Three-run ninth-inning rally gives Generals walk-off win

Jackson, Tenn. - The Jackson Generals, the Double-A affiliate of Major League Baseball's Arizona Diamondbacks, went to the wire with the Chattanooga Lookouts on Saturday and claimed the season's first walk-off victory with a 5-4 triumph.

The riveting win at The Ballpark at Jackson helped the Generals (31-23) stay within a game of first-place Montgomery, while Chattanooga (29-25) fumbled a chance to draw closer in the North Division's First Half race.
Just like Friday night, the pitchers controlled the game much of the night. The Generals' late game heroics redeemed Bo Takahashi's excellent seven innings of work, giving up only two runs. Jazz Chisholm's twelfth home run of the season off Lookouts starter Wendolyn Bautista gave the Generals a 2-0 lead in the fourth, the same early advantage the team enjoyed Friday night. Takahashi's only troublesome frame was the top of the fifth, when he issued two walks leading off the inning. Both runners later scored, the first on an RBI double by Calten Daal, and the tying run on a groundout by pinch hitter Mitch Nay.
 
The game stayed tied until the ninth when Junior Garcia (1-0, 3.65 ERA) couldn't get anyone out, plagued by two singles, his own throwing error and two walks as the Lookouts forged a 4-2 lead. Chattanooga turned the game over to Nick Howard to try for the save, but Jackson had different ideas.
 
Jamie Westbrook earned a leadoff walk to start the ninth, and then a bad hop turned a potential double play ball off the bat of Daulton Varsho into an error on Daal, putting the tying runs aboard. One out later, Pavin Smith --- nine-for-twenty in the six-game series --- stroked his fourth hit of the night to score Westbrook and cut the deficit to one run. A Jazz Chisholm walk loaded the bases, and Jeffrey Baez then tied the game with a single to the delight of the home crowd. Chisholm was tagged out over-running second base for the second out, but Ben Deluzio rescued the result by winning the game in walk-off fashion. The Jackson center fielder beat out a slow roller to third that allowed Smith to score, prompting a swarm of happy teammates to mob him on the field. The 3-3 split earned in the series keeps the Generals right where they started it, two games in front of the Lookouts in the North Division.
NEXT GENERALS GAME:
6:00 pm CT Sunday (6/2) at Birmingham Barons
Regions Field - Birmingham, Ala.
Generals pitcher TBA vs. RHP Lincoln Henzman (Double-A debut)
BROADCAST: Birmingham Barons Baseball Network
UP AND COMING AT THE BALLPARK:
June 7-16 vs. Mississippi Braves (AA, Atlanta Braves) and Biloxi Shuckers (AA, Milwaukee Brewers)
…featuring Spy/Detective Night (June 8) and Space Jam Night (June 15)!
 
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!