SL1 Knoxville Smokies

Deeds Late Heroics Power Smokies To 6-5 Win

Published on July 2, 2008 under Southern League (SL1)
Knoxville Smokies News Release


SEVIERVILLE, Tenn. - Doug Deeds crushed a storybook two-run home run with two outs in the bottom of the ninth to propel the Tennessee Smokies over the Huntsville Stars by the score of 6-5. The crowd of 2,884 at Smokies Park went wild as the Smokies improved to 11-4 for the second half of the season.

Deeds came to the plate after Matt Craig hit a two-out single to left field with the Smokies down 5-4. On a 0-1 pitch from Stars closer Juan Sandoval (1-3), Deeds tattooed his seventh home run of the season over the right field wall and out of the stadium to notch the victory. The entire Smokies dugout mobbed Deeds at home plate in taking their second game in a row against visiting Huntsville.

The game did not go quite as well early on, as the Stars jumped out to a 4-0 lead off Smokies starter Donnie Veal. He allowed one run to score in the first, then was tagged with three more runs by Huntsville in the top of the 2nd inning, including Chris Errecart's thirteenth home run of the season. Tennessee struck back with a run in the bottom of the second to pull to within 4-1.

The Smokies began to chip away at the lead in the bottom of the fifth. After Sam Fuld walked with one out, Matt Camp smacked a triple to the gap in left center field to score a run. Camp then came across the plate on an RBI sacrifice fly by Tyler Colvin to pull Tennessee to within one run.

Matt Avery came on in relief of Veal, who went five innings allowing nine hits and four runs to score. Avery was very effective in keeping the Smokies in the game, with Tennessee tying things up in the sixth. A Camp double to center field brought Mark Reed across the plate on a close play at home to knot the game up at 4-4. Huntsville got to Avery in the seventh, however, plating one run to take a 5-4 advantage into the late innings of the game.

Rocky Roquet (3-1) pitched a scoreless ninth inning to set the stage for Deeds' heroics. He ended up going four for five on the night, scoring two runs and driving in two. Camp also drove in two runs of his own with a triple and a double on the night, with Craig and Nate Spears also having multiple hit nights for the Smokies offense.

The four game series concludes at Smokies Park on Thursday night with a patriotic fireworks show following the game at 7:15 pm. The Smokies will look to newly acquired starter Alex Maestri (0-0, 7.20) to the mound to face off against Stars right-hander Nic Ungs (0-0, 1.80). The Smokies will then take to the road for a four-game set against the Carolina Mudcats, returning home on Tuesday July 8th.

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Southern League Stories from July 2, 2008


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