SL1 Jackson Generals

Comeback Kids: Generals Rally to Stun Montgomery, 6-5

May 25, 2019 - Southern League (SL1)
Jackson Generals News Release


Jackson Generals catcher Daulton Varsho at bat
Jackson Generals catcher Daulton Varsho at bat
(Jackson Generals, Credit: David Rosenblum)

Montgomery, Ala. - The Jackson Generals, the Double-A affiliate of Major League Baseball's Arizona Diamondbacks, staged their largest comeback of the season on Saturday night, scoring six unanswered runs to steal a 6-5 victory from the Montgomery Biscuits at Riverwalk Stadium. With the win, the Generals (27-20) become the first team to beat the Biscuits (29-19) at home three times in 2019, closing within a game and a half of first place in the North Division.

What ended as a wondrous win on Saturday looked at first like a lopsided loss for the Generals. Justin Donatella, after dealing a quality start last weekend, could not find his way out of the first inning, exiting after facing eight batters and allowing four Montgomery runs. In need of long relief, the Generals turned to Connor Grey, who ably piloted the ship into the sixth stanza by scattering five hits and allowing an earned run over the next four and one-third innings. Grey handed the ball off to Robby Scott, who wound his way through a pair of scoreless frames without giving up a hit. Cameron Gann (1-0, 4.50 ERA) followed suit with a scoreless, hitless inning, leading to a momentous ninth frame.

Once the Generals got the lead in the top of the ninth, Junior Garcia (S, 2) smothered the Biscuits in the bottom half by working around a lead-off walk. Operating with the game-tying run on base, Garcia induced an infield force-out for the first out of the ninth, coaxed a fly-out by Josh Lowe for the second out, and got Dalton Kelly to swing through a slider for a game-ending strikeout, giving Jackson the series victory. The Generals' bullpen did not allow a hit through the final four frames of the game.

After going down 5-0 in the first two innings, the West Tennessee gang got going in the fourth. Jamie Westbrook reached on an infield error to begin the inning, and Pavin Smith walked to push Westbrook to second base. A fly-out to right field by Andy Young gave Westbrook a chance to tag-up and advance to third base, and Westbrook would score on a sacrifice fly by Drew Ellis immediately thereafter.

Trailing 5-1 entering the fifth, the Generals did more damage to Montgomery starter Kenny Rosenberg. Ben Deluzio led off with a walk, and Jeffrey Baez followed with a single to left to get two men on base. With DeLuzio breaking for third on an attempted steal, Daulton Varsho chipped a hit through the left side that skipped past third baseman Kevin Padlo into shallow left field. As all three Generals were running hard, DeLuzio was able to score on the play, Baez advanced to third, and Varsho got to second, bringing Jamie Westbrook to the plate as the potential tying run with nobody out. Westbrook then hit a sacrifice fly to left-center field that allowed Baez to score, making the lead 5-3, and Varsho advanced to third base by tagging up. With the infield drawn in, Pavin Smith lofted a single to the back of the dirt that reeled in Varsho to cut the deficit to 5-4.

Going to the eighth inning, the Generals had not scored a run off of Curtis Taylor in three innings of facing him in this series. Taylor got the first out in the eighth, but he hit Andy Young with a pitch to put him on base with one out. Jazz Chisholm bounced into a fielder's choice that took Young out on a force play at second base, but a wild pitch to Drew Ellis directly thereafter allowed Chisholm to get into scoring position. Ellis came through later in the at-bat with a seeing-eye single to center field, and Chisholm raced home with the game-tying run.

One inning later, after a pair of outs recorded by Phoenix Sanders, Varsho jacked a 2-0 pitch over the right field fence, lifting Jackson into the lead for the first time all night. Varsho finished with two hits, two runs scored, and two runs driven in, and Ellis contributed another pair of RBI to help the Jackson offense. The Generals went 3-for-8 with men in scoring position on Saturday.

NEXT GENERALS GAME:

2:05 pm CT Sunday (5/26) at Montgomery Biscuits

Riverwalk Stadium - Montgomery, Ala.

RHP Bo Takahashi (3-2, 3.38 ERA) vs. LHP Josh Fleming (4-2, 2.70 ERA)

BROADCAST: Jackson Generals Baseball Network

TICKETS

UP AND COMING AT

THE BALLPARK:

May 28 - June 1:

Generals vs. Chattanooga Lookouts

(AA, Cincinnati Reds)

...featuring

Star Wars Night (Saturday, June 1)!

For tickets and more information about the Generals, dial 731.988.5299 or log on to JacksonGeneralsBaseball.com!

Check out the Jackson Generals Statistics




Images from this story

Jackson Generals catcher Daulton Varsho at bat
Jackson Generals catcher Daulton Varsho at bat
(David Rosenblum)		   



Southern League Stories from May 25, 2019


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