Monthly Archives: September 2010

2010 Chicago Cubs Minor League Player of the Year Brandon Guyer.

2010 Chicago Cubs Minor League Pitcher of the Year Chris Archer

Hey Smokies Fans!

On Saturday, the Chicago Cubs honored Tennessee Smokies Brandon Guyer and Chris Archer for their outstanding play during the 2010 season. Guyer was named the Cubs Minor League Player of the Year, while Archer took the Cubs Minor League Pitcher of the Year honor.

Here is a story from Carrie Muskat of cubs.com:

By Carrie Muskat / MLB.com

CHICAGO — Outfielder Brandon Guyer and pitcher Chris Archer were honored on Saturday as the Cubs’ Minor League Player and Pitcher of the Year, respectively.

Guyer, 24, batted .344 with 39 doubles, six triples, 13 homers, 58 RBIs, 76 runs scored and 30 stolen bases for Double-A Tennessee. He led the Southern League in slugging percentage (.588) and ranked second in batting average, third in doubles, fourth in extra-base hits (58) and fifth in on-base percentage.

It was quite the comeback for the right-handed hitter, who dislocated his shoulder on a head-first slide in the second month of the season.

“My winning this is even more special because of what happened,” Guyer said.

A fifth-round selection in 2007 out of the University of Virginia, Guyer will play winter ball in Venezuela, leaving Oct. 6.

Archer, 21, combined to go 15-3 with a 2.34 ERA in 28 games between Class A Daytona and Tennessee. He struck out 149 in 142 1/3 innings and walked 65.

Originally selected by the Indians in the fifth round of the 2006 Draft, Archer was part of the Mark DeRosa deal in December 2006. The Cubs also acquired pitchers Jeff Stevens and John Gaub in the trade. Archer will pitch for the U.S. team in the Pan American Qualifying Team tournament in Puerto Rico.

Congratulations to Chris and Brandon on their accomplishments during the season, and we hope they enjoyed their time at Wrigley Field.

By Roger Hoover / smokiesbaseball.com

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The storybook season of the 2010 Tennessee Smokies ended in Game Four of the Southern League Championship Series, as Chris Hatcher hit a walkoff homer to deliver the Jacksonville Suns a 1-0 win and the Southern League title on Saturday night at the Baseball Grounds of Jacksonville.

Jacksonville’s championship is their second straight Southern League crown, and the franchises’ fifth.

The Smokies were once again shut out at the Baseball Grounds, mustering only four hits in the contest.

Tennessee’s starter Craig Muschko was stellar in his second postseason start. Muschko pitched seven scoreless innings while only giving up one hit to the Suns. Smokies reliever Luke Sommer took the loss after giving up the home run to Hatcher.

The Smokies would like to thank their fans, sponsors, and media partners for their support during a record breaking season. Tennessee won their second straight North Division championship, and saw numerous coaches, players, and staff members earn awards for their accomplishments.

The Smokies will open the 2011 season in Chattanooga with a five-game series against the Chattanooga Lookouts, beginning on Thursday April 8 at AT&T Field.

Craig Muschko will start Game Four tonight for Tennessee.

Hey Smokies Fans!

After last night’s 2-0 loss in Game Three, Tennessee’s back is against the wall as they get ready for Game Four tonight in Jacksonville.

With one more victory, the Suns will claim their second straight Southern League Championship, while Tennessee must win tonight to force a winner-take-all Game Five on Sunday.

The Smokies will have Craig Muschko on the mound in tonight’s Game Four. Muschko was the winning pitcher in Game Four of the North Division Championship Series last Sunday against West Tenn.

Jacksonville will start Jose Rosario, a right-hander who pitched six scoreless innings against the Smokies on August 31.

Here are more notes on tonight’s Game Four of the Southern League Championship Series:

Backs Against the Wall: It’s do-or-die for the Smokies tonight in Game Four of the Southern League Championship Series. Tennessee must now win two games to claim a Southern League title, while the Suns can clinch the championship with just one victory. In 2009, the Suns took a two games to none lead over Tennessee as the series switched back to Smokies Park. With their backs against the wall, Tennessee had a comeback victory in Game Three of the SLCS, as Starlin Castro drove in Brandon Guyer in the bottom of the ninth to win 5-4 and force a Game Four of the series.

