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Generals Power Past Smokies in 11-0 Shutout Win

May 18, 2015 - Southern League (SL1)
Knoxville Smokies News Release


KODAK - Jackson southpaw Steve DeCecco and reliever Moises Hernandez combined to allow only three hits, while the Generals erupted for seven runs in the fifth inning to lead the club to an 11-0 shutout victory over the Tennessee Smokies on Monday afternoon at Smokies Stadium.

The win is the second consecutive triumph for Jackson, who improved their 2015 overall mark to 16-20 and also evened their series with Tennessee at two wins each. The Smokies, meanwhile, fell to 21-17 on the year, though they did not lose any ground to the first place Chattanooga Lookouts and remain in second place two games back in the North Division.

DeCecco (6.0 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 4 BB, 6 SO) tossed six fine innings in the victory for the Generals, holding the Smokies order quiet while earning his first win of 2015, adding six strikeouts. Hernandez (3.0 IP) followed with three perfect innings in support of DeCecco, notching his first save of the campaign.

It was also Jackson's second consecutive shutout of Tennessee, with the club now holding the Smokies without a run over 20 straight innings dating back to the first game of Sunday afternoon's doubleheader. It was also the fourth time Tennessee has been held scoreless this month after not being blanked over the course of the year's first month.

The Generals got the only run they would need in the third inning with a single tally before their big fifth frame. C Steve Baron led off the third with a base knock and would remain there after two quick outs before DH D.J. Peterson ripped a two-out double to right to plate Baron and put Jackson ahead 1-0.

Two frames later, the Generals batted around and plated seven to pull away. SS Jack Reinheimer recorded the first of his two hits in the inning with an infield single, stole second and then moved to third on a groundout, before coming across via RF Jabari Blash's RBI base hit up the middle into center field. After moving to second when 3B Jordy Lara was hit by a pitch, Blash was brought home on CF Gabriel Guerrero's two-bagger to right for the second score.

Later in the frame it would be LF Dan Paolini getting in on the hit parade, clubbing a two-run double off the left field wall with 2B Tyler Smith and Reinheimer following with run-scoring singles and doubles, respectively to cap the frame at 8-0. In total, 11 batters came to the plate in the fateful fifth, in addition to six hits, while five straight batters reached base at one point.

Jackson would then get a trio of tallies in the eighth to finish their scores. Reinheimer reached on an error to start the inning, while Blash walked to bring up Lara, who launched his third longball of the season with a towering blast to right to move the Generals' advantage to 11-0.

Five Jackson batters recorded multi-hit efforts in the contest, with Reinheimer (3-5, 2 R, 1 2B, 2 RBI, 1 BB) and Baron (3-5, 1 R) collecting a game-high three hits, while Guerrero (2-5, 1 R, 1 2B, 1 RBI), Pizzano (2-4, 1 R, 1 BB) and Paolini (2-5, 1 R, 2 RBI) each tallied two base knocks. No Smokies hitters managed more than one hit in the game, though LF Billy McKinney (0-2, 2 BB) and 3B Anthony Giansanti (1-2, 1 BB) each reached base twice.

Smokies southpaw Tyler Ihrig (4.1 IP, 8 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 3 SO) suffered the defeat in his Double-A debut, yielding three earned runs on eight hits in 4.1 innings of work. Reliever P.J. Francescon (1.0 IP, 1 H, 1 BB, 1 SO) eventually followed Ihrig by pitching a scoreless final frame, and has now allowed just one run over his 11 appearances this season, which includes scoreless outings over his last five times out.

Tennessee and Jackson will square off once again on Tuesday evening for the fifth game of their six-game series, with first pitch scheduled for 7:05 p.m. at Smokies Stadium. RHP Ivan Pineyro (3-1, 3.18) is expected to take the hill for the Smokies, while the Generals are slated to give the nod to LHP Jake Zokan (1-1, 4.87).

Every dog has his day at Smokies Stadium on Tuesday nights with Nexgard-Hearthgard Tail Waggin' Tuesday, as man's best friends are welcome to join their owners at the ballpark and sit out on the berm for a fun evening of baseball. Gates open at approximately 6:05 p.m.

Tickets for tomorrow's game, and all other remaining Smokies home games are still available, and can be purchased online at smokiesbaseball.com, or by calling the Smokies Ticket Office at (865) 286-2300.

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