SL1 Knoxville Smokies

Markey and Staff Toss Four-Hitter as Smokies Top Lookouts, 5-1

Published on May 29, 2016 under Southern League (SL1)
Knoxville Smokies News Release


CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. - RHP Brad Markey carried a no-hitter into the fifth inning, while RHP David Berg, RHP Juan Paniagua and RHP Corey Black tossed three frames of shutout relief, as the Tennessee Smokies four-hit the Chattanooga Lookouts in a 5-1 win on Sunday night at AT&T Field.

With the win, Tennessee improved their overall mark to 23-27 in the first half and now sit alone in third place in the Southern League North Division. Chattanooga's loss drops them to 22-28 through 50 games.

Early on in the contest the Smokies used the long ball to grab the advantage. With two down in the second inning, 1B Bijan Rademacher (1-4, R, HR, RBI) cracked a deep fly ball to right that sailed over the wall for a home run. The blast - Rademacher's fifth of the year and first since April 19 - put the Smokies up, 1-0.

The gopher ball aided Tennessee again in the fifth. In his first game back with the Smokies from High-A Myrtle Beach, DH Cael Brockmeyer (1-4, R, HR, RBI) led off the frame with a mammoth shot down the left field line. The blast managed to stay fair, as the Ruthian clout - Brockmeyer's first with Tennessee and his fifth overall this season - put the Smokies ahead, 2-0.

Chattanooga trimmed the lead to 2-1 in the bottom of the fifth on a RBI single by 2B Ryan Walker (1-4, RBI, BB), but the Smokies got that run back immediately in the sixth.

RF Mark Zagunis (3-4, R, 2 RBI, BB) ignited the rally with a single to center and 3B Jeimer Candelario's (2-5) base-hit to right pushed him to third. C Victor Caratini (1-3, RBI, SO) proceeded to loft a deep fly ball to left-center field. Zagunis tagged up and scored on the sacrifice fly, as the Smokies jumped in front, 3-1.

In the ninth, Tennessee added two more insurance runs to seal the victory. LF Kelly Dugan (1-4, R) poked a one-out single and CF Jacob Hannemann (2-5, R) did the same with two retired. Following a walk to 2B Chesny Young (0-4, BB) that loaded the bases, Zagunis attacked the first pitch he saw and ripped it into left for a knock. Both Dugan and Hannemann scampered home, as the Smokies accumulated a 5-1 advantage.

The five tallies were more than enough for the Smokies' pitching staff on Sunday night. Markey (6.0 IP, 2 H, R, ER, 3 BB, SO) walked three batters, but carried a no-hit bid into the fifth before it was broken up by a one-out single from RF Joe Maloney (1-4, R). The 24-year old ended up allowing just one run on two hits en route to his team-leading fifth win of the year.

Tennessee's bullpen held the fort from there. Berg (1.0 IP, SO) pitched a perfect seventh inning, while Paniagua (1.0 IP, 2 BB, SO) and Black (1.0 IP, 2 H, BB, SO) yielded a few baserunners before closing out the win.

Lookouts' RHP Omar Bencomo (6.0 IP, 8 H, 3 R, 3 ER, BB, SO) recorded a quality start in a losing effort. The 27-year old suffered his third loss of 2016 after surrendering three runs on eight hits over six innings.

Zagunis (3-4, R, 2 RBI, BB) upped his batting average to .301 (46-153) with a game-high three hits. Hannemann (2-5, R), Candelario (2-5) and SS Carlos Penalver (2-3, BB) all picked up multiple hits in Tennessee's victorious effort.

After an off day tomorrow, Tennessee returns home on Tuesday night to take on the North Division-leading Jackson Generals, the Double-A affiliate of the Seattle Mariners. The Smokies are expected to call upon RHP Stephen Perakslis (0-1, 5.40 ERA) to try and open the series on a winning note. RHP Andrew Moore (0-0, 9.00 ERA) - Seattle's second round pick last year out of Oregon State University - is scheduled to make his second Southern League start for the Generals.

The Pilot Pre-Game Show will kick off the broadcast at 6:50 p.m. ET, leading up to the 7:05 p.m. ET first pitch from Smokies Stadium. Tuesday night's broadcast can be heard on Sports Radio WNML 99.1 FM and 990 AM, as well as online at SmokiesBaseball.com or via the TuneIn Radio or MiLB First Pitch apps. The game can also be seen on MiLB.tv.

It will be a $2 Tuesday at Smokies Stadium. People in attendance can receive soft serve ice cream, large popcorn, nachos with cheese, hot dogs, draft beer and Pepsi products for as low as two dollars. Tuesday's game will start at 7:05 p.m.

Single-game tickets, as well as multi-voucher and season ticket packages are still available, and can be purchased online at smokiesbaseball.com, or by calling the Smokies Ticket Office at 865-286-2300.

Check out the Knoxville Smokies Statistics

Share: Facebook | Twitter/X | LinkedIn | Reddit | Email



Southern League Stories from May 29, 2016


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

OurSports Central