Count on Muschko: The Smokies will lean on starter Craig Muschko in tonight’s Game Four of the SLCS. Muschko was the winning pitcher in the clinching Game Four of the North Division Championship Series against West Tenn. Muschko pitched six innings while scattering two runs on six hits. Muschko did not walk any batters while he struck out four as the Smokies won 5-2. Muschko went 9-3 in the regular season with a 3.77 ERA in 26 games and 23 starts.

Saturday Night Fever: Tennessee has played their best baseball of the season on Saturdays. The Smokies went 18-3 in Saturday contests during the regular season, and also picked up a win in last Saturday’s Game Three of the North Division Championship Series.

Tonight’s coverage begins at 7:15 p.m. with the Pilot Oscar-Mayer Pregame Show.

You can listen to the game here online on smokiesbaseball.com or on our affiliates ESPN 106.3 FM in Sevierville and WJFC-AM 1480 and FM 102.9 in Jefferson City.

Thanks for listening!

By Roger Hoover / smokiesbaseball.com

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A fourth inning two-run homer by Jeff Corsaletti was the difference for the Jacksonville Suns in Game Three of the Southern League Championship Series, as the Suns blanked the Tennessee Smokies 2-0 on Friday night at the Baseball Grounds of Jacksonville.

The victory puts Jacksonville one win away from their second consecutive Southern League title, as the Suns now lead the best-of-five series two games to one.

Corsaletti’s blast in the fourth inning was the only blemish against Smokies starter Trey McNutt. McNutt pitched six innings while giving up two runs on five hits in his second postseason start.

Jacksonville’s Brad Hand took the victory after another sharp performance in the postseason. For the second straight start, Hand did not allow any runs, and he only scattered three hits to the Smokies in seven innings on the mound.

Blake Lalli was the only Tennessee batter to record a multi-hit game, as he had two of the Smokies’ three hits.

The Suns’ bullpen followed in Hand’s effort, with Garrett Parcell and Sandy Rosario both tossing scoreless frames in the eighth and ninth to preserve the Jacksonville win.

Jacksonville’s first opportunity to win their fifth Southern League title is on Saturday night in Game Four at the Baseball Grounds. The Smokies will start right-hander Craig Muschko while the Suns will counter with Jose Rosario. The game begins at 7:35 p.m., and fans can listen to the contest on the Smokies Radio Network.

Trey McNutt will pitch for Tennessee in Game Three of the Southern League Championship Series.

Hey Smokies Fans!

After a tough loss on Wednesday in Game Two of the SLCS and a day off for travel, the Smokies have made it to Florida where they will play the remaining games of the Southern League Championship Series in Jacksonville.

We posted the official recap below, but Jacksonville evened the series on Wednesday with a 7-6 victory at Smokies Park. It was the final home game of the season, and a great crowd of over 2,000 fans wished the Smokies luck as they make their way to Jacksonville.

Now with the series tied at one game apiece, the Smokies must win two of the the next three in Jacksonville to claim the Southern League championship. Tennessee has a chance to take a 2-1 lead in tonight’s Game Three at the Baseball Grounds of Jacksonville.

The Smokies will look to young right-hander Trey McNutt to start in Game Three. McNutt earned the win for Tennessee in Game Three of the NDCS against West Tenn. McNutt pitched five innings while giving up only one run on four hits. He only walked one batter while striking out six, as Tennessee won 9-2.

The Suns will also start a youngster in Game Three, as southpaw Brad Hand will pitch for Jacksonville. Hand had only one start in the regular season, where he beat Tennessee on September 2. In that start, Hand gave up two runs on three hits in six innings on the mound against the Smokies at the Baseball Grounds. Hand was the winning pitcher in Game Three of the South Division Championship Series, as he didn’t allow a run against Mobile in six innings of work.

Here are more notes on tonight’s Game Three of the Southern League Championship Series:

Good Guyer: Brandon Guyer blasted his second homer in as many games against Jacksonville on Wednesday, a solo shot that cut the Suns’ lead to 4-3 in the bottom of the third inning. Guyer also homered in Tuesday’s Game One Smokies victory. Guyer had 13 bombs in 2010, and posted the best modern batting average in Smokies history at .344. For his efforts in 2010, he was named the Cubs Minor League Player of the Year.

Second Postseason Start for McNutt: Trey McNutt makes his second postseason start in tonight’s Game Three. McNutt won Game Three of the NDCS over West Tenn, going five innings while just giving up one run on four hits. McNutt was a 32^nd round selection by the Cubs in the 2009 draft.

