JACKSON, Tenn - The Jackson Generals, the Double-A affiliate of the Arizona Diamondbacks, walked off with a 4-3 victory over the Montgomery Biscuits on Thursday, taking a 1-0 lead in the 2018 Southern League North Division Series.
JACKSON, Tenn - The Jackson Generals, the Double-A affiliate of the Arizona Diamondbacks, walked off with a 4-3 victory over the Montgomery Biscuits on Thursday, taking a 1-0 lead in the 2018 Southern League North Division Series.
The victory for the Generals at The Ballpark at Jackson gave them their 31st win in one-run games in 2018 (regular season and playoffs combined), the highest total in the Southern League.
Montgomery scored first, getting to Taylor Widener early with a leadoff triple by Dalton Kelly and an RBI single from Nick Solak in the first inning. Widener battled through three more frames, ceding a run in the fourth on a Jesús Sánchez double and a run-scoring hit from Miles Mastrobuoni that gave the Biscuits a 2-1 advantage. Widener was removed with a runner aboard in the fifth inning and one out, but Ryan Atkinson allowed a double to Brent Sullivan and a sacrifice fly by Michael Brosseau that allowed the run to score for a 3-1 Biscuits lead.
Widener finished at 95 pitches, striking out four while allowing six hits and three runs. Atkinson, Michael Blazek, Miguel Aguilar, and Sam Lewis (1-0, 0.00 ERA) carried the Generals the rest of the way, allowing just two hits and two walks beyond the fifth inning to keep Jackson in the game.
Offensively, the Generals evened the score at 1-1 in the second inning with a Josh Prince single, a Jay Gonzalez double, and a sacrifice fly from Jason Morozowski. The Generals would not score again off of starter J.D. Martin, but Domingo Leyba tightened things up with a solo home run in the seventh inning against southpaw Travis Ott, making the score 3-2. Jackson went to the bottom of the ninth still behind by a run, but Montgomery closer Yoel Espinal imploded, hitting a batter and walking the next two men to put the winning run at second base.
After a pop-out, Marty Herum hit a hard grounder in the hole to the left side, and Montgomery shortstop Lucius Fox couldn't field it cleanly, allowing Dominic Miroglio to score the game-tying on the infield single while keeping the bases loaded. Another fly-out put the possibility of extra innings in play, but veteran first baseman Josh Prince had other ideas. In a seven-pitch at-bat that featured a gone-if-it's-fair foul ball down the left field line, Prince waited out Espinal and drew a full-count walk, bringing home Ben DeLuzio with the game winning run. Prince, whose .385 regular season on-base percentage led all Southern League hitters with at least 350 plate appearances, gave the Generals their tenth walk-off win in 2018.
NORTH DIVISION SERIES - GAME 2
Thursday, September 5 | 6:05 pm CT
The Ballpark at Jackson - Jackson, Tenn.
RHP Jon Duplantier (5-1, 2.55 ERA) vs. LHP Brock Burke (6-1, 1.95 ERA)
Broadcast Link: Jackson Generals Baseball Network
PLAYOFFS!
Games 1 and 2 of the North Division Series will be held at The Ballpark at Jackson on September 5 and 6.
For tickets and more information about the Generals, dial 731.988.5299
or log on to our ticket page at JacksonGeneralsBaseball.com!
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.
