Mobile rallies past Generals, 9-7

Mobile, Ala. - The Jackson Generals, the Double-A affiliate of Major League Baseball's Arizona Diamondbacks, ran out of gas in a 9-7 defeat against the Mobile BayBears on Friday.

The loss at Hank Aaron Stadium marked the first time Jackson (40-32) had dropped a game to Mobile (28-42) in seven meetings this season, evening the present series at 1-1.  
Fresh off a 16-hit night, Jackson's bats started some early fires, lighting up Mobile's Jason Alexander for four first-inning runs. All the scoring in the first came with two outs, and it included Jazz Chisholm's fourteenth homer of the year, a three-run shot. More power surged through the line in the third, when Drew Ellis homered for the second time in two nights to stretch the margin to 5-2. The Generals added two more in the fourth, as outfielder Mark Karaviotis launched his first Double-A homer to make the lead 7-2. That was as far as the visitors would get, as a trio of Mobile relievers held them to one hit over the final five innings of the game. Chisholm and Pavin Smith had multi-hit nights, but four Jackson teammates went hitless as well.
From the slab, Jackson left-hander Bryan Valdez worked through a lot of noise early on. He pitched around a pair of lead-off singles in the first inning, and he stranded two in the second inning, but only after allowing two runs on a Jo Adell RBI single and a sacrifice fly by Roberto Baldoquin. Valdez cleared the third and fourth innings without incident, but a Brandon Sandoval RBI single and a two-out, three-run homer by Mobile's Erick Salcedo drew Mobile within a run at 7-6 in the fifth. Valdez allowed a season-worst 11 hits in his five innings, as all six of the runs he conceded were earned. He issued one walk and recorded one strikeout, giving way to Justin Donatella (3-1, 4.58 ERA).
In Donatella's 100 career appearances, he's only come from the bullpen twelve times, and Friday's effort seemed less than comfortable. After hitting the first batter of the sixth inning with a pitch on a 3-2 count, he coaxed a strikeout and a pop-up before another 3-2 pitch cost him. This time, Jahmai Jones doubled home a run to tie the game at 7-7. A pair of doubles in the Mobile half of the seventh gave the BayBears the go-ahead run, and a Jo Adell home run in the eighth allowed them some breathing room. Jackson's relievers have now ceded runs in 17 of their 46 combined appearances since the start of June.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         
NEXT GENERALS GAME:
7:05 pm CT Saturday (6/22) at Mobile BayBears
Hank Aaron Stadium - Mobile, Ala.
RHP Joel Payamps (1-2, 3.86 ERA) vs. RHP Luis Madero (3-3, 3.79 ERA)
BROADCAST: Mobile BayBears Baseball Network
UP AND COMING AT THE BALLPARK:
June 30-July 3 vs. Montgomery Biscuits (AA, Tampa Bay Rays)
…featuring Jackson's Independence Day Celebration (July 3), with a special fireworks night!
 
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!