Cutler and Bryant Power Smokies to 8-4 Win

Courtesy: Roger C. Hoover

Charlie Cutler was 3-for-5 with a season high four runs batted in, Kris Bryant hit his sixth home run of the season and Pierce Johnson earned his first Southern League victory as the Smokies won their sixth straight game 8-4 versus the Lookouts in Chattanooga on Saturday night.

The Smokies (16-13) have won a season high six straight games and are a season high three games above .500. The victory was also their third of the series and clinched their third five game series victory of the year.

Cutler drove in three runs in the first with a bases loaded double. He also brought in a run in the fifth and scored twice in the game.

Johnson (1-1, 3.86) pitched six complete innings and allowed just two runs on five hits. He walked two and struck out five. Johnson retired the side in order in the first and third and faced only four in each of the second, and sixth innings.

Andres Santiago (0-2, 6.08) took the loss for the Lookouts (11-17). Santiago pitched into the fourth, but left with two outs in the innings. He allowed eight hits, walked four and struck out four. The Smokies rallied for three more runs off Santiago in the fourth and chased him out of the game. In all, Santiago allowed six earned runs and seven total in the loss.

John Andreoli worked his leadoff magic again with a walk to start the game and spark a four run first for the Smokies. Zeke DeVoss followed Andreoli with a walk and Bryant moved both runners over with a single to left. Cutler then cleared the bases with a three-run double to left-center. A single through the middle from Rubi Silva scored Cutler later in the inning and put the Smokies up 4-0.

The three run Tennessee fourth inning rally started with a two-run home run from Bryant and finished with Cutler scoring on a single to center from Jeudy Valdez. Bryant’s home run was his sixth of the year. For Valdez his run batted in was his tenth of the season.

Chattanooga reached the scoreboard for the first time in the bottom of the fourth when Brian Cavazos-Galvez doubled to score Jeremy Hazelbaker who reached on a single earlier in the inning.

Cutler continued his stellar night and answered the Lookouts run with another run scoring hit for the Smokies. It was his third hit of the night and his fourth run batted in. Cutler’s run batted in single scored Andreoli who had reached on a force out earlier in the inning.

The Lookouts brought themselves back into the game with a home run from Chris O’Brien in their half of the fifth. They also added two in the seventh off reliever Ryan Searle. O’Brien had a double and Darnell Sweeney had a run scoring hit in the seventh.

Searle pitched the seventh and allowed two runs on four hits. He struck out one and did not walk a batter.

Hunter Cervenka pitched the final two and kept the Lookouts scoreless. He walked three and struck out one.

The series concludes on Sunday afternoon with the first pitch from AT&T Field scheduled for 2:15 PM ET. Corey Black will start for the Smokies as they look for the series sweep.