Pearl, Miss. - The Jackson Generals, the Double-A affiliate of Major League Baseball's Arizona Diamondbacks, halved a double-header against the Mississippi Braves on Thursday, winning the first game at Trustmark Park in a shutout before being held to one run in the second game.
Pearl, Miss. - The Jackson Generals, the Double-A affiliate of Major League Baseball's Arizona Diamondbacks, halved a double-header against the Mississippi Braves on Thursday, winning the first game at Trustmark Park in a shutout before being held to one run in the second game.
Jackson (42-36) still trails Mississippi (38-39) in the series, 2-1, at night's end.
Game 1: Generals 5, M-Braves 0 (Final/7)
BOX SCORE
There are some nights when Joel Payamps (2-3, 3.71 ERA) simply can't be touched, and Thursday was one of them. For the second time in three years, the 25-year-old right-hander spun a one-hit wonder in a complete game shutout, striking out nine batters while dropping his ERA by more than a run. Payamps' cannonball run through the Mississippi lineup was interrupted only by a fifth-inning walk to William Contreras and a sixth-inning single by Daniel Lockhart, who was Payamps' teammate in August 2017 when he threw a seven-inning one-hitter against Tennessee. Payamps finished with 89 pitches, outdueling fellow Dominican Jasseel De La Cruz (1-3, 3.62 ERA) to win his second game for the Generals in 2019.
Jackson claimed a 1-0 lead in the second inning on a wild pitch by De La Cruz that allowed Jeffrey Baez to score, but it took four more innings to gain some insurance. A two-out, two-run triple by Jazz Chisholm scored Daulton Varsho and Pavin Smith to increase the lead to 3-0, and Baez followed with a single to drive Chisholm in for a 4-0 lead. Varsho capped things off with an RBI triple in the seventh that brought Ben DeLuzio in to score. Baez and Varsho each had multi-hit games, while Chisholm drove in a pair of runs in the win.
Game 2: M-Braves 8, Generals 1 (Final/7)
BOX SCORE
The luck from game one did not carry over to Bryan Valdez (3-3, 4.29 ERA) in game two, unfortunately. Mississippi got on the board early, as an infield error, two hits, and a sacrifice fly in the first inning gave the home side a 2-0 lead. Valdez kept the wheels turning without further damage until the fourth, when a one-out, bases-loaded hit batsman allowed Mississippi their third run. After striking out the opposing pitcher for the inning's second out, Valdez granted a first-pitch triple to Cristian Pache, clearing the bases to break the game open for Mississippi at 6-0. Valdez finished that inning and the next without facing further bullets, but Tyler Mark's one-inning relief appearance led to a brace of runs for the M-Braves on a two-out RBI single by Riley Unroe.
The Generals' bats were baffled in the early innings by Connor Johnstone (3-0, 2.48 ERA), who gave up one hit and walked one man in a five-inning start. Jackson broke up the shutout against reliever Thomas Burrows in the sixth with a pinch-hit double by Jamie Westbrook and an RBI single by Ben DeLuzio.
NEXT GENERALS GAME:
6:35 pm CT Friday (6/28) at Mississippi Braves
Trustmark Park - Pearl, Miss.
RHP Bo Takahashi (5-3, 3.19 ERA) vs. RHP Ian Anderson (5-5, 3.20 ERA)
BROADCAST: Mississippi Braves 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!
