Joe Leonard helped lead the Mississippi Braves to an 8-7 victory over the Lookouts with a two-home run performance before a sold out crowd at AT&T Field on Saturday night.
The Braves got off to an early 5-0 lead after a two-run homer by Evan Gattis in the first inning and a three-run shot by Leonard in the third.
The Lookouts came back to tie the game with two runs of their own on a J.T. Wise double in the third and three more runs in the fifth. Wise and Jake Lemmerman led the fifth-inning rally with RBI doubles.
The Braves promptly reclaimed the lead in the sixth on an RBI single from Leonard off of Lookouts reliever Wes Roemer (2-2).
Mississippi added insurance runs in the seventh and eighth innings. Todd Cunningham drove in a run in the seventh with a double, and Leonard hit a solo homer in the eighth to increase the lead to 8-5.
Chattanooga tried to rally in the bottom of the eighth. With runners on first and second, Brahiam Maldonado came through with a single to bring home Blake Smith. Lemmerman followed a single to score Wise. A subsequent soft ground out to the pitcher by Griff Erickson ended the rally.
Down 8-7, Anthony Jackson led off for the Lookouts in the final inning and reached first on a throwing error by second baseman Jason Christian. Rafael Ynoa followed with a successful sacrifice bunt, and Jackson promptly swiped third. Mississippi reliever Ryan Buchter, however, was able to settle down and strike out Buss and Smith to end the game, earning his third save of the season.
Chasen Shreve (2-0), who pitched 1.1 shutout innings in relief of starter David Hale, was credited with the win.