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Tennessee Smokies

Smokies Blast Braves 11-2

June 20, 2015 - Southern League (SL1)
Tennessee Smokies News Release


KODAK - The top five batters in the Tennessee order recorded 11 of the team's 15 hits, with right fielder Billy McKinney recording a game-high three hits while driving in three runs, and scored eight of their 11 runs in the bottom of the sixth in an 11-2 Smokies beatdown of the Braves in front of a crowd of 6,512 on Saturday evening at Smokies Stadium.

Thanks to the victory, Tennessee improved their overall record to 38-30 on the season and clinched the five-game set with Mississippi with their first half finale looming Sunday. The defeat dropped the Braves back to one game below the .500 mark at 33-34. The outstanding crowd also continued a very impressive homestand for the Smokies, during which the club has welcomed 24,667 fans, good for an average of 6,167 guests so far with one final game in the homestand Sunday afternoon.

Coming into play on having reached base in seven consecutive plate appearances, the left-handed hitting McKinney stretched that streak to ten with a single, home run and double, respectively. The 20-year-old recorded hits in seven of those ten plate appearances, and overall Saturday collected three hits in four at bats, adding two runs while driving in three RBI.

Not to be overshadowed by the offense, Smokies starter Ivan Pineyro (6.0 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 SO) fired six shuout innings to earn his fifth victory and improved to 5-3 on the year while yielding just three hits and no walks. Tennessee reliever Starling Peralta (1.0 IP, 1 H, 1 SO) also fired a scoreless inning in the triumph, while M-Braves starter Jorge Reyes (5.1 IP, 8 H, 6 R, 6 ER, 0 BB, 2 SO) suffered the defeat.

The first four innings were anything but an omen of the offensive explosion that was to come, with both teams held scoreless until the Smokies broke through with two tallies in the fifth. 3B Mike Olt, who is playing with the Smokies on a Major League Rehab Assignment, began the frame with a double down the left field line, before coming plateward on McKinney's two-run blast to right, the Texas native's second of the season, to push Tennessee ahead 2-0.

The very next frame the home club erupted with an eight-run, 11-batter frame to quickly escalate the contest into a blowout. Pinch hitter Albert Almora Jr. started the big ining with a base knock, stole second and then advanced to third on CF Jacob Hannemann's single, before coming across with Hannemann on a bizarre play. 2B Stephen Bruno blasted what looked like a three-run homer to right, however, Bruno passed Hannemann on the bases halfway between first and second base, nullifying Bruno's run and called out, while both Almora Jr. and Hannemann were permitted to circle the bases to double the advantage to four.

The onslaught continued with a solo longball from RF Bijan Rademacher, his third big fly of the season, while Olt tripled off the right-center field wall, just narrowly missing a home run to bring up McKinney. The lefty would send in Olt by slapping an RBI single into center before moving on to second on C Taylor Davis' free pass, then scoring courtesy of 1B Wes Darvill's RBI base hit to center. Following SS Bryant Flete reaching base on a force attempt to load the bases, Almora Jr. cranked his second hit of the frame by slamming a bases-clearing triple to right, capping the surge at 10-0.

Misssissippi would eliminate the Smokies' shutout thoughts in the seventh, however, scoring their only two tallies of the contest. 1B Kevin Ahrens, RF David Rohm and 3B Rio Ruiz reached base on consecutive bases on balls to start the inning, with Ahrens then coming across via 2B Emerson Landoni's run-scoring base knock to right. Pinch hitter Seth Loman later lifted a sacrifice fly to center to bring home Rohm, though the M-Braves' rally was halted thanks to an outstanding diving catch by Hannemann on the play to rob Loman of a hit.

Tennessee's run total would then go to 11 with a single score in the last of the frame. Rademacher led off with a double to right, before C Taylor Davis smashed a run-scoring two-bagger off the right-center field wall to bring home Rademacher and finish the Smokis' scoring.

In total, six Smokies recorded multi-hit efforts, with McKinney leading the way with his three hits, while Hannemann (2-5, R), Bruno (2-5, 2 RBI), Rademacher (2-5, 2 R, 2B, HR, RBI), Olt (2-4, 2 R, 3B) and Almora Jr. (2-2, R, 3B, 3 RBI) all collected two base knocks each. M-Braves CF Matt Lipka (2-4) was the lone batter from Missisippi to total two or more base hits.

The eight runs scored by Tennessee in the sixth was their highest offensive output in a single frame in over a year, with the last occurence coming on May 11, 2014 at Jackson. The team that season had also plated eight runs in an inning two prior times that year, and topped the Generals 17-13 that evening at the Ballpark in Jackson in the club's highest sc

The Smokies and Braves are scheduled to square off for the final time in the regular season with their first half finale on Sunday afternoon, with first pitch scheduled for 2:05 p.m. Tennessee is expected to give the nod to RHP Ryan Williams (1-0, 3.86), while Mississippi is anticipated to counter with RHP Tyrell Jenkins (4-4, 2.84).

Fans will be able to play catch on the field with dad on Father's Day beginning at 12:30 p.m. and lasting for around a half hour. Families can also take advantage of U.S. Cellular Family FUNday, with a special deal that includes four ticket vouchers, four meal vouchers and two wristbands to Homer the Hound's Playland for only $48 dollars.

Tickets for that afternoon's matchup, as well as all other Smokies home games are still available, and can be purchased online at www.smokiesbaseball.com, or by calling the Smokies Ticket Office at (865) 286-2300.

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