Late Sunday runs send Jackson to extra-innings win, 14-12

Birmingham, Ala. - The Jackson Generals, the Double-A affiliate of Major League Baseball's Arizona Diamondbacks, outlasted the Birmingham Barons on Sunday, winning in extra innings for the first time this year with a 14-12 result.

Jackson (32-23) has once again pulled even with Montgomery for the North Division lead with 15 games remaining in the First Half, while Birmingham (21-34) drops further behind the leaders.
On a travel day for the Generals, the Barons made sure to get an early lead, taking control 2-1 with run-scoring hits in each of the first two frames. Jackson entered the sixth inning behind by a 4-2 margin, but a trio of hits by Pavin Smith, Jamie Westbrook, and Jazz Chisholm quickly drew the Generals within a run. A one-out RBI groundout by Dominic Miroglio tied the game at four-all, and a single by Galli Cribbs brought in Chisholm for a 5-4 lead. After a pitching change, Daulton Varsho and Andy Young hit back-to-back jacks off of Birmingham's Alec Hansen, helping Jackson flip from a two-run deficit to a four-run advantage.
Birmingham scored three runs in the bottom of the sixth and added two runs in the eighth, nosing ahead 9-8 as the game entered its ninth inning. Miroglio got on base with a one-out double in the ninth, and pinch-runner Ben DeLuzio was substituted into his place to help the Generals make the most of the chance. The bet paid off, as Varsho sent a first-pitch single straight up the middle past Birmingham's Wyatt Burns to equalize things at 9-9. The stalemate forced the sixth extra-innings game of the Generals' season.
Getting the chance to bat first in extra innings, the Generals knocked around Barons left-hander Hunter Schryver (0-1, 3.49 ERA) in unlikely fashion, handing him his first loss of the year. The West Tennessee bunch collected a walk, a single, a sacrifice fly, and another set of consecutive home runs, this time from Ramon Hernandez and Matt Jones, to create a 14-9 lead. Despite allowing three runs to Birmingham in the bottom half of the frame, Connor Grey was able to close out the game and seal the Generals' eighth win in ten tussles with the Barons.
The night before playing a twin-bill, the Generals and Barons used eleven total pitchers to throw 390 pitches in Sunday's contest. For the second night in a row, Junior Garcia (2-0, 3.38 ERA) claimed the win. Generals starter Ricky Nolasco, who pitched in a Southern League game for the first time since 2007, completed just four innings on 77 pitches with two runs allowed. Jackson's offense finished 9-for-18 with men in scoring position, earning their fourth last-at-bat win of the season.                                                                                                                                                                                                                       
NEXT GENERALS GAME:
5:00 pm CT Monday (6/3) at Birmingham Barons (double-header)
Regions Field - Birmingham, Ala.
Game 1: LHP Bryan Valdez (1-2, 3.57 ERA) vs. RHP Jimmy Lambert (3-3, 4.22 ERA)
Game 2: RHP Kevin McCanna (2-2, 2.08 ERA) vs. Barons TBA
BROADCAST: Birmingham Barons Baseball Network
UP AND COMING AT THE BALLPARK:
June 7-16 vs. Mississippi Braves (AA, Atlanta Braves) and Biloxi Shuckers (AA, Milwaukee Brewers)
…featuring Spy/Detective Night (June 8) and Space Jam Night (June 15)!
 
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 defending Southern League champions today by calling 731.988.5299 or visiting JacksonGeneralsBaseball.com!