Jackson, Tenn. - The Jackson Generals, the Double-A affiliate of Major League Baseball's Arizona Diamondbacks, lost their third straight game to the Montgomery Biscuits on Thursday evening, undone by a six-run sixth inning in a 10-9 loss at The Ballpark at Jackson.
Jackson, Tenn. - The Jackson Generals, the Double-A affiliate of Major League Baseball's Arizona Diamondbacks, lost their third straight game to the Montgomery Biscuits on Thursday evening, undone by a six-run sixth inning in a 10-9 loss at The Ballpark at Jackson.
The Generals (68-52) dropped the series to Montgomery (79-44) with the loss, marking just the second time in their past nine series that Jackson has not won or split the set.
The Jackson offense performed brilliantly, tagging Montgomery starter Shane McClanahan for eight runs in total, four of them coming in the first inning. Drew Ellis belted a pair of two-run homers --- one in the first and one in the fifth --- to help Jackson knock the southpaw out after four and one-third innings, but the merry-go-round slowed once the Biscuits' bullpen entered the game. Matt Krook (2-3, 4.02 ERA), Ivan Pelaez, Dalton Moats, and Brian Shaffer (S, 1) held the Generals to just one run over four and two-thirds innings of work. An RBI single by Jeffrey Baez in the eighth inning plated Jackson's ninth and final run.
Emilio Vargas started for the Generals and gave up three runs to Montgomery in five innings of work, including a two-run homer hit by Tristan Gray in the fifth inning (his second in as many nights). Reliever Justin Donatella (5-3, 4.92 ERA) entered for the sixth inning with the Generals holding an 8-3 lead, but Montgomery erased it quickly. All eight men Donatella faced in the sixth inning reached base, with Montgomery rallying for six runs to take a 9-8 lead. Kevin McCanna stemmed the bleeding with one-and-two-thirds scoreless innings behind Donatella, but Matt Brill allowed a critical run in the eighth. Taylor Walls led off with a triple to left field that scooted past diving left fielder Pavin Smith to the wall, and he scored on an RBI groundout by Vidal Brujan to give Montgomery their 10th run, one more than the Generals could muster.
Baez, Ellis, Smith, Daulton Varsho, and Ryan Grotjohn all had multi-hit games in the loss, with Baez, Varsho, and Ellis scoring twice each. Ellis drove in four runs while registering his league-leading 59th walk, and Renae Martinez drove in two runs and scored once despite going hitless in four at-bats. Jackson went 6-for-10 with men in scoring position, besting Montgomery's 5-for-10 mark. Both teams registered a pair of outfield assists and two stolen bases in the up-and-down contest.
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. Next June, The Ballpark at Jackson will host the 2020 Southern League All-Star Game, and you can purchase 2020 season tickets today by calling 731.988.5299 or visiting JacksonGeneralsBaseball.com!