Unfinished Business: In 2009, the Jacksonville Suns won the Southern League Championship by defeating the Tennessee Smokies three games to one in the Southern League Championship Series. In 2010 the two teams are back in the Southern League’s version of the Fall Classic for a rematch of the series that went the Suns way in 2009.

Cubs vs. Marlins Rivalry: While this is a rematch of the 2009 Southern League Championship Series, for many of these Suns and Smokies the rivalry goes beyond the Southern League. In 2008, now-Smokies Blake Lalli, Esmailin Caridad, Robinson Chirinos, Steve Clevenger, Jeremy Papelbon, and Tony Thomas were all members of the Daytona Cubs. The D-Cubs won the Florida State League title over the Jupiter Hammerheads, the FSL team of the Florida Marlins. The Suns have five players on their roster from the 2008 Hammerheads: Jeff Allison, Brad Stone, Elih Villanueva, Chris Hatcher, and Ryan Curry. 12 players from the 2009 SLCS have played in the majors in 2010 for either the Cubs or the Marlins.

All About the Ring: The winner of this series is the 2010 Southern League Champion. The Smokies are aiming for the fourth Southern League title in franchise history. The Knoxville Sox won S.L. titles in 1974 (defeated Jacksonville 3 to 1) and 1978 (defeated Savannah 2 to 1). In 2004 with Tennessee as a Cardinals affiliate, the Smokies were declared co-champions with Mobile because the SLCS was cancelled due to Hurricane Ivan.

Tonight’s coverage on the Smokies Radio Network begins with the Pilot Oscar-Mayer Pregame Show at 6:45 p.m.

You can listen to the game here online on smokiesbaseball.com.

Thanks for listening!

By Rennie Leon / smokiesbaseball.com

KODAK, Tenn. – Trailing throughout much of Wednesday night’s Game 2 of the Southern League Championship Series to the Jacksonville Suns, the Tennessee Smokies clawed their way back to tie the game up late.  Tennessee was unable to answer a Jacksonville run in the ninth though and fell to the Suns, 7-6, in front of 2,338 at Smokies Park.  The loss evens this week’s series at one game apiece.

Things looked good for Tennessee early on as the home team scored two in the second.  Russ Canzler’s double off Suns’ starter Tom Koehler plated Robinson Chirinos to put Tennessee up 1-0.  Canzler would score on Marwin Gonzalez’s single to make it 2-0 Smokies.

Jacksonville responded with four runs in the third to grab the lead.  Matt Dominguez’s fielder’s choice put the Suns on the board.  Teammate Ryan Curry followed with a ground-rule double to tie the game at two, and Jeff Corsaletti’s single to right plated two more to put Jacksonville up 4-2.

Brandon Guyer led off the bottom of the third with his second home run in as many nights, a 396-foot shot to left that cut Jacksonville’s lead to 4-3.

The two teams traded runs in the fourth.  After Dominguez’ drove in another run to put the Suns up 5-3, Matt Spencer’s sacrifice fly to left scored Tony Thomas to bring the Smokies back to within one art 5-4.

Carpenter would be relieved in the fourth, having only thrown 3.2 innings.  The righty allowed five runs on seven hits, striking out four and walking one.  He would not factor in the decision.

Tennessee trio of Aaron Shafer, Marco Carrillo and Luke Sommer would hold Jacksonville scoreless over the next three innings.  On a night though where the Smokies would go 2-for-11 with runners in scoring position, Tennessee was unable to push across the tying run.

The Suns finally got to the Smokies bullpen in the eighth, as Matt Dominguez launched a solo home run off reliever Kyle Smit to extend the Suns’ lead to 6-4.

The Smokies found themselves in another prime situation in the eighth, with runners on second and third for Tony Campana.  He delivered a clutch, two-out single to left to plate Canzler and Tony Thomas and tie the game up at six.

It would be for naught though as Jacksonville plated the winning run in the top of the ninth on a sacrifice fly by Corsaletti off Esmailin Caridad (0-1).  Tennessee put the tying run on first in the bottom of the frame, but Blake Lalli grounded into a double play off Sandy Rosario (1-0) to end the game.

