Lookouts Fail to Overcome Early Deficit in Game One Loss to Suns

An early lead and pitchers  who  brought the heat,  led the Jacksonville Suns to a 5-3 win over the Chattanooga Lookouts in the first game of the Southern League Championship Series.

The Suns jumped out to a very quick lead, scoring two runs in the first inning and adding another three in the second. Their starting pitcher Jose Urena was on fire and brought that heat, with the radar gun lighting all the way up to 97 MPH consistently when he was on the mound.

Lookouts’ batters had a hard time against him, but they did get to him before he settled in for a run in the first. Jeremy Hazelbaker led the charge with a one-out single and moved to third when Scott Schebler singled immediately after him. Daniel Mayora was robbed of a hit by the Suns’ diving right-fielder, but it was enough to get Hazelbaker home in the first inning. After that, the Lookouts’ bats were silenced for quite a while.

Thanks to some tough pitching by a myriad of relievers, the Lookouts were able to keep the Suns from lengthening their lead, keeping the score stuck at 5-1 until the bottom of the sixth when Mayora started off the inning with a double off the right field wall. On the very next pitch, Corey Seager blasted a no-doubter over the wall in left-center, to bring the Lookouts within two.

That was all that either team could muster, with the Suns’ relieving core being just as stingy as the Lookouts’ relievers and leaving the last three innings at a 5-3 stalemate.

Game two of the series on Thursday will feature a matchup of right-handers with Steve Smith going for the Lookouts and Jon Link taking the bump for the Suns. First pitch is scheduled for 7:15 pm.