The Chattanooga Lookouts have waited a long time. Monday’s victory over the Huntsville Stars marked the first time they have won a playoff series since 1996 when they defeated the Memphis Chicks three games to one. They lost the championship round in 1996 with the Jacksonville Suns also three games to one.

This series marks the first time the two teams have met in the playoffs since 2001 when Jacksonville took three out of five games in the first round. At that time the Suns were an affiliate of the Dodgers featuring players like Joe Thurston, David Ross, and Chin-Feng Chen. Chattanooga will be looking to win their first Southern League title since 1988 when they swept the Greenville Braves. That year Chattanooga as a Cincinnati Reds affiliate led the league in ERA and fielding.

At the post game celebration following their series win with Huntsville on Monday Lookouts manager Razor Shines did what all good managers do. He gave the credit to hitting coach Shawn Wooden and pitching coach Scott Radinsky for the run the Lookouts had in the second half of the season. On the other hand he took the blame for things that went a bit astray.

Twenty-two year old Jose Urena started for the Suns tonight. He is ranked from seven through nine on most Miami Marlins prospects lists. His best pitches are his fastball and an above average change-up. Urena played the entire season with the Suns going 13-8 with a 3.33 ERA and a 1.14 WHIP.

Andreas Santiago got the call for the Lookouts. He won the first game of the series with Huntsville giving up two runs on four hits while striking out three over six innings. A sixteen round selection by the Dodgers in 2007, Santiago produced the Lookouts highlight of the year with a no hitter on August 28th against the Tennessee Smokies.

The last time the Lookouts and Suns faced each other was during a five game series in August. In the first game of that series on August 12th the starting pitchers were Jose Urena and Andreas Santiago with Santiago winning the match up 4-0. He gave up only three hits in five innings of work. Urena gave up seven hits in the loss but perhaps the three he will remember the most were three by Scott Schebler, all home runs. The Lookouts took three of five games in that series losing the other two by one run. All of those games were played at home at A T&T Field in Chattanooga.

The only lineup change made by Lookouts manager Razor Shines from the final games of the Huntsville series was to replace left fielder Bobby Coyle Jr with Jeremy Hazelbaker. The popular Shines got an appreciative ovation from the fans as he crossed by home plate towards the Chattanooga clubhouse before the game.

Andreas Santiago struggled finding the strike zone in the first inning. A lead off single followed by two walks, a wild pitch, a sacrifice fly and an RBI single put the Suns up 2-0 before the side was retired. Santiago made 24 pitches in the inning with only 13 of them strikes. The Lookouts responded in the bottom of the inning with base hits by Jeremy Hazelbaker and Scott Schebler. Hazelbaker used his speed to score on a short fly out to right field to cut the deficit in half.

Santiago just couldn’t find the plate walking the first hitter in the second inning and having pitched from behind to almost every hitter he faced in the first two innings. Following a sacrifice bunt, another walk, a wild pitch , an infield single, and yet another wild pitch two more runs scored. A third run then scored on a long double. After a hit batter the inning finally came to an end with the Lookouts down 5-1. In the Lookouts half of the inning Urena was able to just keep challenging with strikes.

Alex Liddi pinch hit for Santiago and Onelki Garcia replaced him on the mound in the third inning. Garcia retired the Suns with no further damage in the inning. Urena fortified with his 5-1 lead seemed to be overpowering the Chattanooga hitters. The game for Santiago was his absolute worst nightmare but you still had the feeling the Lookouts could get back into the game.

Freddie Cabrera relieved Onelki Garcia in the fourth inning and held the Suns scoreless through the fifth inning.

Nick Struck pinch hit for Cabrera. and became Urena’s seventh strikeout. Darnell Sweeney had a one out double in the bottom of the fifth but was stranded at second.

Jarret Martin became the Lookouts fourth pitcher of the game in the top of the sixth inning. He proceeded to walk Austin Barnes and JT Realmuto before ending the inning with a 3-2 strikeout of Viosergy Rosa. Urena returned to the mound for the Suns having thrown 77 pitches. Daniel Mayora led off the Lookouts half of the inning with a long double to right field. Corey Seager in his first two at bats saw eight pitches, six of them swinging strikes. On the first pitch of his third at bat Seager hit a long opposite field home run to left field. With one out O’Koyea Dickson singled on a line drive to right field. Collin Cargill relieved Urena and closed out the inning by striking out Noel Cuevas and getting pinch hitter Bobby Coyle Jr on a come backer to the mound.

Corey Seager got the Lookouts close with his two-run home run in the sixth inning.
(Photo credit – Tim Evearitt)

In the seventh inning right-hander Juan Gonzalez entered the game as the Lookouts fifth pitcher of the game. With one out Suns right-fielder Joe Benson hit a long ground rule double to right center field. Pitching carefully Gonzalez ended the inning with a strikeout and a ground ball to second base. Frankie Reed relieved Cargill in the bottom of the inning. Reed had not given up an earned run since August 21st. He retired the Lookouts on two strikeouts and a ground out.

Gonzalez returned to the mound in the eighth inning and walked the first two hitters he faced. To this point in the game four walks had scored for the Suns. Gonzalez squirmed out of the inning with a strikeout and two fly outs. With one out in the bottom of the inning Corey Seager singled to left field and moved up to second base on a wild pitch. With two outs Nick Wittgren relieved Frankie Reed to pitch to O’Koyea Dickson. Dickson walked to win that battle. Noel Cuevas grounded out to end the inning.

Ralston Cash relieved Gonzalez in the ninth inning. He stuck out two and induced a broken bat fly out. Matt Ramsey, the Suns fifth pitcher in the game, struck out the side to close out the game.

The Lookouts matched the Suns tonight with eight hits apiece. The Lookouts pitchers gave up 10 free passes which were the difference in the game. The Suns pitchers walked only two.