Coming off an impressive homestand that saw five wins in six games against division rival Carolina, the Smokies appeared to have things back on track in the season’s second half.  That success was short lived, unfortunately, as the Smokies dropped five of six this past week behind a listless offense.
The Smokies didn’t start the week on the right track in their series opener at Montgomery, surrendering four runs in the first inning en route to a 10-1 loss.  Nate Samson managed the only run, hitting his third homer of the season in the ninth.
Ryan Searle and the Smokies bullpen were phenomenal in Tuesday’s 2-1, extra-inning win, keeping the Biscuits off the board over the game’s final nine innings after allowing their only run in the first.  Brett Jackson carried the Smokies offensively, tying it up with a solo shot in the third and scoring the go-ahead run with a solo shot in the 10th.
Montgomery’s Matt Moore, who leads the league in ERA and strikeouts, kept the Smokies bats at bay on Wednesday as the Biscuits came out on top by a 3-1 margin.  Rebel Ridling broke up a no-hit bid in the seventh with a solo shot off the left-hander, giving the Smokies their lone run of the night.
The Smokies were unable to break out of their slump against former teammate Chris Archer in the series finale Thursday, making a late rally with runs in the eighth and ninth but falling 4-2.  Brett Jackson racked up three hits and Blake Lalli and Matt Spencer drove in runs in the loss.
Chattanooga came to town Friday with a narrow one-game lead over the Smokies in the North Division.  The Smokies and Lookouts waited through two rain delays in the series opener, and eventually suspended the game after nine innings due to league curfew.  When they resumed play prior to Saturday’s scheduled game, it went to 14 innings before the Lookouts scored the go-ahead run and pulled out a 5-4 victory.
The Lookouts jumped ahead early and scored runs in four consecutive innings on their way to taking Saturday night’s game 6-1.  Josh Vitters hit his eighth homer of the year, but the Smokies offense managed only five hits in the contest.
It appeared the Smokies would break their four-game skid on Sunday, taking a three-run lead after two innings and riding a strong performance from Searle into the late innings.  The Lookouts scored six runs and hit three solo homers against the Smokies bullpen, however, going on to win it 6-4.
The Smokies hit the road for a six-game set against the Mississippi Braves before returning home to take on the Carolina Mudcats next week.  For tickets or more information, call (865) 286-2300, or visit www.smokiesbaseball.com.

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