Barons Squeak by Generals to Take Series

Jackson, Tenn. - Despite holding a one-run lead for most of Saturday night, the Jackson Generals lost 3-2 to Birmingham in front of 4,102 on Duck Dynasty Night at The Ballpark at Jackson. Christian Marrero's two-run double in the eighth spoiled an otherwise fantastic night that featured fireworks and appearance from Duck Commander Duck Man Jep Robertston of A&E's Duck Dynasty.

Jackson (6-10, 35-49) came back from an early deficit to take a lead in the third inning. Nicky Delmonico's RBI single in the top of the second put Birmingham (12-3, 45-39) on top, but the Generals answered in the bottom of the inning on an RBI double by Marcus Littlewood to tie the game.

In the third, Ian Miller led off with a double and Tyler Smith walked to put two men aboard for D.J. Peterson. The infielder extended his longest hitting streak of the season to seven games with an RBI single to left field, putting Jackson on top 2-1.

The Generals failed to add any more, as Jabari Blash grounded into an inning-ending double play with the bases loaded. Jackson left a dozen men on base and went just 2-for-10 with men in scoring position in the loss.

Dylan Unsworth was a bright spot for the Generals, giving up just one earned run in 5.2 innings of work. It was the righty's first start with Jackson since April 25 after starting the season 0-3 in Double-A, but he did not factor into Saturday's decision.

After Brian Moran got through the seventh, the Generals turned the game over to Grady Wood in the eighth. With two on and one out, Wood (4-2, 3.68) surrendered a two-run double to Christian Marrero the put the Barons up 3-2. Wood stranded the bases loaded in the frame, but the damage was already done.

Devon Davis and Zach Isler combined to throw four innings of scoreless relief for the Barons. Jackson put two men aboard against Davis (2-1, 3.14) in the seventh, but Littlewood struck out to end the threat. Zach Isler (S, 3) worked around a pair of hits in two innings of work to earn the save, as Birmingham improved to a remarkable 35-3 when scoring first.

In the loss, Jackson had 10 hits. The team has had at least 10 hits in four-straight games and six of their last seven, but they are just 3-4 in those contests.

The Generals will try to snap a three-game skid as the series continues Sunday evening in Jackson. Righty Moises Hernandez (3-4, 5.54) will start for Jackson against Tony Bucciferro (0-6, 6.46), who is winless, for Birmingham. First pitch is set for 6:05 pm CT, and you can listen to all the action on the TJ Network (AM 1390, FM 94.1 and 94.3) starting with the Tennessee Army National Guard Pregame Show at 5:50 pm CT!

Sunday is Family FunDay Sunday presented by Bancorp South at The Ballpark! Kids 12 and under get free general admission tickets, ice cream and Fun Zone passes! In addition, kids can play catch on the field prior to the contest! Get your tickets now by calling the team at (731) 988.5299, stopping by the park or going online to jacksongeneralsbaseball.com.