Lookouts drop two and series to Barons
The Chattanooga Lookouts played 14 innings Sunday and didn’t score in the first 12.
That wasn’t a recipe for success.
Chattanooga’s bats were chilled by Birmingham pitchers as the Barons swept a pair of seven-inning games, 4-0 and 4-2, at AT&T Field. An announced crowd of 2,762 attended the doubleheader, which was the result of Friday night’s game being postponed due to heavy rain.
Barons starting pitcher Ian Clarkin was dominant in the opening game, scattering four hits before being replaced by Ryan Burr with one out in the sixth inning. Burr was even better, retiring all five Lookouts he faced.
Randy LeBlanc took the opening-game loss for Chattanooga despite allowing four hits and two runs in five innings.
LeBlanc did struggle out of the gate, however, allowing singles to Tito Polo and Jameson Fisher before walking Matt Rose to load the bases. Polo and Fisher scored to put the Barons up 2-0, and it remained that way until the sixth inning, when Lookouts reliever Sam Clay walked the first three batters he faced and then hit Keon Barnum with a pitch.
In the second game, a Seby Zavala home run to left field and a Ryan Brett single to right that scored Nick Basto put Birmingham up 2-0 in the second inning. The Barons made it 4-0 in the fifth on Fisher’s two-run homer to left.
The Lookouts finally got on board in the sixth when Tanner English opened with a triple to center and scored on Sean Miller’s infield single. Miller scored on a LaMonte Wade sacrifice.
Chattanooga is off to a 1-3 start and is assured of losing the season-opening series heading into tonight’s 7:15 finale against the Barons.