Lookouts Game Notes 5/21/16
DJ Hicks vs Jackson: .385, 4 HRs, 8 R, 9 RBI, 3BBs/5Ks, 1.318 OPS
Read more below in today’s game notes:
News & Notes
Last Time Out: For the second game in a row, the Lookouts put the first and second scores on the board, picking up a run in the first and two more in the sixth. The difference today was Chattanooga’s pitching, which protected the three run lead with some strong work by SP Nick Greenwood and a two inning save from Trevor Hildenberger. DJ Hicks hit his fourth homerun of the season in the first inning of the game for the Lookouts first run, and Joe Maloney drove in the other two with a triple in the top of the sixth. The Generals got their only scoring done in the bottom of the same inning, scoring a pair off Greenwood. Nick would bounce back with a scoreless seventh, before Hildenberger came on in relief and picked up a two inning save (his 3rd of the season) without allowing a hit.
Error Free is the Way to Be: The Lookouts must be taking extra special care of their gloves lately, as the Chattanooga defense has been spotless over the last week. The Lookouts finished their seventh game in a row without an error and currently lead the Southern League in fielding percentage (.984) and turned double plays, converting a unconventional 1-6-3 twin killing in the bottom of the first yesterday, for a total of 51 double plays on the season.
Reporting For Duty: DJ Hicks has elevated his game to an entirely different level this season when playing Jackson. After going 2-for-4 with a HR last night, Hicks is now batting .385 (10-for-26) in seven games against the Generals, with eight runs, nine driven in, three walks compared to just five strikeouts and a 1.318 OPS. All four of Hicks’ HRs this season have come at the Generals expense.
Going Streaking: Zack Granite, DJ Hicks and Joe Maloney are all currently riding respectable hit streaks. Granite has hits in his last five, hitting .526 (10-for-19) over said span, while Hicks is in the middle of a four gamer with back to back multi-hit games. Maloney has the longest active streak on the team going, with a .435 average and hits in his last six games.
Start at the Top: The first four hitters did nearly all of the offensive work for Chattanooga yesterday, collecting six of the Lookouts seven hits and accounting for all three runs and all three RBI.
Momentum Builder: David Hurlbut will look to build momentum tonight and turn around an up and down season after throwing an absolute gem in his last outing, going 9 innings with 2 hits allowed, no walks and 7Ks against Biloxi. Hurlbut needed just 94 pitches and faced 1 over the minimum # of batters through 9 (28).
All Aboard 