MONTGOMERY, Ala. - The Jackson Generals, the Double-A affiliate of the Arizona Diamondbacks, won a whale of a game against the Montgomery Biscuits on Friday, shutting out the home side 3-0 at Riverwalk Stadium in Game 3 of the Southern League's North Division Series.
MONTGOMERY, Ala. - The Jackson Generals, the Double-A affiliate of the Arizona Diamondbacks, won a whale of a game against the Montgomery Biscuits on Friday, shutting out the home side 3-0 at Riverwalk Stadium in Game 3 of the Southern League's North Division Series.
The win for Jackson (2-1) puts them within one win of reaching the Southern League Championship Series for the second time in three seasons.
After allowing no runs over his final 15 innings in the regular season, Justin Donatella (1-0, 0.00 ERA) held his own against the league's highest-scoring offense in the pivotal third game of the series. The Saugus, California native whipped the Biscuits with six scoreless innings, striking out seven men while issuing one walk and allowing three hits. Donatella retired the final ten men he faced in order, notching his 21st consecutive inning without a run allowed in a streak that dates back to August 23.
In relief, Miguel Aguilar put away one man with a strikeout before allowing a double to David Rodríguez in the seventh. Michael Blazek entered in Aguilar's place and induced a pair of flyouts to end the frame. Blazek's success continued in the eighth when he induced a leadoff groundout, but Nick Solak singled and Brett Sullivan reached on a catcher's interference ruling to bring the tying run to the plate.
With Montgomery's Mike Brosseau stepping to the dish, Jackson manager Shelley Duncan turned to right-hander Kevin Ginkel (S, 1), the most recent Relief Pitcher of the Month in the Southern League. Ginkel, who had not worked in five days, coaxed Brosseau to lift a pop-up to shallow right field on the at-bat's seventh pitch. Jason Morozowski, inserted in the seventh inning as a pinch-hitter and defensive replacement, dashed in to make the catch and quickly fired the ball to Galli Cribbs Jr. at second base, doubling-up an off-base Solak for the final out of the inning.
Ginkel finished the game with a 1-2-3 ninth inning to convert the five-out save, marking his eighth consecutive appearance with a win or a save recorded that dates back to August 15. The Lakeside, California native also completed his 12th straight scoreless appearance, marking 17 consecutive scoreless innings thrown dating back to August 3.
Against right-hander Sam McWilliams (0-1, 2.70 ERA), the Generals didn't break through until the fifth inning. With one out, Rudy Flores hit away from a shifted infield by flipping an opposite-field double down the left field line. Josh Prince followed with a walk, and a groundout to first by Jay Gonzalez set up Flores and Prince in scoring position. On a 2-0 offering from McWilliams, Dominic Miroglio rapped a double past the bag at third base, scoring Flores and Prince with two outs to dissolve the 0-0 tie.
Miroglio would feature prominently in the eighth as well, scoring from second base on a looping single to center field by Domingo Leyba before Evan Marzilli was thrown out at third base seconds later for the final out of the inning. Miroglio finished 1-for-2 with a run scored and two RBI, the only General to drive in multiple runs. The Oakland, California native is now 3-for-6 with a pair of runs scored and two runs batted in through the first three games of the playoffs.
NORTH DIVISION SERIES - GAME 4
Saturday, September 8 | 6:05 pm CT
Riverwalk Stadium - Montgomery, Ala.
RHP Emilio Vargas (1-3, 4.04 ERA) vs. RHP Benton Moss (8-5, 2.75 ERA)
Broadcast Link: Jackson Generals Baseball Network
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.
