Medrano's late pinch-hit homer lifts Generals, 4-3

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - The Jackson Generals, the Double-A affiliate of the Arizona Diamondbacks, rode a late-arriving horse to victory on Saturday night, as a ninth-inning home run from Kevin Medrano lifted the Generals to a 4-3 win over the Birmingham Barons.

The win at Regions Field brought the Generals (53-45, 14-15 Second Half) even in their series with Birmingham (48-49, 16-13 Second Half). All four of the contests in this series have been decided by one run, with every winning score coming in the eighth inning or later.
Held run-less over the first six innings by Birmingham's Bernardo Flores, the Generals' offense finally sprouted in the seventh, beginning with a one-out walk to Marty Herum. After a wild pitch allowed Herum to reach second base, Josh Prince singled to left field to break up the shutout, drawing the Generals within a run at 2-1. Jackson's offense did no damage against Jake Johansen in the eighth inning, and Birmingham closer José Ruiz (2-1, 3.94 ERA) entered to work the ninth inning.
Ruiz---who had blown the save in Thursday's 2-1 Generals victory---recorded two quick outs, bringing the hitless Herum back to the plate. The Jackson third baseman dug deep, keeping the wolf from the door by lining an 0-2 pitch into the right field corner for an opposite-field double. With the tying run at second base, Prince fell behind 0-2, but he waited out four consecutive balls from Ruiz to draw a six-pitch walk, upping the ante.
In place of catcher Alberto Rosario, manager Shelley Duncan opted to plug in Medrano, the All-Star second baseman who had just arrived that afternoon from Reno, Nevada. Medrano got ahead in the count by taking a pair of balls and fouling off the third pitch. Medrano greeted the fourth offering from Ruiz with a magnificent missile into the right field bleachers, inducing a minor eruption from the visiting dugout and ramming Jackson ahead, 4-2. The homer was Medrano's first since June 14 and only his seventh since the start of the 2015 season.
Home runs proved to be the only thorns pricking Generals right-hander Bo Takahashi (2-3, 6.02 ERA) on Saturday as well. The Jackson starter gave up solo blasts to Bryant Flete and Keon Barnum, but the other 79 of his 81 pitches did not allow damage, as Takahashi matched a Generals' season-high by spinning eight innings with four strikeouts and a lone walk. Needing one more inning of work after the late rally, Duncan tapped right-hander Yoan López (S, 7) to record the save.
Working with a two-run lead, Lopez allowed a leadoff double to fellow Futures Game participant Luis Basabe, who would score moments later on a Trey Michalczewski sacrifice fly. Lopez struck out Danny Mendick for the second out of the inning, and after a single by Keon Barnum, Birmingham's Alfredo González blooped a liner toward shallow left-center field. Jackson shortstop Jose Vinicio raced to the rescue, running down the liner to make a tremendous leaping catch and rob Gonzalez of a base hit. The final out---punctuated by a jubilant Vinicio firing the ball post-catch over the bullpen wall in left-center---sealed Jackson's 20^th comeback win of the year.
NEXT GENERALS GAME:
3:00 pm CT Sunday (7/22) vs. Birmingham Barons
Regions Field - Birmingham, Ala.
RHP Ryan Atkinson (1-3, 6.75 ERA) vs. LHP Tanner Banks (1-1, 3.75 ERA)
Broadcast Link: Jackson Generals Baseball Network
UP AND COMING AT THE BALLPARK:
July 23-27 vs. Biloxi Shuckers (AA, Milwaukee Brewers)
…featuring Belly Buster Monday (July 23) and Generals Baseball Camp (July 26)!
August 2-6 vs. Tennessee Smokies (AA, Chicago Cubs)
…featuring Disney Night (August 4) and Belly Buster Monday (August 6)!
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. In 2018, the Generals and manager Shelley Duncan won the First Half North Division title, assuring them of a bid to the Southern League playoffs in September. For tickets and more information about the Generals,
dial 731.988.5299 or log on to our ticket page at JacksonGeneralsBaseball.com!