SL1 Knoxville Smokies

Smokies Score Early, Hold off Late Suns' Rally in 7-6 Win

Published on June 23, 2012 under Southern League (SL1)
Knoxville Smokies News Release


JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - The Tennessee Smokies (2-1 second half, 37-36 overall) used a six-run third inning and held off a late rally to defeat the Jacksonville Suns (1-2, 34-39), 7-6, on Saturday night at The Baseball Grounds of Jacksonville.

Trailing 2-0 thanks to a pair of second-inning solo home runs by Kyle Skipworth and Curt Smith, the Smokies plated six runs in the top of the third to take a 6-2 lead. After pitcher Jeff Antigua walked and Logan Watkins doubled to begin the frame, Jae-Hoon Ha got Tennessee on the board with an RBI single. A sacrifice fly off the bat of Justin Bour evened the score, 2-2. The next batter, Nelson Perez, delivered a two-run homer to give Tennessee a 4-2 edge before Mike Burgess left the ballpark with a deep two-run blast to center field later in the frame to make it 6-2. Tennessee sent nine batters to the plate in the third.

That score held until the top of the seventh, when the teams traded runs. The Smokies took advantage of a Jacksonville error in the top of the frame as Watkins led off with a walk and advanced from first to third on an errant pickoff attempt before coming plateward on an RBI single by Ha to give Tennessee a 7-2 advantage. An RBI triple in the bottom of the seventh by Donnie Webb cut the Jacksonville deficit to 7-3, but reliever Alberto Cabrera stranded runners on the corners to escape the jam.

The Suns made it interesting in the bottom of the ninth. After Kevin Rhoderick worked a scoreless eighth, Webb tagged the Tennessee reliever for a two-run homer in the ninth to cut the Jacksonville deficit to 7-5. After Jake Smolinski singled, Frank Batista relieved Rhoderick and proceeded to surrender an RBI single to Shawn Bowman to make it a 7-6 contest. Batista induced the next batter to fly out, though, stranding the tying run on base and notching his 11th save of the season.

Following a half hour rain delay prior to first pitch, Jeff Antigua got the spot start in place of scheduled starter Dallas Beeler. Antigua went three innings and allowed two runs on two hits. Casey Weathers (3-1) followed by striking out four batters over two innings in relief to earn the win in his first appearance since May 22 after coming off the disabled list.

Jacksonville starter Bryan Evans (2-5) suffered the loss, allowing six runs on seven hits in four innings of work.

The Smokies and Suns play game four of their five-game series on Sunday afternoon at 3:05 p.m.

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Southern League Stories from June 23, 2012


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