JACKSON, Tenn - The Jackson Generals, the Double-A affiliate of the Arizona Diamondbacks, scraped by with a 2-1 victory on Thursday, beating the Chattanooga Lookouts (63-70) at The Ballpark at Jackson.
JACKSON, Tenn - The Jackson Generals, the Double-A affiliate of the Arizona Diamondbacks, scraped by with a 2-1 victory on Thursday, beating the Chattanooga Lookouts (63-70) at The Ballpark at Jackson.
The series-opening victory for the Generals (73-62) gives them an 18-10 record in series-opening games in 2018, including a 10-4 mark at home.
After being muffled by Chattanooga starter Austin Adams, the Generals' bats started making music in the third inning against Jorge Alcala (0-4, 5.85 ERA). With two on and two out, catcher Dominic Miroglio came through with a single to left field that plated Domingo Leyba for the game's first run. Jackson remained quiet thereafter until the seventh inning. With Alcala on his last legs, outfielder Jay Gonzalez stepped to the plate with two singles off the right-hander in his first three at-bats.
A wild pitch during the at-bat allowed Rudy Flores to advance from first base to second, opening the door for Gonzalez to give the Generals the lead with a base-hit. The 26-year old outfielder came through with a single to left field, and Flores scored without a throw to put the Generals up 2-1. For Gonzalez, the three-hit performance snapped a streak of 110 games in full-season MILB leagues without a three-hit effort, dating back to June 7, 2017. Josh Prince and Marty Herum also collected three-hit nights.
From the rubber, Emilio Vargas used the Jackson defense to his advantage, escaping a bases-loaded first inning jam with a force-out at home plate and a strikeout. No more than one Chattanooga hitter reached base in any of the next four innings, but a lead-off home run by Mitchell Kranson in the sixth tied the score at 1-1. Vargas put away three of the next four men, finishing his night at 100 pitches. Ryan Atkinson (4-11, 4.86 ERA) struck out the side in the seventh, and Jared Miller and Kevin Ginkel (S, 4) followed with three combined strikeouts and no hits allowed in the eighth or ninth. Ginkel extended his streak of scoreless innings to 14.0, his second such streak of that length with Jackson this year.
NEXT GENERALS GAME:
6:05 pm CT Friday (8/31) vs. Chattanooga Lookouts
The Ballpark at Jackson - Jackson, Tenn.
RHP Taylor Widener (5-7, 2.68 ERA) vs. RHP Tyler Wells (1-2, 1.67 ERA)
Broadcast Link: Jackson Generals Baseball Network
UP AND COMING AT THE BALLPARK:
August 30-September 3 vs. Chattanooga Lookouts (AA, Minnesota Twins)
…featuring SEC Night (September 1)!
PLAYOFFS!
Games 1 and 2 of the North Division Series will be held at The Ballpark at Jackson on September 5 and 6.
For tickets and more information about the Generals, dial 731.988.5299
or log on to our ticket page at JacksonGeneralsBaseball.com!
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.
