Script flipped: Generals out-pitch Tennessee in 6-2 win

SEVIERVILLE, Tenn. - The Jackson Generals, the Double-A affiliate of the Arizona Diamondbacks, punched first and got the Tennessee Smokies on the ropes early on Tuesday, winning 6-2 at Smokies Stadium.

The victory by Jackson (67-60) snapped a five-game skid against Tennessee (64-62), keeping the possibility of a series victory alive.
After allowing a league-best 19-game hitting streak to lapse on Monday, Marty Herum stepped up and drilled a first-inning two run homer on Tuesday to give Jackson the lead. The blast put Tennessee starter Michael Rucker (9-6, 3.82 ERA) on his heels, as the Generals worked to claim two more runs in the second inning on an RBI single by Generals pitcher Taylor Widener and a sacrifice fly from Ben DeLuzio. Jackson continued the attack in the fourth inning, when a sacrifice fly by Jay Gonzalez and a run-scoring knock from Domingo Leyba increased the lead to 6-0, showing Rucker the gate after four innings and 87 pitches. Every Generals starter recorded a hit in the contest, with Widener tallying his fifth career hit in 18 at-bats.
On the hill, Widener's work wasn't his most efficient, but it got the job done. Through 4 2/3 innings, he allowed only one run on four hits, walking two while striking out six batters. A two-out RBI double by PJ Higgins in the fifth inning chased Widener from the game after 96 pitches, but Bud Jeter entered to strike out the next batter and hold the margin at 6-1. Jared Miller gave up a run in the sixth, but it didn't hurt the Generals much, as Kevin Ginkel (4-0, 1.91 ERA) and Michael Blazek kept the Smokies off the board in the final three frames. Ginkel has now worked ten consecutive scoreless innings in August, bringing his ERA down to a team-best 1.91.
NEXT GENERALS GAME:
6:00 pm CT Wednesday (8/22) vs. Tennessee Smokies
Smokies Stadium - Sevierville, Tenn.
RHP Jon Duplantier (4-1, 1.92 ERA) vs. RHP Keegan Thompson (5-2, 3.42 ERA)
Broadcast Link: Tennessee Smokies Baseball Network
UP AND COMING AT THE BALLPARK:
August 30-September 3 vs. Chattanooga Lookouts (AA, Minnesota Twins)
…featuring SEC Night (September 1)!
PLAYOFFS!
Games 1 and 2 of the North Division Series will be held at The Ballpark at Jackson on September 5 and 6. For tickets and more information about the Generals, dial 731.988.5299
or log on to our ticket page at 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.