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SL1 Knoxville Smokies

Smokies Let One Slip Through

July 15, 2003 - Southern League (SL1)
Knoxville Smokies News Release


Sevierville, Tenn. - Cory Aldridge launched a ninth inning game winning home run to give Greenville (8-15, 44-47) a 4-3 win over Tennessee (16-8, 51-43) Tuesday night at Smokies Park. The Smokies lead in the Eastern Division shrunk to two games when Jacksonville split a doubleheader against Orlando.

Billy Sylvester earned his ninth save by denying Tennessee a hit for the sixth time this season.

James Jurries of the Braves greeted Josh Axelson with a solo home run to put the Braves up 1-0 after the first inning. Axelson was making his first start with the Smokies after pitching sixteen games out of the bullpen.

A third inning, two-out rally was sparked by Axelson when he smacked a single up the middle off of Adam Wainwright. Skip Shumaker singled to advance Axelson to third and John Nelson followed with an RBI single to tie the score at one.

Nelson put the Smokies up 2-1 in the fifth when his groundball to third scored Dan Moylan who led off the inning with a walk. The Braves responded in the sixth when an error and a dropped third strike set the table for a Ryan Langerhans two run single.

Tennessee rallied again in the eighth, tying the game on a Scott Krause sacrifice fly. Cory Aldridge's solo home run in the 9th inning off Josh Kinney (0-1) won the game for Greenville.

Axelson pitched well in his first start as he went five innings while allowing one run on three hits and five strikeouts. Tyler Johnson relieved Axelson in the sixth and allowed a pair of runs on Langerhans' single.

Wainwright (6-7) went six innings for Greenville allowing six hits and two earned runs while striking out four Smokies. The 3-2 win was his first in four tries against the Smokies this season.

The Smokies will host the Braves in a noon start Wednesday at Smokies Park. The Smokies will send Nick Stocks (7-4, 4.34) to face Bubba Nelson (7-7, 3.11) of the Braves.

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