Jackson bats come to Stapler's aid in 10-3 win

Jackson, Tenn. - The Jackson Generals, the Double-A affiliate of Major League Baseball's Arizona Diamondbacks, upstaged an early Montgomery Biscuits rally and zoomed to a 10-3 win on Monday, propelled by a seven-run second inning at The Ballpark at Jackson.

The Generals' victory evens the current series between Jackson (44-38) and Montgomery (50-32) at one game each.
Resilience was a necessary ingredient for newly-minted Generals pitcher Cole Stapler (1-0, 5.40 ERA), who fell behind in his Double-A debut after Montgomery stole three bases and scored three times in the first inning. Stapler, who walked just six batters in his first 75 innings this year, issued a pair of walks in the first inning and four in total, making only 53 of his eventual 90 pitches count for strikes. However, the 24-year-old stranded a pair of runners in the second inning and did not face more than four batters in any of his final three frames through the fifth, finishing with four punchouts. In relief, Matt Brill, Miguel Aguilar, and Michael Kohn each made scoreless appearances, holding Montgomery hitless with men in scoring position.
The rescue operation for the Generals began in the second inning, as Ramon Hernandez led off with a double against Ivan Pelaez (2-2, 4.73 ERA) and Jeffrey Baez walked after an out. Dominic Miroglio would single home the team's first run with a hit up the middle, and Galli Cribbs Jr. followed suit by going the other way with a base hit, as a motoring Baez scored just ahead of the relay throw on a head-first slide. Ben DeLuzio reached base next on a fielder's choice for the inning's second out, but Daulton Varsho and Jamie Westbrook pulled through with consecutive run-scoring singles to push the Generals ahead, 4-3. After a mound meeting by Montgomery, Varsho and Westbrook became spectators on the base-paths for Pavin Smith's sixth home run of the year, a three-run bomb to right-center that nearly hit the scoreboard and broke open the game at 7-3.
Jackson would add insurance in the third with a two-out rally involving a Miroglio walk and an RBI triple by Cribbs, and Smith made it a career night by tacking on a two-run double in the eighth inning for a total of five runs batted in. DeLuzio and Varsho each scored twice. Westbrook and Smith both recorded multi-hit games. The bottom-of-the-order tandem of Miroglio and Cribbs got the best lines in the script, combining for four combined hits, three RBI and a brace of runs scored. Jackson finished 6-for-13 with men in scoring position, and Miroglio caught of pair of runners stealing to tamp down Montgomery's momentum.
NEXT GENERALS GAME:
6:05 pm CT Tuesday (7/2) vs. Montgomery Biscuits
The Ballpark at Jackson - Jackson, Tenn.
RHP Matt Peacock (3-3, 3.04 ERA) vs. RHP Paul Campbell (3-0, 3.00 ERA)
BROADCAST: Jackson Generals Baseball Network
UP AND COMING AT THE BALLPARK:
June 30-July 3 vs. Montgomery Biscuits (AA, Tampa Bay Rays)
…featuring Jackson's Independence Day Celebration (July 3), with a special fireworks night!
 
The Jackson Generals, a West Tennessee franchise since 1998, are the Double-A minor league affiliate of Major League Baseball's Arizona Diamondbacks. The Generals play at The Ballpark at Jackson, Tennessee's 2017 & 2018 Pro Sports Field of the Year. Purchase your tickets to see the 2018 Southern League champions today by calling 731.988.5299 or visiting JacksonGeneralsBaseball.com!