Chattanooga, Tenn. - Josh Prince stepped to the plate for the first time as a Jackson Generals first baseman, and he bopped the third pitch he saw over the left field wall at AT&T Field for a home run.
Chattanooga, Tenn. - Josh Prince stepped to the plate for the first time as a Jackson Generals first baseman, and he bopped the third pitch he saw over the left field wall at AT&T Field for a home run.
The game's promising initial at-bat, however, proved a fleeting moment in a frustrating 4-2 Generals defeat at the hands of the Chattanooga Lookouts (20-13) on Wednesday night. In spite of collecting ten hits, the Generals (19-13) could not maintain their division lead, falling to second place in the Southern League's North Division for the first time in 2018.
For the second time in as many starts, right-hander Taylor Widener (0-2, 3.77 ERA) took the loss and had trouble keeping the ball inside the yard. Solo home runs to Lookouts infielder Nick Gordon and outfielder Edgar Corcino in the first and third innings of the contest set back a Generals team that was ahead in each instance. Reliever Yuhei Nakaushiro was called upon to douse a two-out, two-on fire in the fifth inning for Widener, but he couldn't keep the flames in check, allowing Chattanooga's Alex Perez to drive in the go-ahead run. From there, the Generals never threatened, even as Mason McCullough and and Justin Donatella did their darnedest to keep the margin stable.
Veterans Josh Prince, Kevin Medrano, and Juniel Querecuto all came to swing, collecting multi-hit nights while Prince scored twice to give the Generals their only tallies. The Generals' 1-for-7 mark with runners in scoring position, combined with a couple of small leaks from the relief corps, put Jackson behind the eight-ball on Wednesday, and the squad was not able to rally.
TOP PERFORMERS - Generals
1B Josh Prince - 2-5, 2 R, RBI, K HR
RHP Mason McCullough - 1.1 IP, 1 H, 1 BB
TOP PERFORMERS - Chattanooga
2B Nick Gordon - 3-4, 2 R, 2 RBI, HR, 2 2B
SS Alex Perez - 2-3, RBI, BB
*RHP Omar Bencomo - 5.1 IP, 8 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 2 K, 1 HR
MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
BOTTOM 5: After getting Brent Rooker on a pop-out, Taylor Widener allows a Nick Gordon double and Zander Wiel walk before retiring Chris Paul on a pop-out. At 88 pitches, Widener exits in favor of left-hander Yuhei Nakaushiro, who faces left-handed hitter Alex Perez at the plate. Nakaushiro has handled left-handed hitters well in his career, but 2018 has been a different story, and Perez illustrates that, lining a single to left field that scores Gordon for a 3-2 Lookouts lead. It's the third consecutive game in which Perez has driven in the go-ahead run for Chattanooga.
SCORE: CHA 3, JXN 2
TOP 6: Trailing by a run, the Generals get a one-out double from Jamie Westbrook, and Galli Cribbs Jr. (hit by the pitch) and Juniel Querecuto (fielder's choice, no outs recorded) both join him on base. With the sacks full, Ryne Harper replaces Omar Bencomo (2-0, 2.28 ERA) to face Jason Morozowski and Marcus Littlewood. Harper strikes out both, stranding the bases loaded in a one-run game.
SCORE: CHA 3, JXN 2
NEXT GAME:
6:15pm CT Thursday (5/10) at AT&T Field (Chattanooga, TN)
RHP Ryan Atkinson (JXN-1-2, 3.97 ERA) vs. RHP Randy LeBlanc (CHA-4-1, 2.70 ERA)
NEXT GENERALS HOMESTAND:
May 12-16 vs. Mississippi Braves
Featuring: Game Of Thrones Night (Saturday, May 12)
Dial 731-988-5299 for tickets to see Jackson Generals Baseball!
