The Jackson Generals, the Double-A affiliate of Major League Baseball's Arizona Diamondbacks, swept a double-header from the Mobile BayBears on Monday, winning their first 2019 series at Hank Aaron Stadium.
The Jackson Generals, the Double-A affiliate of Major League Baseball's Arizona Diamondbacks, swept a double-header from the Mobile BayBears on Monday, winning their first 2019 series at Hank Aaron Stadium.
The Generals (20-16) improved to 3-3 in double-headers with the victories, while Mobile (15-22) stayed winless against Jackson in 2019.
GAME 1: Generals 5, BayBears 1
BOX SCORE
With an opportunity to record his fourth quality start of the year, Riley Smith upped the ante even further. The Jackson right-hander threw the team's first complete game since August 2017, tossing seven innings with four strikeouts while allowing one run on six hits and two walks. Smith held the BayBears to an 0-for-4 mark with men in scoring position over 91 pitches, and he kept them from hitting for extra bases all game long. Smith induced 12 groundball outs to keep the BayBears in check, and he's the second straight Generals pitcher to be the only pitcher of record in a game. (Kevin McCanna threw five innings in a rain-shortened game on Saturday.)
On the offensive side, Jackson scored first with doubles from Ryan Grotjohn and Jamie Westbrook in the top of the first inning. Mobile came back with a run of their own in the bottom half, but nobody scored at all thereafter until the top of the seventh. The Generals got a three-run homer from Daulton Varsho and an RBI double from Andy Young in the seventh, gaining some insurance by extending the lead to 5-1. Varsho finished four-for-four on the day, while Westbrook chipped in with a pair of big hits.
GAME 2: Generals 11, BayBears 8
BOX SCORE
After starting slowly in their first game of the day, Jackson busted out with five runs scored across the first three innings of the second game. On their way to finishing 8-for-17 with men in scoring position, the Generals got a pair of doubles from Drew Ellis and three hits from Daulton Varsho, helping the visitors to their third victory of the series. Jackson would bat around in the sixth inning, pairing four walks with three singles and a sacrifice fly to extend their lead to 10-0 at the time. The twelve-hit attack for the Generals was more necessary than they even knew, as Mobile threatened with eight late runs across the final two innings before conceding defeat.
From the hill, right-hander Sam Lewis gave the Generals four shutout innings, and Lucas Luetge (3-1, 1.50 ERA) offered one of his own before things spiraled slightly in the later frames. Jackson's record when the bullpen enters a game with the score tied or in Jackson's favor is now 16-7, not including the two occasions in this series when the bullpen wasn't needed.
NEXT GENERALS GAME:
6:35 pm CT Tuesday (5/14) at Mobile BayBears
Hank Aaron Stadium - Mobile, Ala.
RHP Justin Donatella (1-0, 0.00 ERA) vs. TBA (BayBears)
UP AND COMING AT THE BALLPARK:
May 16-20 vs. Tennessee Smokies (AA, Chicago Cubs)
…featuring Wizard Night (Saturday, May 18)!
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!
