JACKSON, TENN. - The Jackson Generals, the Double-A affiliate of the Arizona Diamondbacks, pulled off a surprising 12th-inning victory over the Tennessee Smokies on the Fourth of July, winning 9-8 at The Ballpark at Jackson.
JACKSON, TENN. - The Jackson Generals, the Double-A affiliate of the Arizona Diamondbacks, pulled off a surprising 12th-inning victory over the Tennessee Smokies on the Fourth of July, winning 9-8 at The Ballpark at Jackson.
The Generals (45-37, 6-7 Second Half) took the series opener from Tennessee (44-39, 8-5 Second Half) in front of 4,027, treating the faithful crowd to a win after a 29-minute rain delay pushed back the game's first pitch.
Bo Takahashi started for the Generals and kept the game under control through the first five frames, ceding only a two-run homer to Tennessee's Jeffrey Baez in the second inning. The homer tied the score 2-2 at the time, but the Smokies were held scoreless through the next five innings by Takahashi and Bud Jeter (2.0 IP). Kevin Ginkel relieved Jeter in the eighth, but things went sideways as Ginkel uncharacteristically permitted five hits that allowed Tennessee to rally for a 5-4 lead.
After Ginkel exited with two outs in the eighth, Tennessee did not collect another hit in the game, as Brad Goldberg finished the eighth and tacked on a scoreless ninth to help propel the game to extra innings. Yoan López allowed an unearned run in the tenth, but the Generals rallied to give him a second life, and he responded with a scoreless eleventh inning. Brian Ellington (1-0, 9.00 ERA) would consequently allow two runs (one earned) in the twelfth, but another Jackson rally made him a winner in the end.
Ben DeLuzio set the tone for the Generals' offense early, roping the first pitch of the bottom of the first inning down the left field line for a double. The two-bagger was one of three hits DeLuzio collected in his first game back from the DL since April 26, as the Generals offense worked their way out of a slump into a 16-hit night. DeLuzio and Evan Marzilli would both score in the bottom of the first, thanks to a sacrifice fly from Josh Prince and an RBI single from Daniel Robertson that gave the Generals the early 2-0 lead. The Generals went quiet after that until the sixth, plating two runs against Scott Effross on an infield error and a Robertson RBI knock.
Finding themselves behind in the eighth, the Jackson offense went to work again: Galli Cribbs Jr. came through with his only hit of the game, an RBI single against Jake Stinnett that brought Domingo Leyba in to score. Stymied in the ninth and tenth by Stinnett, the Generals were subsequently foiled by outfielder Jeffrey Baez, who threw a 1-2-3 eleventh inning in his first career appearance on the hill.
Down a pair of runs entering the twelfth, it was DeLuzio who came through again with a runner on base. The right fielder whacked the first pitch of the inning from Baez just inside the left field foul-pole, belting his first career homer to score Marcus Littlewood (who began the inning at second base) and tie the score 8-8. Four batters later, with the bases now loaded, Prince lifted a single just over the glove of shortstop Zack Short to bring home Marzilli with the winning run. The walk-off was Jackson's eighth of the year, capping their season's longest game (four hours and eleven minutes). The Generals finished 8-for-27 with men in scoring position, stranding 20 runners while using six pitchers and their entire four-man bench.
NEXT GENERALS GAME:
6:05 pm CT Thursday (7/5) vs. Tennessee Smokies
The Ballpark at Jackson - Jackson, Tenn.
RHP Ryan Atkinson (3-8, 4.28 ERA) vs. RHP Oscar De La Cruz (5-7, 5.47 ERA)
Broadcast Link: Jackson Generals Baseball Network
UP AND COMING AT THE BALLPARK:
July 4-7 vs. Tennessee Smokies
…featuring Harry Potter Night (July 7)!
July 12-16 vs. Mobile BayBears
…featuring Jurassic Park Night (July 14) and Belly Buster Monday (July 16)!
The Jackson Generals, a West Tennessee franchise since 1998, are the Double-A minor league affiliate of Major League Baseball's Arizona Diamondbacks. In 2017, The Ballpark at Jackson was named the Professional Sports Field of the Year by the Tennessee Turfgrass Association. In 2018, the Generals and manager Shelley Duncan won the First Half North Division title, assuring them of a bid to the Southern League playoffs in September. For tickets and more information about the Generals,
dial 731.988.5299 or log on to our ticket page at JacksonGeneralsBaseball.com!
