JACKSON, Tenn. - The Jackson Generals, the Double-A affiliate of the Arizona Diamondbacks, snuck past the Biloxi Shuckers on Monday with a tightly pitched 2-1 win at The Ballpark at Jackson.
JACKSON, Tenn. - The Jackson Generals, the Double-A affiliate of the Arizona Diamondbacks, snuck past the Biloxi Shuckers on Monday with a tightly pitched 2-1 win at The Ballpark at Jackson.
The victory was the sixth straight home triumph for the Generals (54-46, 15-16 Second Half), as they snapped a seven-game spree for Biloxi (59-41, 18-12 Second Half) in front of 1,102 on Belly Buster Monday.
After an abbreviated start at Birmingham last week, Taylor Widener (4-5, 2.75 ERA) pitched like an ace once again, shoving 71 of his 102 pitches into the strike zone. Widener's career-long outing of 7.2 innings featured nine strikeouts, including one stretch where he sat down a dozen hitters in a row. Against a Shuckers lineup featuring five of the top 20 Milwaukee Brewers' prospects, Widener held the talented Shuckers outfield of Corey Ray, Troy Stokes Jr, and Trent Grisham hitless. His only blemish came on a solo home run by shortstop Luis Aviles Jr. Jr., allowing Biloxi to take a 1-0 lead in the fifth. The Arizona Diamondbacks' No. 4 prospect gave way to reliever Tommy Eveld with two outs in the eighth without taking a decision.
Eveld, arriving on Monday after being promoted from High-A Visalia, induced a flyout from Ray---the reigning Southern League Player of the Week---to end the eighth inning. In the ninth, the Tampa, Fla. native sat down Stokes Jr., Jake Gatewood, and Lucas Erceg, setting the table for the Jackson offense to do the rest. Eveld and Widener combined to hold the Shuckers to an 0-for-1 mark with men in scoring position, stranding three runners.
The Generals were flummoxed for most of Monday by Biloxi right-hander Trey Supak, who worked eight innings while allowing just a pair of hits. Ben DeLuzio reached base three times, but the third time was charmed, as a throwing error by Aviles Jr. in the sixth inning allowed DeLuzio to get to second base on an infield grounder. DeLuzio promptly stole third base on a close play, and he scampered home moments later on a passed ball that scooted through the legs of Biloxi catcher Max McDowell, tying the game. Jackson's offense couldn't muster much else until the ninth, when a one-out walk to Domingo Leyba brought Rudy Flores to the plate.
With Jose Vinicio pinch-running for Leyba, Flores was hit by the pitch, pushing the winning run to second. Marty Herum grounded a two-strike offering from Jon Olczak (5-3, 1.37 ERA) to the left side of the diamond, but it kicked off Erceg's glove into left field. Generals manager and third base coach Shelley Duncan waved the fleet-footed Vinicio around third base, and the throw home from Stokes Jr. was not in time, giving Jackson their eighth walk-off win of the year. The one-run contest was the sixth played by the Generals over their past seven games.
NEXT GENERALS GAME:
6:05 pm CT Tuesday (7/24) vs. Biloxi Shuckers
The Ballpark at Jackson - Jackson, Tenn.
RHP Justin Donatella (4-5, 3.27 ERA) vs. RHP Luis Ortiz (1-4, 4.11 ERA)
Broadcast Link: Jackson Generals Baseball Network
UP AND COMING AT THE BALLPARK:
July 23-27 vs. Biloxi Shuckers (AA, Milwaukee Brewers)
…featuring Generals Baseball Camp (July 26)!
August 2-6 vs. Tennessee Smokies (AA, Chicago Cubs)
…featuring Disney Night (August 4) and Belly Buster Monday (August 6)!
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. In 2018, the Generals and manager Shelley Duncan won the First Half North Division title, assuring them of a bid to the Southern League playoffs in September. For tickets and more information about the Generals,
dial 731.988.5299 or log on to our ticket page at JacksonGeneralsBaseball.com!
