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Tennessee Smokies

Record-Setting Crowd Sees Smokies Split Twinbill with Biscuits

May 12, 2015 - Southern League (SL1)
Tennessee Smokies News Release


KODAK - Smokies Stadium welcomed a single-day stadium record-setting crowd of 10,518 as part of their day/night doubleheader, including a single-game with Tennessee topping Montgomery 7-6 in game one, while the Biscuits beat the Smokies 14-0 in the nightcap as the two teams split their twinbill on Tuesday in Kodak.

Following the day's events, Tennessee now owns a 17-15 record this season, with the loss snapping a three-game winning streak. Montgomery, meanwhile, has recorded a 15-18 mark thus far in 2015, though the Biscuits trail the Smokies 2-1 in the series with two games remaining.

An announced crowd of 7,787 witnessed the first contest as part of a Smokies Safety Day, with that number the largest recorded attendance at Smokies Stadium since the club began play there on April 20, 2000. The previous single-game high was 7,728, which was set on July 4, 2010 against the Huntsville Stars. 2,731 fans then arrived for the nightcap, during which the Smokies officially crossed the 10,000 fan mark as part of the club's successful "March For 10K" effort.

As part of the doubleheader, the team honored the late Cubs legend Ernie Banks in many ways, showing highlights and photos from his Hall of Fame career, while also giving out t-shirts with "Mr. Cub"'s name on the back to the first 1,000 fans in attendance for the nightcap. The date was also significant in Banks' playing career, with the infielder blasting his 500th Major League home run 45 years ago to the day.

Tennessee took the day's opener behind the offensive efforts of SS Elliot Soto, 1B Dan Vogelbach and DH Kyle Schwarber. Soto (3-5, 1 R, 1 2B, 1 RBI) recorded three hits and ultimately drove in the deciding run in the eighth, while Vogelbach (3-3, 2 R, 1 BB) reached base four times, including three hits, while Schwarber smashed his sixth longball of the season.

Entering the eighth tied at 4-4, the Smokies put up a trio of tallies, all three of which turned out crucial. RF Bijan Rademacher started the rally with a base knock, advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt and third on a wild pitch, prior to being sent in by 3B Anthony Giansanti's clutch two-out single that flew just over the glove of Biscuits SS Daniel Robertson. OF Jacob Hannemann would then extend the inning, as well as the scoring spurt, by driving in Giansanti with an RBI triple down the right field line, before Soto capped the Smokies' scores with an RBI double to increase the advantage to 7-4.

Montgomery made the final frame interesting, however, bringing the tying run to the plate. 2B Tommy Coyle led off with a free pass and LF Boog Powell reached on catcher's interference before both were brought plateward via Robertson's two-run single to narrow their deficit to one, while also giving the infielder three RBI in game one. Smokies reliever Carl Edwards Jr. would then rebound and retire DH Richie Shaffer via a soft groundout to end the contest.

Edwards Jr. earned his second victory of the season by tossing the last two innings, while Biscuits relief man Matt Lollis (2.0 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 3 SO) suffered the defeat. Tennessee starter Frank Batista (5.0 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 6 SO) pitched five fine innings and left the game in line for the victory before the Biscuits' late rallies.

It was Tennesse who plated the game's first score, with that coming in the opening frame. With two runners on, Rademacher laid down a sacrifice bunt and reached on an error, allowing Vogelbach to come home and give the Smokies the early lead. One inning later, Schwarber led off the second with a solo blast, his sixth of the year, while C Willson Contreras would later add an RBI triple to make it 3-0.

Montgomery then chipped away at the advantage, tallying a single score in the in the fourth courtesy of CF Johnny Field Jr.'s solo homer to left, before plating two more in the subsequent frame. With two runners on Shaffer clubbed a line drive singel to left, sending in both runners at even the game at three apiece. The two teams would then trade single tallies before the Smokies' big eighth inning.

Pitching was the story in game two until the late innings, with Montgomery starter Blake Snell (7.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 5 SO) quelling Smokies hitters with seven brilliant innings. The southpaw continued his incredible start to the season, extending his scoreless streak to 39.0 innings since the lefty began the year with High-A Charlotte.

Snell faced just two batters over the minimum in that span, yielding two hits and two walks while fanning five batters. The lone knocks to come off Snell came in the fourth on CF Albert Almora's lead off single and SS Elliot Soto's two-out single in the sixth. Almora was the lone Smokies player to reach third base in the contest, though he would be subsequently picked off in the fourth.

Smokies starter Corey Black (6.0 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 3 BB, 6 SO) tossed a quality outing himself, allowing only two earned runs over his six innings of work, adding six strikeouts. Despite his efforts, Black suffered his second defeat of the season to fall to 1-2 on the season, while Montgomery relievers Mark Sappington (1.0 IP, 2 SO) and Colton Reavis (1.0 IP, preserved the shutout by joining forces for the final two innings.

The Biscuits scored single tallies in the first and third frames thanks to an RBI double from Shaffer and a run-scoring triple from Robertson, respectively. A large majority of Montgomery's runs, however, were scored as part of a ten-run top of the eighth inning that saw 13 batters come to the plate and increase the margin to 12.

The higlights from that frame included run-scoring base knocks from Robertson, Shaffer, Field and Goeddel, as well as a thre-run homer to right from Coyle, his fourth longball of the season. The Biscuits would then tack on two more tallies in the ninth via another Goeddel base knock and a run-scoring single off the bat of C Justin O'Conner.

Eight of nine Biscuits batters in the starting lineup scored a run and recorded a hit, while Robertson (3-5, 2 R, 1 3B, 2 RBI), Shaffer (3-5, 2 R, 1 2B, 2 RBI), Field (2-5, 2 R, 1 RBI) and Goeddel (2-4, 1 R, 2 RBI, 1 BB) each collected multi-hit efforts. In total over the two-game span on Tuesday, Robertson tallied hits in seven of his nine at bats, adding three runs, one triple and five RBI.

Following an offday on Wednesday, the Smokies and Biscuits will return to action on Thursday, May 14 for the fourth game of their five-game series, with first pitch scheduled for 7:05 p.m. ET. Tennessee is expected to give the nod to RHP Ivan Pineyro (2-1, 3.38), while Montgomery is slated to send RHP Jared Mortensen (2-1, 1.89) to the hill.

It's another Coors Light Thirsty Thursday, with drink specials available throughout most of the game, including select draft beers and small sodas available for only one dollar. It's also Zombie Prom Night presented by Wahoo Zipline, with fans encouraged to dress up appropriately for the occasion.

Tickets for tomorrow's contest, and all other remaining Smokies home games are still available, and can be purchased online at smokiesbaseball.com, or by calling the Smokies Ticket Office at (865) 286-2300.

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Southern League Stories from May 12, 2015


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