Scorching Chattanooga Lookouts win 11th straight

photo Chattanooga Lookouts logo

Baseball is a sport filled with the superstitious.

"I'm as superstitious as they come," Chattanooga Lookouts manager Razor Shines said. "I'm not going to share any, but trust me when I tell you that."

It may be something within the daily routine. It may be remaining silent when a no-hitter is in the works or when a team is on a winning streak. Well, maybe not that last part as far as the Lookouts are concerned.

Chattanooga's remarkable late-season turnaround continued Wednesday night as the Lookouts pummeled Jacksonville 7-0 for their 11th consecutive victory. An announced crowd of 2,253 watched as the Lookouts improved to 25-25 in the Southern League's second half and pulled within five games of matching Montgomery's 16-game league mark set back in 1968.

"We hear it. I hear it," Shines said of the sizzling streak. "The players are talking about it, and that's OK. They've earned it, and they've busted their butts."

Said second baseman Darnell Sweeney: "We just know that we're playing good baseball right now and that we want to continue playing good baseball."

The Lookouts continued their winning ways with ease Wednesday, taking a 3-0 lead in the first inning on Corey Seager's RBI single to right and O'Koyea Dickson's two-run double to center. They made it 5-0 in the third when Scott Schebler drew a leadoff walk and Daniel Mayora followed with a triple to right, with Mayora scoring on Chris O'Brien's two-out single to right.

That would be more than enough run support for Lookouts starting pitcher Nick Struck, who threw five scoreless innings. Chattanooga improved to just 51-69 overall this season, but the Lookouts are .500 for the second half and in a two-way tie for first.

"We've had a tough year," Shines said, "and a lot of times it's how you finish."

Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6524.

Upcoming Events