Following Thursday’s travel day, the two teams will resume their best-of-5 series at The Baseball Grounds in Jacksonville Friday night at 7:05 p.m.  Tennessee’s Trey McNutt (1.0, 1.80) will start Game 3 against Jacksonville’s Brad Hand (1-0, 0.00).  Game 4 will be Saturday night at 7:35 p.m. and, if necessary, the series will conclude with a Game 5 Sunday at 7:05 p.m. in Jacksonville.

Chris Carpenter will start Game Two of the Southern League Championship Series.

Hey Smokies Fans!

With last night’s 5-0 win over Jacksonville, Tennessee has a 1-0 lead on the Suns in the best of five Southern League Championship Series.

Tennessee was led on the mound by Chris Archer, who went six scoreless innings to earn his first postseason victory. Robinson Chirinos went 2-4 with a three-RBI homer to help the Smokies pick up the victory.

Now Tennessee has a chance to take a 2-0 lead in the series and be one win away from a Southern League title. The Smokies will look to Chris Carpenter on the mound to start Game Two of the series. Carpenter won in his last start in the postseason, picking up the win in Game Two of the North Division Championship Series against West Tenn.

Starting for Jacksonville is Tom Koehler, who had a dominant 2010 season for the Suns. Koehler led the Southern League with 16 wins, and is 2-0 against Tennessee this season in two scoreless starts.

Here are more notes on tonight’s Game Two of the Southern League Championship Series:

Homers Keep Flying in Postseason: Robinson Chirinos and Brandon Guyer added to Tennessee’s power numbers in Game One of the Southern League Championship Series. Chirinos now has two homers in the postseason, while Guyer notched his first to help Tennessee win 5-0. Tennessee has smashed 11 homers in only five postseason contests.

Archer Bounces Back: After struggling in his first postseason start in the NDCS, Chris Archer was masterful in Game One of the SLCS. Archer, the Chicago Cubs Minor League Pitcher of the Year, went six scoreless innings while just giving up four hits, and he also walked one while striking out eight.

Bullpen Spotless: Tennessee’s bullpen went three perfect innings in Game One of the SLCS, with Aaron Shafer, Blake Parker, and Esmailin Caridad all throwing perfect innings against the Suns.

Unfinished Business: In 2009, the Jacksonville Suns won the Southern League Championship by defeating the Tennessee Smokies three games to one in the Southern League Championship Series. In 2010 the two teams are back in the Southern League’s version of the Fall Classic for a rematch of the series that went the Suns way in 2009. Jacksonville won the 2009 SLCS in four games, picking up victories in the first two games at the Baseball Grounds of Jacksonville. The Smokies took Game Three at Smokies Park, before falling in Game Four to give Jacksonville the Southern League title.

Cubs vs. Marlins Rivalry: While this is a rematch of the 2009 Southern League Championship Series, for many of these Suns and Smokies the rivalry goes beyond the Southern League. In 2008, now-Smokies Blake Lalli, Esmailin Caridad, Robinson Chirinos, Steve Clevenger, Jeremy Papelbon, and Tony Thomas were all members of the Daytona Cubs. The D-Cubs won the Florida State League title over the Jupiter Hammerheads, the FSL team of the Florida Marlins. The Suns have five players on their roster from the 2008 Hammerheads: Jeff Allison, Brad Stone, Elih Villanueva, Chris Hatcher, and Ryan Curry. 12 players from the 2009 SLCS have played in the majors in 2010 for either the Cubs or the Marlins.

All About the Ring: The winner of this series is the 2010 Southern League Champion. The Smokies are aiming for the fourth Southern League title in franchise history. The Knoxville Sox won S.L. titles in 1974 (defeated Jacksonville 3 to 1) and 1978 (defeated Savannah 2 to 1). In 2004 with Tennessee as a Cardinals affiliate, the Smokies were declared co-champions with Mobile because the SLCS was cancelled due to Hurricane Ivan.

Our coverage begins tonight with the Pilot Oscar-Mayer Pregame Show at 7 p.m. The show will feature an interview with Smokies skipper Bill Dancy.

You can listen to the game Here online on smokiesbaseball.com.

Our broadcast at 7 p.m. will begin online Here online on smokiesbaseball.com. We will join the Sports Animal WNML FM 99.1 and 99.3 at 8 p.m., and will be on all signals (including AM 990) at 9 p.m.

Thanks for listening!

