Generals swamped by Tennessee's Swarmer in opener

SEVIERVILLE, Tenn. - The Jackson Generals, the Double-A affiliate of the Arizona Diamondbacks, handed over their series opener against the Tennessee Smokies by a 3-1 count on Sunday at Smokies Stadium.

The travel-day surrender puts the Generals (66-59) two games under .500 in their season series with Tennessee (63-61), winning just nine of 20 meetings so far.
A one-out RBI single by Tennessee's Wynton Bernard gave the Smokies a 1-0 lead against Jackson starter Emilio Vargas (0-3, 6.23 ERA) in the second inning. Vargas kept Tennessee on a leash in the third and fourth frames, but Zack Short hit a solo shot in the fifth inning that put the Smokies on top, 2-1. The homer-Short's second against Vargas, and the fifth allowed by the 22-year-old right-hander in five Double-A starts-gave Tennessee all the breathing room they needed, though Vargas retired four of the next five hitters he faced before exiting. Ryan Atkinson entered in relief with one on and one out in the sixth, dealing 1 2/3 scoreless frames. Left-hander Jared Miller, a recent addition from Triple-A Reno, allowed an unearned run on an infield error in the eighth inning that completed Tennessee's scoring.
Smokies right-hander Matt Swarmer (4-4, 3.29 ERA) beat the Generals for the first time in three tries, striking out nine men without issuing a walk over six innings. A brief two-out rally in the fourth came from a Kevin Medrano single and an RBI double from Josh Prince, tying the game at 1-1. Held to one hit through the final 5 1/3 innings, Jackson's scoring average in August swooned to 2.6 runs per game.   
NEXT GENERALS GAME:
6:00 pm CT Monday (8/20) vs. Tennessee Smokies
Smokies Stadium - Sevierville, Tenn.
RHP Bo Takahashi (2-3, 5.86 ERA) vs. RHP Thomas Hatch (7-5, 3.75 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.