PHOTO: Generals catcher Daulton Varsho (Credit: David Rosenblum)
Offense explodes as Generals split rain-shortened series
Hernandez, Varsho go deep;
eight-walk seventh inning makes things close
Jackson, Tenn. – The Jackson Generals, the Double-A affiliate of Major League Baseball’s Arizona Diamondbacks, broke free of their chains with a season-high eight runs scored on Sunday, beating Chattanooga 8-6 at The Ballpark at Jackson. The seven-inning result got the Generals (4-5) a series split with the Lookouts (4-4), due to the second game of Sunday’s double-header being postponed due to inclement weather. Jackson and Chattanooga will make up the contest when they meet in late May.
The Generals leapt out to a 3-0 lead in the first inning, thanks in part to a two-run blast by Ramon Hernandez, marking his first hit and four-bagger at Double-A. Three batters later, Marcus Wilson blooped a single into left field to score Andy Young from second base, snapping a streak of 41.0 innings during which the Generals had not scored a run on anything other than a home run.
Jackson didn’t settle, though, tagging Chattanooga starter Scott Moss (0-1, 6.75 ERA) with more damage in the fourth on a two-out, two-run single by Jackson pitcher Matt Peacock, his first career hit. The Generals’ wrapped up their scoring with a 403-foot home run off the bat of Daulton Varsho in the fifth, a three-run jack that put them ahead 8-1 on Varsho’s first Double-A tater. Jackson went 4-for-9 with men in scoring position and claimed their highest extra-base hit total (4) of the year.
Jackson right-hander Matt Peacock threw 4.1 innings in his first official Double-A start, keeping the Lookouts mostly in check with five groundball outs recorded. Peacock walked five and struck out five in his second appearance with Jackson, turning over the reins to Ryan Atkinson (2-0, 0.00 ERA) with two men aboard in the fifth.
Atkinson pitched 1.2 scoreless frames to push the game to the seventh inning with the Generals ahead 8-1, but the plot thickened thereafter. Mason McCullough opened the seventh with five consecutive walks, allowing Chattanooga to load the bases and score a pair of runs. Michael Kohn (S, 2) entered an 8-3 game with the tying run in the on-deck circle, and he preserved the Jackson victory despite three more walks of his own. Jackson’s pitching staff walked 13 batters in total on the day, pushing their total to 20 free passes over the last 2 games.
NEXT GENERALS GAME:
6:00 pm CT Monday (4/15) vs. Tennessee Smokies (Chicago Cubs)
The Ballpark at Jackson – Jackson, Tenn.
RHP Riley Smith (0-1, 11.25 ERA) vs. RHP Tyson Miller (1-0, 0.00 ERA)
BROADCAST LINK: TENNESSEE SMOKIES BASEBALL NETWORK
UP AND COMING AT THE BALLPARK:
April 25-29 vs. Pensacola Blue Wahoos (AA, Minnesota Twins)
…featuring Super Hero Night (April 27), with 1,000 super-hero-themed T-shirts given away!
For tickets and more information about the Generals,
dial 731.988.5299 or log on to 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.
