tennessee Smokies could have used a win against Chattanooga tonight to further enhance their playoff positioning, but fell just short in a 5-4 loss in front of 3,014 fans at Smokies Park. With the loss, the Smokies dropped to 34-31 for the second half of the season, and 1-½ games behind Huntsville in the North Division for the 2nd half title.
For the third time in five games, the Lookouts jumped on top of the Smokies in the first inning, this time scoring two runs to take the early lead. Jeff Samardzija (3-2) surrendered a two-run home run to Adam Rosales, then worked out of the rest of the inning to keep the score 2-0. Chattanooga plated another run in the top of the third after Drew Anderson reached first on a fielding error by Kyle Reynolds, and advanced to second on an odd play. Jeff Samardzija, believing the play was dead, lobbed the ball into the dugout. Time had not officially been called, so Anderson was awarded second base with the ball entering the dugout. Anderson later scored on an RBI single by Danny Dorn to give Chattanooga a 3-0 advantage. The never say die Smokies stayed in the game by scoring a run of their own in the third as Chris Robinson scored on an sacrifice fly by Sam Fuld off Lookouts started Johnny Cueto (5-3). Tennessee closed to within one run in the bottom of the sixth inning thanks to a mammoth home run by Tyler Colvin, his eighth of the season. Jeff Samardzija settled down after a somewhat rough start to pitch seven solid innings, giving up three runs while striking out two batters.
Matt Avery came on for Jeff Samardzija in relief in the eighth and ran into trouble. With two out in the inning, Avery gave up a two-run double to Shaun Cumberland to give Chattanooga a 5-2 lead. With the situation looking bleak for Tennessee, the Smokies offense came through once again. In the bottom of the eighth, Nate Spears led the inning off with a double, and later scored on a fielder's choice to pull the Smokies to within two runs of the lead. Casey McGehee, who walked earlier in the inning, then scored on a fielder's choice as well to cut the lead to 5-4. But with Jemel Spearman on third base, Robinson struck out to end the threat. Josh Roenicke came on to pitch a scoreless ninth for his eighth save of the year, as the Smokies never posed a real threat in the ninth.
The Smokies take to the road to face the Carolina Mudcats in a pivotal playoff series beginning on Thursday night August 30th through Labor Day Monday September 3rd.
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