Generals beaten by ninth inning rally

JACKSON, TENN. - On Super Hero Night at The Ballpark at Jackson, the villains managed to steal a win from the good guys' grasp.

Entering the ninth inning with a 5-2 advantage, the Jackson Generals allowed a six-run rally to the Birmingham Barons, falling to 21-1 this season when leading after eight innings of play. The loss keeps the Generals 1.5 games behind first-place Chattanooga in the Southern League's North Division.
In defeat, a strong opening effort from Generals starting pitcher Ryan Atkinson went unrewarded. The right-hander allowed only four hits and two runs, striking out 5 hitters in his second straight outing of at least six innings. Bud Jeter and Kirby Bellow combined to throw a clean seventh inning, and Joel Payamps worked well through the eighth before getting bogged down in the ninth. Payamps allowed four straight men to reach to open the final frame, and that made things tough on Yoan López. The back-breaking blow against Lopez was delivered via grand-slam over the center-field wall from Eloy Jiménez, giving Birmingham a three-run lead.
Offensively, the Generals offense got home runs from Jason Morozowski and Jamie Westbrook, falling to 5-1 on the year in games where Jackson hits multiple home runs. Westbrook's night was particularly strong, with a triple and two RBI heightening his impact. The Generals' left fielder is now hitting .291 on the season, and his 7 home runs through 46 games are just two shy of his 2018 mark.      
TOP PERFORMERS - Generals
RHP Ryan Atkinson - 6.0 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 3 BB, 5 K
RF Jason Morozowski - 1-2, R, 2 RBI, HR
LF Jamie Westbrook - 2-4, R, 2 RBI, HR, 3B
TOP PERFORMERS - Birmingham
RHP José Ruiz - 2.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K
LF Eloy Jimenez - 2-5, R, 4 RBI, HR (GS), 2B
RF Jameson Fisher - 2-3, 2 R, RBI, BB, HR, 2B
NEXT GENERALS GAME:
2:05pm CT Sunday (5/27) vs. Birmingham Barons
The Ballpark at Jackson - Jackson, Tenn.
RHP Jon Duplantier (3-1, 2.37 ERA) vs. LHP Ian Clarkin (3-5, 6.75 ERA)
UPCOMING GENERALS HOMESTANDS:
June 3-7 vs. Tennessee Smokies
June 21-26 vs. Pensacola Blue Wahoos
…featuring Sarge's Carnival Weekend (June 22-23)!
Dial 731-988-5299 for tickets to see Jackson Generals Baseball, OR
log on to JacksonGeneralsBaseball.com!