Rucker leads Tennessee past Generals, 7-1

JACKSON, Tenn. - The Jackson Generals, the Double-A affiliate of the Arizona Diamondbacks, saw the villainous Michael Rucker and the Tennessee Smokies ruin Disney Night on Saturday, falling 7-1 at The Ballpark at Jackson.

The loss by Jackson (60-51) in front of a crowd of 5,196 means Tennessee (54-57) trails the season series 9-8 and the current series 2-1, with two more games to play in this set.
Justin Donatella (5-7, 3.69 ERA) had little trouble with Tennessee through the first three frames, but the Smokies made him sore in the fourth. Ian Rice led off with a double, and Yasiel Balaguert followed by smoking a 107-mph infield single off the body of Donatella, which sent the right-hander tumbling to the ground. After being checked on by the Generals' staff, Donatella remained in the game, but the results were mixed.
P.J. Higgins roped a run-scoring double to left field to give the Smokies the 1-0 lead, but Donatella got a pair of weakly-hit outs from the next two batters to keep Higgins and Balaguert on the basepaths. Generals manager Shelley Duncan chose to intentionally walk outfielder Jeffrey Baez to bring pitcher Michael Rucker (8-5, 3.71 ERA) to the plate, but the right decision broke wrong for Jackson in unlikely fashion. Rucker recorded his first career hit with a two-out RBI single just inside the bag down the first-base line, giving Tennessee a 3-0 advantage. The Smokies would score another run in the fifth against Donatella, two against Daniel Gibson in the sixth, and a final tally on an Ian Rice solo homer in the seventh off Miguel Aguilar to give themselves plenty of insurance.
At the plate, the Generals collected just three hits against Rucker, and they failed to get a runner to second base in any inning other than the fourth. Domingo Leyba's lead-off double helped position him to score on an RBI single from catcher Dominic Miroglio, but the scoreboard registered zeros for the Generals in every other frame. Leyba saw his first action at shortstop in 2018, registering a team-high three assists on the night. Miroglio threw out one baserunner in his Jackson debut at catcher.
NEXT GENERALS GAME:
6:05 pm CT Sunday (8/5) vs. Tennessee Smokies
The Ballpark at Jackson - Jackson, Tenn.
RHP Barry Enright (0-0, 4.50 ERA) vs. RHP Keegan Thompson (3-1, 3.21 ERA)
Broadcast Link: Jackson Generals Baseball Network
UP AND COMING AT THE BALLPARK:
August 2-6 vs. Tennessee Smokies (AA, Chicago Cubs)
…featuring Belly Buster Monday (August 6)!
August 14-18 vs. Montgomery Biscuits (AA, Tampa Bay Rays)
…featuring Shark Week Night (August 18)!
PLAYOFFS:
In 2018, manager Shelley Duncan and the Generals won the First Half North Division title, assuring them of a bid to the Southern League playoffs in September. 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.