By Rennie Leon / smokiesbaseball.com

KODAK, Tenn. – The Tennessee Smokies came out firing on all cylinders in this week’s much-anticipated showdown with the Jacksonville Suns in the Southern League Championship Series.  Chris Archer’s six-inning gem and Robinson Chirinos’ three-run home run propelled the Smokies to a 5-0 win over the Suns.  The win, in front of 1,830 at Smokies Park, gives the Smokies a 1-0 lead in the best-of-5 series.

Pitching dominated the early innings Tuesday.  Jacksonville’s Elih Villanueva held the Smokies hitless through the first three frames, while Archer scattered four hits over three to keep the Suns at bay.

Archer was helped by a tremendous defensive play to end the third, as Villanueva’s attempt to score from first on a double by teammate Osvaldo Martinez was thwarted by a tremendous relay from CF Tony Campana to SS Marwin Gonzalez, whose perfect throw to Chirinos at the plate beat Villanueva for the third out of the frame.

Tennessee’s offense finally broke through in the fourth.  After leading off the frame with a single, Tony Campana would advance to third on a throwing error by Villanueva to first.  Brett Jackson followed with a towering ground-rule double to center to plate Campana and give the Smokies a 1-0 lead.

Later on in the frame, Chirinos blasted a three-run shot off Villanueva (1-1) to extend the Smokies’ lead to 4-0.  The Southern League Postseason All-Star was 2-for-4 on the night with the three RBIs.

Tennessee’s Brandon Guyer, the Chicago Cubs’ 2010 Player of the Year, added another run in the sixth with a solo home run to left-center to make it 5-0 Smokies.

The lead was more than plenty for the Cubs’ 2010 Minor League Pitcher of the Year.  Archer (1-1) struck out eight over six innings, walking one to get the win.  He retired the final nine hitters he faced.

Archer’s performance rubbed off on the Smokies bullpen as relievers Aaron Shafer, Blake Parker and Esmailin Caridad were perfect over the final three frames, striking out a combined four Suns batters.  In total, the Smokies retired the final 18 Suns hitters faced.

Tennessee will look to go up 2-0 on Jacksonville in the championship series Wednesday night at 7:15 at Smokies Park.  The Suns’ Tom Koehler will start against Chris Carpenter for Tennessee.  Tickets can be purchased at www.smokiesbaseball.com or by calling (865) 286-2300.

Chris Archer will start Game One of the Southern League Championship Series.

Hey Smokies Fans!

After having the best record in franchise history, winning both halves of the North Division, and seeing many players, coaches, and staff earn awards, the Tennessee Smokies are in the Southern League Championship Series.

The Smokies won 5-2 in Game Four of the North Division Championship Series to win the North Division on Sunday night. Now Tennessee is back in the SLCS for the second straight season, and once again the Smokies will face the Jacksonville Suns, the South Division champs.

The Championship Series begins tonight at Smokies Park. The Smokies will have Chris Archer start Game One of the series. Archer had a fantastic season in 2010, posting 15 wins in his time with Tennessee and Daytona, and was named the Chicago Cubs’ minor league pitcher of the year.

Jacksonville will start Southern League All-Star Elih Villanueva. Villanueva finished the regular season as the ERA champion of the league at 2.26, and he also led the league in innings pitched, games started, complete games, shutouts, and starters opponent average. Villanueva also was the winning pitcher in Game Four of the 2009 SLCS against Tennessee, where he hit the go-ahead winning homer at Smokies Park that gave the Suns the lead in the clinching game of the series.

Here are more notes on Game One of the Southern League Championship Series:

Bill Dancy after giving a speech in the Smokies clubhouse during Sunday's North Division Championship celebration.

Unfinished Business: In 2009, the Jacksonville Suns won the Southern League Championship by defeating the Tennessee Smokies three games to one in the Southern League Championship Series. In 2010 the two teams are back in the Southern League’s version of the Fall Classic for a rematch of the series that went the Suns way in 2009. Jacksonville won the 2009 SLCS in four games, picking up victories in the first two games at the Baseball Grounds of Jacksonville. The Smokies took Game Three at Smokies Park, before falling in Game Four to give Jacksonville the Southern League Championship.

Versus Jacksonville in 2010: The Smokies posted a 5-7 record in 12 games this season against Jacksonville. The Smokies took the first and only series at Smokies Park from May 20-24, with Tennessee winning 3-2 in the rubber match. Jacksonville won both series at the Baseball Grounds of Jacksonville, although neither series was a five-game set. Smokies catcher Robinson Chirinos has hit the Suns well, posting a .412 average with a homer and five runs batted in. Tonight’s Smokies starting pitcher Chris Archer is 0-2 against Jacksonville, with his only losses of the season in a Smokies uniform coming against the Suns.

