Jackson, Tenn. - The Jackson Generals, the Double-A affiliate of Major League Baseball's Arizona Diamondbacks, shut out the Chattanooga Lookouts for the second day in a row on Thursday, winning 5-0 at The Ballpark at Jackson.
Jackson, Tenn. - The Jackson Generals, the Double-A affiliate of Major League Baseball's Arizona Diamondbacks, shut out the Chattanooga Lookouts for the second day in a row on Thursday, winning 5-0 at The Ballpark at Jackson.
The Generals (30-22) are the third team in the Southern League to reach the 30-win mark in the First Half, extending their pitching staff's scoreless-innings streak against Chattanooga (28-24) to twenty in a row.
Making his first Double-A start, right-hander Connor Grey (2-0, 1.46 ERA) pitched terrifically, allowing just a pair of hits to Chattanooga while striking out four men without a walk. Grey retired the first 13 batters he faced, finally allowing Mitch Nay to reach on a single with one out in the fifth. Grey retired five of the next six hitters with relative ease, finishing with 54 of his 76 pitches going for strikes in six innings of work. In relief, Damien Magnifico dealt a pair of scoreless innings (his longest appearance of the season), and Junior Garcia added a run-free frame of his own. The Generals are now 12-7 this year when the starting pitcher completes six innings.
After a quick first inning, Chattanooga left-hander Packy Naughton (1-1, 4.50 ERA) got bogged down in the second, allowing RBI doubles to Jeffrey Baez and Dominic Miroglio that opened a 2-0 Generals lead. Naughton gave up another double in the third to Drew Ellis, and Jamie Westbrook hit a hard grounder to shortstop Alfredo Rodriguez that Westbrook beat out to first base for hit. A throwing error by Rodriguez on the play allowed Ellis to score to create a 3-0 Generals advantage. Naughton finished five innings with ten hits allowed, scattering three earned runs with a walk and three strikeouts. Jackson added a run in the sixth with a leadoff triple by Galli Cribbs and a sacrifice fly by Ryan Grotjohn, and Daulton Varsho scored a run in the eighth on another single to shortstop, this time by Ellis.
The Generals got multi-hit games from Ellis, Westbrook, Smith, Cribbs, and Andy Young, collecting five extra-base hits and going 6-for-16 with men in scoring position overall. In contrast, Chattanooga did not put a man in scoring position on Thursday. The win for the Generals occurred in their fastest nine-inning game of the year, with the contest lasting just two hours and twelve minutes.
NEXT GENERALS GAME:
6:05 pm CT Friday (5/31) vs. Chattanooga Lookouts
The Ballpark at Jackson - Jackson, Tenn.
RHP Justin Donatella (2-0, 5.29 ERA) vs. RHP Tony Santillan (2-2, 3.44 ERA)
BROADCAST: Jackson Generals Baseball Network
UP AND COMING AT THE BALLPARK:
May 28-June 1 vs. Chattanooga Lookouts (AA, Cincinnati Reds)
…featuring Star Wars Night (Saturday, June 1)!
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!
