Sports stats



SL1 Knoxville Smokies

McKinney Leads Tennessee to 6-5 Walk-Off Win over Biscuits

July 3, 2015 - Southern League (SL1)
Knoxville Smokies News Release


KODAK - Tennessee right fielder Billy McKinney recorded two hits, including the walk-off run-scoring single in the bottom of the ninth, and was among four other Smokies to tally a multi-hit effort to lead the club to a 6-5 victory over the Montgomery Biscuits in front of 6,247 fans on Friday evening at Smokies Stadium.

The walk-off win was the third of the year for the Smokies, who improved their second half record to 5-2 and their overall mark to 43-32. The defeat dropped the Biscuits to 4-3 since the Southern League's midway point, in addition to a 38-36 overall tally.

Coming into the bottom of the ninth with an even 5-5 tally, CF Albert Almora Jr. started the game-winning rally with a double to right, while 1B Wes Darvill and C Willson Contreras drew walks to load the bases and set the stage for McKinney. With a 1-0 count, the 20-year-old laced an opposite field single over the glove of Montgomery 3B Patrick Leonard and into left field, plating Almora Jr. to end the game and cue the celebration.

McKinney (2-5, R, RBI) was one of five Smokies batters to collect two base knocks in the contest, along with Almora Jr. (2-5, 3 R, 2 2B, RBI), Contreras (2-3, R, 3B, RBI, BB), LF Jacob Hannemann (2-3, R, 3B, BB) and DH Taylor Davis (2-4, 2B, RBI). Hannemann also displayed spectacular defense out in left field, which included an outstanding diving catch in the left-center field gap to rob Rickard of a base hit.

For the second straight evening, it was the Biscuits who began the contest's scoring. LF Tyler Goedel began the first frame with an opposite field solo blast to right, his fourth of the year, to give moved Montgomery ahead 1-0, while 1B Camron Seitzer slammed a big fly of his own immediately after for back-to-back jacks. Seitzer's roundtripper was also of the solo variety, his seventh of the 2015 campaign, and doubled the advantage to 2-0.

The Smokies would then cut their deficit in half in the following inning. McKinney led off with a base hit before circling the bases all the way from first to score on Davis' run-scoring double to straightaway center field, making it a one-run ballgame at 2-1.

After Montgomery CF Johnny Field Jr. put the Biscuits back ahead by two with a sacrifice fly, Tennessee immediately countered with a three-run third. Hannemann began the rally with a triple to start the frame, and then would be brought home via Almora Jr.'s RBI double to center, narrowing Montgomery's lead to one. The Smokies were far from done, however, as Contreras crushed a run-scoring double to right to send in Almora Jr and even the contest, with Contreras advancing to third via Davis' single prior to scoring via Bruno's RBI base hit to right, giving the home club a 4-3 advantage.

That lead would remain until the sixth, when the Biscuits tied the game back up at four runs apiece. After Field Jr. reached via a single, C Justin O'Conner slapped a single to center and advanced to second on an error, with Field Jr. scoring on the play to draw the contest even at 4-4.

Tennessee would lead again soon after, however, plating a single tally just one frame later. Almora Jr. reached on a force out, took second on an error and third on a groundout, before coming plateward on a wild pitch to put the Smokies ahead for the second time.

Montgomery would tie the game one more time, however, in the ninth with their third longball of the contest. With two outs and the Smokies one out away from victory, 3B Patrick Leonard launched a solo blast into Calhoun's At The Yard in left field, evening the matchup at 5-5, though McKinney's heroics in the last of the ninth would push Tennessee to the win.

Davis continued his impressive stretch with Tennessee since joining the club from Triple-A Iowa on June 17, and has now compiled a .353 average (12-34), adding eight runs, five doubles, four homers and ten RBI. The 25-year-old has also recorded at least one hit and one RBI in eight of his nine starts this year for the Smokies.

Smokies reliever Corey Black (2.0 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 3 SO) earned the victory to improve to 3-3 on the year after Michael Jensen (1.2 IP, H, 3 SO) fired 1.2 frames, while Biscuits relief man Bryce Stowell (0.0 IP, 2 H, R, ER, 2 BB) suffered the loss to fall to 0-2. Neither Tennessee starter Rob Zastryzny (5.1 IP, 7 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 0 BB, 6 SO), nor Montgomery starter Austin Pruitt did not factor in the decison.

Tennessee will now head to Birmingham to begin a five-game series with the Birmingham Barons, the Double-A affiliate of the Chicago White Sox at Regions Field. First pitch of the series is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. ET, with RHP Felix Pena (5-3, 3.63) set to get the nod for Tennessee, while RHP Frankie Montas (1-1, 2.59) is slated to toe the rubber for the Barons.

Following their five-game road series, the Smokies will return to Smokies Stadium to start a five-game set with the Biloxi Schuckers on Thursday, July 9. That evening's matchup is scheduled for 7:05 p.m.

Tickets for all remaining 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.

Check out the Knoxville Smokies Statistics

• Discuss this story on the Southern League message board...

Southern League Stories from July 3, 2015


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