The new half for the Chattanooga Lookouts has a new feel in at least one aspect.
They can defeat Carolina at AT&T Field.
Swept by the Mudcats at home in late May and facing more gloom and doom Sunday evening, the Lookouts rallied with four runs in the bottom of the eighth inning to prevail 6-5. Adam Godwin, Andrew Lambo and Russ Mitchell collected first-pitch doubles in the eighth off former University of Tennessee and former Lookouts relief pitcher Sean Watson, who entered with an 11.37 ERA against his old Southern League team.
"He's around the plate, and we know that about Watson," Mitchell said. "We got our pitches and we drove them."
Said Lambo: "He was kind of just throwing it up there, so we kind of took advantage of it."
Godwin opened the eighth with a double to center, and Ramon Nivar followed with a bloop single to left-center. After Eduardo Perez flied to short on a 3-0 pitch, Lambo doubled to right to score Godwin and Nivar to pull the Lookouts within 5-4.
Mitchell doubled to right-center to bring in Lambo, which tied the game, and scored the deciding run on Gabriel Gutierrez's two-out single to right. Lambo and Mitchell combined for five hits and four runs scored for the Lookouts, who improved to 3-4 in the second half.
"We wanted to jump out to a good start in the second half, and to score four runs that quickly was big and gives us confidence," Mitchell said. "Plus, we wore these blue tops for the first time all season and won, so we may continue to roll with these for a while."
Carolina, which has endured 10 players going on the disabled list this month, dropped to 1-6 after going 37-32 in the first half and finishing a game behind Huntsville.
Mudcats starting pitcher Travis Wood was bidding to win his ninth consecutive decision, which would be a franchise record. He was in good shape when Carolina took a 5-2 lead in the top of the eighth but did not factor into the outcome after the Lookouts roughed up Watson.
Carolina tied the game 2-2 in the seventh when Todd Frazier hit a two-run home run to left off Lookouts starter J.D. Durbin and took a 4-2 lead in the eighth when Sean Henry took Jesus Rodriguez deep to left for a two-run shot. Rodriguez threw over the head of Mike Griffin with the ensuing pitch and was ejected.
In a statistical rarity, Durbin matched Wood's pitching line, as each gave up two runs on five hits in seven innings while allowing one walk and striking out four. Wood is still 8-3, and his ERA of 1.36 remains the best in the league among starters, this after going 4-9 with a 7.09 ERA last season with the Lookouts.
"Durbin had a quality start," Lookouts manager John Valentin said. "Obviously that fastball in during the seventh wasn't in enough, and that hurt us, but the team battled back."
Valentin added that catcher Lucas May (broken wrist) could rejoin the team in a week, while the middle of July is more realistic for infielder/outfielder Gaby Martinez (broken hand). Both were hitting .298 when they went on the disabled list May 21.
Jesus Castillo (4-5, 4.29) is scheduled to start tonight's 7:15 game for the Lookouts, with Camilo Vazquez (2-1, 5.46) scheduled for the Mudcats.
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