Generals Earn Split in Wild Doubleheader

Montgomery, Ala. - The Generals came back to earn a split in Monday's doubleheader versus Montgomery at Riverwalk Stadium Monday night. In the second-straight doubleheader between the two teams, Jackson fell in 4-3 in 11 innings before taking a 5-2 decision in a game that ended at 12:35 am Tuesday morning.
All told, Jackson (25-20) and Montgomery (25-20) played 32 innings over four games Sunday and Monday. The teams played more than ten hours of baseball in the two doubleheaders. When all was said and done, each team took three in the six-game series at Riverwalk Stadium.  

Game One: Montgomery 4, Generals 3 (11 innings)
Game one's start time was moved up to 5:00 pm CT to try and avoid the weather, but rain pushed the contest back 92 minutes. After the delay, Jackson fell to Montgomery 4-3 in 11 innings with the winning run scoring thanks to a pair of errors by the Generals.
With the game tied at three, Montgomery finally broke through in the 11^th inning. With one out, Grant Kay reached on a Dawel Lugo error before moving to second on a Justin O'Conner. With both men on, Nick Ciuffo hit a bouncer to first base that Kevin Cron lost while trying to make a play at first. Kay came around to score on the error to give Montgomery the victory.
Jared Miller (0-3, 6.43) took the loss in relief despite allowing just an unearned run in the 11^th inning. That was the first run given up by Jackson's bullpen in more than four innings. Gabriel Moya and Daniel Gibson combined to pitch 3.1 shutout frames behind starter Brooks Hall.
It was a late comeback that prevented Jackson from taking the opener. The Generals jumped out to an early lead before Montgomery scored a pair late to force extra innings. Colin Walsh led off the game with a solo shot to right-field, but the Biscuits tied the game in their half of the first on a wild pitch.
Jackson plated a pair in the top of the second to take the lead right back. With men on the corners, Oscar Hernández scored on a Jamie Westbrook groundout. Two batters later, Victor Reyes drove in a run with a single to center to put the Generals on top 3-1.
It remained 3-1 until the sixth. Hall retired the first two batters he faced in the inning before allowing an infield single to Cade Gotta. Grant Kay drove him home with a double to right field before scoring on a Justin O'Conner single to tie the game at three. Hall allowed three runs in 5.2 innings, but did not factor into the decision.
The Generals fell to 0-3 in extra-inning games after dropping the opener to Montgomery. The 11-inning affair was the longest the team has played in 2017.
Game Two: Generals 5, Montgomery 2
The Generals rebounded with a comeback of their own in the nightcap, winning 5-2 to earn a split in both the doubleheader and the series. Because of the delay and the length of the opener, game two started at 10:22 pm CT and finally came to an end at 12:35 am Tuesday morning.
Jackson trailed 2-0 for much of the contest before rallying late. The Generals got on the board in the fifth, cashing in a leadoff single by Dawel Lugo on a Jamie Westbrook groundout. The team then scored three in the sixth to take the lead past midnight.
With the bases loaded and one out, Travis Denker slid home safely on a Dawel Lugo sacrifice fly to tie the game at two. Kelly Dugan followed with a two-run triple down the right-field line to put Jackson on top 4-2.
Joey Krehbiel kept Jackson in front in the sixth after the Biscuits put two in scoring position. The righty struck out Joe McCarthy to end the threat. In the top of the seventh, Kevin Cron drove in a run with a single to left field to make it 5-2.
That score would hold, as Miller Díaz (S, 1) picked up his first save of the year with a scoreless seventh. After walking the leadoff batter, Diaz induced a double play and struck out Mac James to end it. Ivan Pineyro (3-0, 2.42) earned the victory, giving up two runs (one earned) in 5.2 innings.
Montgomery starter Yoel Espinal was dominant in four innings, giving up just one hit while striking out eight batters. The Generals finally got to the Biscuits' bullpen, handing Edwin Fierro (3-2, 4.58) his second loss of the season.
By the time the six-game series finally wrapped up, Jackson and Montgomery wound up where they started the day in the standings. Both teams are a half-game back of Tennessee in a jam-packed North Division, in which four teams are within 1.5 games.
The Generals are off on Tuesday before the road trip continues with five games in Jacksonville versus the Jumbo Shrimp. Brad Keller (3-1, 3.44) takes the hill for Jackson in the opener, while the Marlins' Jeff Locke (0-0, 5.06) starts for Jacksonville on a Major League rehab assignment. First pitch from The Baseball Grounds of Jacksonville is scheduled for 6:05 pm CT, and you can catch all the action with the team on the road starting with the pregame show at 5:50 pm CT on Willie 94 FM and 1390 AM in Jackson and online via the TuneIn Radio App.
After this 11-game road swing, the Generals return home for five versus the Mississippi Braves. The series kicks off with a Thrifty Thursday, and includes both the Hub City Hippos and a Leaders Credit Union Food Truck Friday the next night! Saturday is Star Wars Night with Postgame Fireworks presented by Hardeman County Correctional Facility! In addition to Fireworks, a lucky fan will win a trip to Disney's Hollywood Studios to experience Star Wars in Florida! And the first 1,000 through the gate will take home a jersey T-shirt!
Make sure to get your tickets now to see the 20^th season of professional baseball in Jackson, and the first for the team as an affiliate of the Arizona Diamondbacks! Call the team at (731) 988.5299, stop by The Ballpark or go online to jacksongeneralsbaseball.com to secure your seats now!