SL1 Knoxville Smokies

Smokies Split Thursday Doubleheader with Carolina

Published on June 18, 2009 under Southern League (SL1)
Knoxville Smokies News Release


SEVIERVILLE, Tenn. - In a doubleheader that had a little bit of everything Thursday afternoon, the Carolina Mudcats and Tennessee Smokies played to a 1-1 split at Smokies Park. The Smokies took Game 1 in 12 innings on a Tyler Colvin walk-off home run, 7-6, while the Mudcats cruised to a 6-3 Game 2 victory. The 19 innings, played out in front of 4,138 fans, took just under nine hours, two-plus of which were spent in a rain delay.

Having fallen into 2-0 and 4-1 deficits early in Game 1, the Smokies methodically picked away at Carolina's leads via the long ball and one huge Mudcats miscue. After Mark Reed cut a Carolina lead to 2-1 in the second with a RBI single, Carolina starter Zach Stewart attempted to pick off Jim Adduci at first in the third. The two went errant and Adduci would score from first, bringing the Smokies to within 4-2.

After Carolina extended their lead to 5-2 in the fourth off Game 1 Tennessee starter Marcos Mateo, Ty Wright and Tyler Colvin hit solo home runs in the fourth and fifth innings respectively to bring the Smokies to within 5-4. A Tony Thomas single in the sixth tied the game at five.

The seven-inning affair went into extra innings. Darwin Barney countered a Mudcats run in the eighth with his second home run of the year, a solo blast over the left field wall that would tie the game at six. Game 1 was halted in the top of the 10th due to rain, in which the delay would last two hours and 14 minutes. Play would resume and Colvin finally ended the first game with a solo shot off Philippe-Alexandre Valiquette (1-1) to give the Smokies the win. Marco Carrillo (1-0) picked up the win, his first of the year with the Smokies.

Momentum carried over for the Smokies in Game 2 as they jumped out to an early 1-0 lead in the second off Mudcats starter Travis Wood. Wood (7-3) would settle into a nice groove and watch as teammate Juan Francisco's 3-for-4 effort, which included a home run and four RBIs, carried the road team. Much of the damage was done off Smokies ace Casey Coleman, who fell to 6-3 with the loss.

Tennessee and Carolina will square off in Game 3 Friday night at 7:15 p.m. at Smokies Park. Tom Cochran will get the ball for Carolina, with Hung-Wen Chen taking the mound for Tennessee. Tickets for Game 3's "Fireworks Friday" can be purchased at www.smokiesbaseball.com, over-the-phone at (865) 286-2300 or at the Smokies Park ticket office.

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Southern League Stories from June 18, 2009


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