Generals Mash Past Smokies Sunday

Jackson, Tenn. - The Generals pushed their record back above .500 behind a great effort from the offense Sunday night in a 9-4 win over the Tennessee Smokies. Five Generals had two hits as the team scored its most runs in a game since May 16. Kevin Cron led the way with his league-leading 14^th home run of the year.
Jackson (32-31) picked up just its second win against Tennessee this season in eight tries. The victory kept the Generals from falling below .500 for the first time all season. . 

Tennessee (35-27) scored the first run of the game in the opening inning. A hit batter and a walk put two on, and Yasiel Balaguert put the Smokies in front with a single to centerfield. Jackson's opponents have scored first in nine-straight games.
The Generals managed to answer in a big way in the fourth inning. Colin Walsh led off with a walk before Kevin Medrano bunted his way on to extend his hitting streak to eight games. With two on, Kevin Cron mashed a three-run on the first pitch he saw from Zach Hedges to put Jackson on top. Cron leads the league with 14 home runs and his 40 RBI are second-most in the circuit.
After Cron's homer, Rudy Flores reached on a double. He later came in to score on an RBI single by Evan Marzilli. The Generals plated four on as many hits in the fourth to go up 4-1.
That lead did not last long. In the fifth, Tennessee got back-to-back two-out RBI singles from David Bote and David Vosler to make it a one-run game. In the sixth, Ian Rice led off with a home run to tie the game at four.
Jackson did not flinch after allowing the Smokies to tie the game. They used small ball to take the lead right back in the bottom of the sixth. Rudy Flores led off with a single before moving to second on a wild pitch. A throwing error by Tennessee's Andrew Ely on a Victor Reyes grounder got Flores home to give Jackson a 5-4 lead. Reyes would steal second and get to third on an infield single by Evan Marzilli. The first of two wild pitches by Hedges in the inning scored Reyes from third. Later in the frame, pinch-hitter Travis Denker got Marzilli home with an infield single to make it 7-4.
Jackson's three runs in the sixth were unearned, but Zach Hedges (6-5, 4.06) was saddled with the loss on the mound. Joel Payamps (1-1, 5.73) was the pitcher of record when the Generals took the lead, getting the win behind six innings of work.
The Generals added two more in the later innings to seal the win. Kevin Cron singled to get aboard in the seventh and scored on an infield knock by Reyes. In the eighth, Kevin Medrano scored Stewart Ijames with a double over the head of Trey Martin in center.
The nine runs were the most for Jackson since the team exploded for 17 in a win over Montgomery May 16. The team's 13 hits were the most since May 31. Five Generals-Medrano, Cron, Flores, Lugo and Marzilli-all had two hits in the game.
Jackson's bullpen was perfect behind Payamps. Yuhei Nakaushiro, Ivan Pineyro and Gabriel Moya each pitched an inning in relief, combining for five strikeouts and no walks.
The win knocked Tennessee out of first place in the North Division. Chattanooga now leads by a half-game after downing the Biscuits in Montgomery. Jackson trails by four games with seven left in the First Half.
Game four of the series is Monday night in Jackson, with the Generals looking to even the series. A pair of All-Stars are set to square off, with Taylor Clarke (5-3, 2.55) going for the Generals against Tennessee's Jen-Ho Tseng (6-1, 2.54). First pitch is slated for 6:05 pm CT, with pregame coverage starting at 5:50 pm CT on Willie 94 FM & 1390 AM in Jackson. The final home game of the half is Tuesday night at 6:05 pm CT in Jackson.
Make sure to get your tickets now to see the 20^th season of professional baseball in Jackson, and the first for the team as an affiliate of the Arizona Diamondbacks! Call the team at (731) 988.5299, stop by The Ballpark or go online to jacksongeneralsbaseball.com to secure your seats now!