DeLuzio hits, Lewis no-hits Barons in win

Jackson, Tenn. - Sam Lewis did something on Thursday night that he'd never previously done as a pro: for five innings, he held opposing batters without a hit.

Helped by the right-hander's sterling start, the Jackson Generals (11-2) laid siege to the Birmingham Barons (6-8) in an 8-3 victory, marking their fifth win in a row while maintaining the best record in the Southern League.
Lewis (2-1, 3.00 ERA) worked efficiently in 53-degree temperatures, facing one batter more than the minimum in his five innings of work. Eight of the fifteen outs Lewis induced came in plate appearances that lasted three or fewer pitches, leading him to a hyper-efficient total of 66 pitches after five frames. Part of Lewis' success came from the performance of the Generals' defense, which played error-free baseball for the ninth straight game and turned a double play on his behalf as well.
With Lewis ably steering the ship from the hill, the Generals offense gave the business to Birmingham's Jordan Guerrero (1-1, 6.75 ERA). Starting with a three-hit, two out rally in the in the bottom of the first, Jackson scored a pair of runs in each of the first three frames, forcing Guerrero to exit the game after only nine recorded outs. The Generals rang up a double-digit hit total for the sixth straight game, led by multi-hit nights from Ben DeLuzio, Jamie Westbrook, Marty Herum, Rudy Flores, Alberto Rosario, and Juniel Querecuto. Jackson went 6-for-12 with runners in scoring position, clocking a season-high five doubles as well.

TOP PERFORMERS - Generals
RHP Sam Lewis - 5.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 5 K
3B Marty Herum - 2-4, 2 R, 2B
2B Juniel Querecuto - 2-4, R, 2 RBI, 2B
1B Rudy Flores - 2-4, R, 2 RBI, 2B
TOP PERFORMERS - Birmingham
RHP Brad Goldberg - 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K
SS Danny Mendick - 2-3, R
*2B Trey Michalczewski - 1-3, R
MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
BOTTOM 3: Marty Herum doubles to right field, and Rudy Flores singles off the glove of Birmingham first baseman Keon Barnum to reach base. Matt Jones then walks, loading the bases for Jackson with no outs. Barons lefty Jordan Guerrero then punches out Alberto Rosario and Jose Vinicio, seemingly on his way to skirting trouble. Generals shortstop Juniel Querecuto has different ideas, smacking Guerrero's first offering to right field and driving in Herum and Flores, stretching Jackson's lead to 6-0. It feels like the final toll of the bell for Guerrero, who is removed from the game after the inning.
SCORE: JXN 6, BIR 0
BOTTOM 6: Having watched Birmingham score in the top of the sixth to pull within five runs, Jackson comes back with a leadoff double from Ben DeLuzio and a one-out RBI single from Jamie Westbrook down the left-field line. The Generals have had four instances in this series of scoring a retaliatory run in the half-inning immediately following a Barons run, keeping the pressure on their opponents regularly (if not at will).
SCORE: JXN 8, BIR 2
NEXT GAME:
6:05 pm CT Friday (4/20) at The Ballpark at Jackson (Jackson, TN)
RHP Justin Donatella (Generals) vs. LHP Ian Clarkin (Birmingham Barons)
 
THIS GENERALS HOMESTAND:
April 16-25 (vs. Birmingham Barons & Chattanooga Lookouts)
Dial 731-988-5299 for tickets to see Jackson Generals Baseball!