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Tennessee Smokies

Contreras Clinches Batting Title, Smokies Split Twinbill in Biloxi

September 7, 2015 - Southern League (SL1)
Tennessee Smokies News Release


BILOXI, Miss. - Smokies catcher Willson Contreras recorded four hits in four at bats to clinch the Southern League batting title and three pitchers combined to shutout Biloxi 2-0 in game one, while the Shuckers won the season finale 3-2 as Tennessee completed their 2015 campaign on Monday afternoon at MGM Park in Biloxi, Mississippi.

The Smokies finished the 2015 campaign with a 37-33 record in the second half, as well as a 76-63 overall mark. Biloxi completed their first Southern League season at 35-34 since the midpoint of the year, as well as a 78-59 total tally. Tennessee also ended the year with a winning record in each half, the first time the club has accomplished that feat since 2011.

Coming into today's twinbill with a four-point lead over Chattanooga OF Max Kepler, Contreras (4-4, R) collected base knocks in the second, fourth, sixth and seventh frames to solidify his spot at the top. The Venezuela native became the first Smokies player since Joe Gate in 1978 to lead the circuit in batting average, a span of 37 years. Prior to Gates, four other hitters in the club's history had won the circuit's batting title, including Larry Foster (1976), Nyles Nyman (1974), John Fenderson (1966) and Gerald Reimer (1965).

It was the second four-hit game of the 2015 campaign for Contreras after previously tallying four base knocks on August 5 versus Birmingham. The backstop finished the year having posting at least one base knock in 92 of his 126 contests, or 73 percent.

The Smokies would get the only run they would need in the fourth. RF Bijan Rademacher was hit by a pitch, moved to second on Contreras' second knock of the afternoon and third via 3B Jeimer Candelario's single, before coming plateward when 1B Dan Vogelbach drew a bases-loaded free pass to give Tennessee a 1-0 advantage.

Two frames later, Tennessee plated an insurance tally. Contreras started the inning with a single to center, and then advanced to second on a walk and third on a twin killing, prior to scoring when LF Anthony Giansanti reached base on a Shuckers fielding error to double the advantage to 2-0.

Smokies starter Jeffry Antigua (4.0 Ip, 6 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 2 SO) pitched the first four innings of shutout ball, yielding six hits, though he came one frame shy of factoring in the decision. Cubs reliever Neil Ramirez (1.0 IP, SO), who was with Tennessee on a Major League Rehab Assignment, earned the victory by facing the minimum in a scoreless fifth, and Starling Peralta (2.0 IP, H, SO) notched his sixth save.

Generals starter Josh Hader (5.0 Ip, 4 H, R, ER, 2 BB, 6 SO) suffered the defeat to fall to 1-4 since joining the Shuckers. Relief man Manny Barreda (1.0 IP, 2 H), meanwhile, tossed a scoreless final frame to keep the deficit to one.

After a brief rain delay in the top of the second inning of game two, Biloxi struck first in the bottom of the frame. After CF Tyrone Taylor struck out but reached first on a wild pitch and then stole second, 1B Nick Ramirez smashed an RBI single off the right field wall to give the Shuckers the early 1-0 advantage.

The Smokies would strike back, however, in the third with two tallies. Back-to-back triples from SS Bryant Flete and C Tyler Pearson tied the game at 1-1, before Tennessee snagged the lead thanks to RF Bijan Rademacher's RBI single to right, plating pitcher Corey Black to push the Smokies up 2-1.

Biloxi later snagged the lead back with a pair of scores in the sixth. Cooper drew a leaoff walk, and then sprinted from first to third when RF Josh Fellhauer lined a single to left, before eventually coming across via C Adam Weisenburger's bases-loaded walk, drawing the match at 2-2. With two outs later in the inning, pinch hitter Taylor Green would subsequently reach bases on another bases-loaded walk to push the Shuckers ahead by one.

Smokies reliever James Pugliese (1.1 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 3 BB) suffered the defeat to fall to 0-1 on the year. Starter Ryan Williams (1.0 IP, H) tossed a shutout inning of work to initiate the contest before the rain delay to drop his combined earned-run average this year to 2.16, while reliver Michael Wagner (2.0 IP, 3 BB, 2 SO) tossed two shutout frames of support.

Biloxi starting pitcher Tyler Wagner (5.0 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 2 SO), meanwhile, did not factor in the decision after allowing two earned runs on five hits in five innings of work, adding two walks and two strikeouts. Relief men Yhonathan Barrios (1.0 IP, BB) received the win after throwing a scoreless sixth, while closer Damien Magnifico (1.0 Ip, H, SO) notched his 20th save of the season.

Contreras was the only player from either side to tally a multi-hit effort in either contest with his four knocks in game one. Cooper (1-1, R, 2 BB) and Ramirez (1-1, RBI, 2 BB) each reached base three times with a hit and two walks in the nightcap for the Shuckers.

The Smokies will begin their 2016 campaign at home on Thursday, April 7, starting a five-game series against the Mobile BayBears, the Double-A affiliate of the Arizona Diamondbacks. The entire 2016 schedule, in addition to season ticket information, can be found online at smokiesbaseball.com.

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