Cubs vs. Marlins Rivalry: While this is a rematch of the 2009 Southern League Championship, for many of these Suns and Smokies the rivalry goes beyond the Southern League. In 2008, now-Smokies Blake Lalli, Esmailin Caridad, Robinson Chirinos, Steve Clevenger, Jeremy Papelbon, and Tony Thomas were all members of the Daytona Cubs. The D-Cubs won the Florida State League title over the Jupiter Hammerheads, the FSL team of the Florida Marlins. The Suns have five players on their roster from the 2008 Hammerheads: Jeff Allison, Brad Stone, Elih Villanueva, Chris Hatcher, and Ryan Curry. 12 players from the 2009 SLCS have played in the majors in 2010 for either the Cubs or the Marlins.

All About the Ring: The winner of this series is the 2010 Southern League Champion. The Smokies are aiming for the fourth Southern League title in franchise history. The Knoxville Sox won S.L. titles in 1974 (defeated Jacksonville 3 to 1) and 1978 (defeated Savannah 2 to 1). In 2004 with Tennessee as a Cardinals affiliate, the Smokies were declared co-champions with Mobile because the SLCS was cancelled due to Hurricane Ivan.

Our coverage begins tonight with the Pilot Oscar-Mayer Pregame Show at 7 p.m. The show will feature an interview with Smokies skipper Bill Dancy.

You can listen to the game Here online on smokiesbaseball.com.

We will be on The Sports Animal, WNML AM-990, FM 99.1, FM 99.3 for tonight’s game. From 7 p.m. to 8 p.m., we will be on AM 990 only, but all signals after 8 p.m.

Thanks for listening!

Hey Smokies Fans!

What a win last night for the Smokies in Game Four of the North Division Championship Series. With the win, Tennessee advances to the Southern League Championship Series, where the Smokies will face the Jacksonville Suns in a rematch of the 2009 SLCS.

Here is the link for you to listen to the champagne celebration in the clubhouse:

North Division Championship Celebration September 12, 2010

Here is the official game release from smokiesbaseball.com:

KODAK, Tenn. – The Tennessee Smokies magical season continues on.  After winning both halves of the Southern League North Division in the regular season, the Smokies dispatched the West Tenn Diamond Jaxx 3-games-to-1 with a series clinching 5-2 victory in Game 4 of this week’s Southern League North Division Championship Series at Smokies Park.

Tennessee now advances to the Southern League Championship Series to take on the Jacksonville Suns in a rematch of last year’s title match.  Games 1 & 2 of the best-of-5 title series will be at Smokies Park; first pitch for each game is set for 7:15 p.m.

The Smokies’ march to the division championship Sunday began in the third inning.  After West Tenn jumped to a 1-0 lead in the top of the frame, Tennessee answered with two in the bottom of the inning on RBI singles by Blake Lalli and Matt Spencer to take a 2-1 lead.

West Tenn tied the game up at two in the top of the fifth, as Guillermo Quiroz hit a solo home run off Tennessee starter Craig Muschko.

With the game in the balance, momentum swung decisively to Tennessee on one swing of the bat from Steve Clevenger.  With one out in the bottom of the fifth and Spencer on first, Clevenger took a Steve Bray (0-1) pitch to deep right field and over the wall to put the Smokies back up 4-2.

An insurance run in the eighth by Tennessee’s Marwin Gonzalez extended the Smokies’ lead to 5-2, and was more than enough for Muschko.  Muschko (1-0) was stellar in his six-inning start, allowing only the two runs on six hits, striking out four and walking none.

Relievers Kyle Smit and Luke Sommer preserved the win for Muschko and Tennessee, slamming the door shut on West Tenn with three innings of one-hit relief.  Sommer (S, 1) picked up the save.

Game tickets for Games 1 & 2 of the Southern League Championship Series at Smokies Park are now on sale, and can be purchased online at www.smokiesbaseball.com or by calling (865) 286-2300.  Following a travel day on Thursday, Tennessee and Jacksonville will play Game 3 on Friday, and Games 4 & 5 if necessary on Saturday and Sunday, at The Baseball Grounds in Jacksonville.