Ellis leads Generals over Shrimp, 5-4

Jackson, Tenn. - The Jackson Generals, the Double-A affiliate of Major League Baseball's Arizona Diamondbacks, got a three-hit night from Drew Ellis and a save from West Tunnell to help hold off the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp on Thursday, winning 5-4 at The Ballpark at Jackson.

The Generals (76-57) tied the season series with Jacksonville (66-69) at 3-3 and won their 76^th game overall, besting their 2018 regular season total in their run to the Southern League title last season.
Bo Takahashi (9-7, 3.72 ERA) started and delivered five and two-thirds innings of work on 89 pitches, allowing a pair of runs in the second inning and departing with two men on and two outs in the sixth. In relief of Takahashi, Connor Grey botched a force play at first base that would have ended the sixth inning, allowing Riley Mahan to reach first and load the bases on the error. Grey walked the next batter, Justin Twine, to draw in Jacksonville's third run of the contest, but he managed to get out of the jam by striking out Santiago Chávez with the bases loaded, preserving a 5-3 Generals lead. Joe Dunand later went deep against Grey in the eighth inning on a solo shot, helping Jacksonville climb back within a run at 5-4. West Tunnell (S, 5) closed out the game by erasing a one-out single in the ninth inning, inducing an Ellis-to-Camden-Duzenack-to-Ramon-Hernandez double play to snuff out the threat.
The Generals overwhelmed left-hander Braxton Garrett (0-1, 16.20 ERA) in his first Double-A outing, with the first five men in the lineup reaching base in the bottom of the first. An RBI single by Ellis in the second inning eventually knocked Garrett from the hill after just five outs recorded, but the Generals went along quietly until the fifth, when back-to-back two-out singles by L.T. Tolbert and Duzenack helped drive home Renae Martinez for Jackson's critical fifth run. Ellis finished 3-for-4 with two runs driven in, while Daulton Varsho walked twice and scored a brace of runs. The Generals went 5-for-9 with men in scoring position, improving their record in one-run games to 17-21.
PLAYOFFS UPDATE:
Due to a loss by the Birmingham Barons on August 25, the Generals have secured a spot in the Southern League postseason for the third time in four seasons and the second year in a row. The defending Southern League champions are guaranteed to host at least one playoff game: Game 3 of the best-of-five North Division Series will be played at The Ballpark at Jackson on Friday, September 6, at 6:05pm CT; regular season ticket vouchers will be permissible for entry on that night. Fans can inquire about purchasing playoff tickets at The Ballpark at Jackson box office or by calling 731-988-5299.
  
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. Next June, The Ballpark at Jackson will host the 2020 Southern League All-Star Game, and you can purchase 2020 season tickets today by calling 731.988.5299 or visiting JacksonGeneralsBaseball.com!