Jackson, Tenn. -The Jackson Generals, the Double-A affiliate of Major League Baseball's Arizona Diamondbacks, snapped out of a nineteen-inning scoreless drought on Tuesday, beating Birmingham 3-2 at The Ballpark at Jackson with a trio of eighth-inning runs.
Jackson, Tenn. -The Jackson Generals, the Double-A affiliate of Major League Baseball's Arizona Diamondbacks, snapped out of a nineteen-inning scoreless drought on Tuesday, beating Birmingham 3-2 at The Ballpark at Jackson with a trio of eighth-inning runs.
The comeback victory for Jackson (16-15) was their seventh of the season, tying the series with Birmingham (12-20) at one game each.
After giving up twelve earned runs over his last eleven and one-third innings, Jackson right-hander Bo Takahashi finally got his groove back on Monday. The 22-year-old retired eight of the first nine men he faced before ceding an ill-fated walk to Birmingham's Luis Robert with two outs in the third inning. With the speedy Robert at first base, Luis González lined a drive to the right-center field gap that Jackson's Ben DeLuzio narrowly missed catching on a diving attempt. Robert hustled hard from first base and wound up scoring on the double, putting the Barons in front first for the second night in a row. Takahashi would go on to complete five and two-thirds innings, his longest outing of the year, without allowing another mark against him. He walked three, struck out seven, and allowed only three hits.
In relief, Ryan Atkinson got the final out of the sixth inning before allowing a lead-off triple to Blake Rutherford in the seventh. A sacrifice fly from Trey Michalczewski brought Rutherford home to extend Birmingham's lead to 2-0, but neither Atkinson nor Damien Magnifico would allow a baserunner over the next inning and two-thirds. Magnifico's three-batter eighth inning helped keep the Generals within striking distance as the bottom of the eighth inning opened.
Held without a run by Birmingham starter Tanner Banks, the Jackson offense started seeing success in the later innings. They put two men on base in both the sixth and seventh innings with nobody out, but they came up empty-handed in each case. Birmingham's Alec Hansen struck Andy Young with a pitch to begin the eighth inning, putting the lead-off man on base. Hansen was pulled in favor of right-hander Luis Martinez (0-1, 4.61 ERA), who allowed Pavin Smith to reach on a single, bringing the potential go-ahead run to the plate in the form of Jeffrey Baez. The right-fielder, whose team-high .319 batting average ranks among the top 10 in the league, offered a bunt, moving both runners into scoring position with one out. Clean-up hitter Daulton Varsho, who had been hitless in two prior at-bats, drilled the first pitch from Martinez to center field, scoring both Young and Smith while advancing to second base on the throw to the plate. That tied the game at 2-2, but the rally wasn't done.
With Jazz Chisholm batting, Varsho was picked off of second base by Martinez for the inning's second out. That didn't seem to bother Chisholm, who laced a double to center field that might have been a triple if not for one of his cleats falling off between first and second base. The next hitter, Ramon Hernandez, singled to left field on the first pitch by Martinez, driving in Chisholm with the tie-breaking tally. It marked the first time the Generals had trailed after seven innings this season before gaining the lead entering the ninth. Closer Kevin Ginkel (S, 4) threw a scoreless ninth to help Jackson win their first game of the season in which they did not record multiple extra-base hits.
NEXT GENERALS GAME:
Wednesday, May 8 at 11:05 am CT vs. Birmingham Barons (Chicago White Sox)
The Ballpark at Jackson - Jackson, Tenn.
Generals TBA vs. LHP Kodi Medeiros (0-4, 5.79 ERA)
UP AND COMING AT THE BALLPARK:
May 6-10 vs. Birmingham Barons (AA, Chicago White Sox)
…featuring "All We Do Is Win" Night (Friday, May 10)!
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!
