Jackson, Tenn. - The Jackson Generals, the Double-A affiliate of Major League Baseball's Arizona Diamondbacks, came close to sweeping a double-header from the Mississippi Braves on Tuesday, winning the first game by a run before falling victim to a late rally in the second game.
Jackson, Tenn. - The Jackson Generals, the Double-A affiliate of Major League Baseball's Arizona Diamondbacks, came close to sweeping a double-header from the Mississippi Braves on Tuesday, winning the first game by a run before falling victim to a late rally in the second game.
Jackson's victory in game one guaranteed that the Generals (35-30) will finish the First Half with a .500 or better winning percentage for the fourth year in a row.
GAME 1: Generals 2, M-Braves 1 (Final/7)
Box Score
One-run games have been a staple of Jackson's last week of baseball, and Tuesday's first game was no different, as the teams combined for yet another tight contest. Mississippi got in some early licks against Joel Payamps (1-1, 4.50 ERA), scoring a run in the first inning on a Greyson Jenista sacrifice fly that plated Cristian Pache. Payamps would recover and ultimately work five innings in total, keeping the Mississippi attack in check through his last four frames. Cameron Gann earned a hold with a scoreless inning of relief work in the sixth before a nail-biting seventh inning.
Offensively, Drew Ellis landed Jackson's only punch, blasting his fourth homer of the year over the left field fence to give the Generals a 2-1 lead in the third inning. Ellis' two-run shot came against fellow Southern League Midseason All-Star Kyle Muller (4-3, 2.58 ERA) and provided the Generals' only hit in three chances with men in scoring position. Ben DeLuzio registered the only multi-hit game in the Jackson lineup, going 2-for-3 while scoring on Ellis' jack.
Junior Garcia entered for the seventh inning in Gann's place, but after recording a pair of outs, Garcia put two men on with a walk and a hit batsman, and he was forced to leave the game mid-inning because of apparent-but-unconfirmed discomfort. In Garcia's place, veteran right-hander Damien Magnifico (S, 2) allowed a single to the first man he faced to load the bases for the Braves, but Andy Young snared a sharply hit liner at shortstop with the bases loaded to preserve a thrilling Jackson victory. The win snapped a five-game skid for the Generals, who won their eighth one-run game in twenty tries this season.
GAME 2: M-Braves 7, Generals 1 (Final/7)
Box Score
Runs remained scarce for much of the afternoon's second game at The Ballpark at Jackson, with Jackson's Kevin McCanna and Mississippi's Andres Santiago dueling out-for-out through the first four frames. Neither side could push across a run until the bottom of the sixth inning, when Jason Hursh (1-1, 1.71 ERA) entered for the Braves after a scoreless frame thrown by Jordan Harrison.
Hursh conceded a lead-off double to Andy Young and a one-out single to Jazz Chisholm that moved Young up to third base. Jeffrey Baez then grounded into a forceout at second base, providing Young the chance to come home and snap the scoreless tie for a 1-0 Jackson lead. Young tallied his team-high 14th game with multiple hits on Wednesday, but his run proved to be insufficient for the Generals. Right-hander Matt Brill (0-4, 12.75 ERA) got the first out in the bottom of the seventh easily enough, but from there, he did not record another out, as Mississippi batted around and plated seven runs in the frame, a single-inning high for a Generals opponent this season. Galli Cribbs finished the inning with a flyout and a forceout, but Jackson's offense had no gas left in the tank to fight against the deficit. Young and Chisholm each finished with a pair of hits.
NEXT GENERALS GAME:
6:05 pm CT Wednesday (6/12) vs. Biloxi Shuckers
The Ballpark at Jackson - Jackson, Tenn.
Pitching matchup TBA
BROADCAST: Jackson Generals Broadcast Network
UP AND COMING AT THE BALLPARK:
June 12-16 vs. Biloxi Shuckers (AA, Milwaukee Brewers)
…featuring Space Jam Night (June 15)!
The Jackson Generals, a West Tennessee franchise since 1998, are the Double-A minor league affiliate of Major League Baseball's Arizona Diamondbacks. The Generals play at The Ballpark at Jackson, Tennessee's 2017 & 2018 Pro Sports Field of the Year. Purchase your tickets to see the defending Southern League champions today by calling 731.988.5299 or visiting JacksonGeneralsBaseball.com!
