Smokies blanked by West Tenn

After Monday rainout, teams will play double-header tonight news@theheraldnewspapers.com A day after posting their first home win of the Southern League’s second half, the Tennessee Smokies (4-3 in second half) were blanked 6-0 by the West Tenn Diamond Jaxx Sunday at Smokies Park. West Tenn (5-2) scored three runs in the third inning and never looked back en route to its fifth victory of the second half. West Tenn pitcher J.R. Mathes had perhaps his best outing of the season Sunday, throwing a complete game shutout in front of a Smokies Park Sunday matinee crowd of 3, 273. West Tenn’s big third inning included a pair of doubles off Tennessee starter Steven Jackson. The Diamond Jaxx added another score in the fifth to go up 4-0. Nic Jackson hit a one out, bases loaded sacrifice fly to plate the fifth inning West Tenn run. The Smokies Steve Garrabrants committed two errors that led to the final two Diamond Jaxx runs in the ninth inning. Jackson took the loss for Tennessee to fall to 3-6. The Clemson product tossed six innings against the Cubs’ affiliate and allowed all four West Tenn runs on nine hits. Chris Kinsey and Jon Castellanos both made relief appearances for Tennessee. Mathes improved to 7-4 with the shutout win. Monday’s scheduled game against the Diamond Jaxx at Smokies Park was canceled because of rain and will be made up tonight as part of a double header beginning at 5:30.