Biscuits baseball: Southern League Division Series, Game One

Last night, the Biscuits took on the Lookouts in Chattanooga for the first game of the divison series of the Southern League.

In a close game, Chattanooga stayed at the right side of the score.

Until the ninth inning, the Biscuits’ pitching was rather dominating. Starting pitcher Jamie Schultz pitched five innings, giving up a run on three hits, walking five, striking out four. In relief Ryne Stanek gave up another run in 1.1 innings, allowing one hit, walking two and fanning two. Mark Sappington (0.2 innings) and Matt Lollis (1.0 inning) kept the Lookouts from scoring.

The Biscuits broke open the game in the top of the second as Daniel Robertson scored all the way from first (after he singled to center field) on a double to center field by Jake Bauers. Bauers advanced to third when Leonardo Regionatto grounded out 6-3. When Justin O’Conner singled to German left fielder (and Southern League MVP) Max Kepler, Jake Bauer scored from third.

In the sixth, Patrick Leonard hit a lead off homerun that cleared the left field wall to give the Biscuits a 3-1 lead.

The Lookouts on their turn scored in the second inning when D.J. Hicks crossed home plate on a soft grounder to center field, hit by Heiker Meneses. In the bottom of the seventh inning, Chattanooga cut Montgomery’s lead in half.

So clinging on a one run lead, the Biscuits brought in Brad Schreiber to close the game, but that didn’t work out quite well.
He rung up the first two batters that he faced but then couldn’t get out of the inning. Consecutive walks and a wild pitch put runners in scoring position. Max Kepler became the game winner as he drove in both runners on a line drive to right field.

It is hard to believe that the Biscuits outhit the Lookouts 8-5 and that they couldn’t take advantage of the three miscues that the Lookouts made in the field.

Tonight is the second game in Chattanooga before the circus heads to the capital of Alabama.