Villains From Biloxi Ruin Generals' Night

Jackson, Tenn. - Spiderman heals well, but he tends to heal slowly, and the Jackson Generals unfortunately took on that same flaw on Saturday night. Clad in Spiderman-themed jerseys, the Generals fell behind by seven runs early and could not recuperate quickly enough, dropping a 7-2 decision to Biloxi in front of a crowd of 4,886.
Travis Denker and Oscar Hernández each homered for Jackson (24-30, 61-63), but their solo contributions did not stand up against a bushel of early runs from Biloxi (27-25, 63-58). Jake Gatewood's three-run homer in the second inning capped the scoring for the Shuckers, who took the series with the victory.

The web got tangled early for Generals starter Alex Young (8-8, 4.00 ERA), with a pair of two-out runs scoring in the first inning. One-out singles from Troy Stokes and Angel Ortega preceded a walk to Clint Coulter that loaded the bases. Young struck out Gatewood looking for the second out, but a 2-run double down the left field line from former General Gabriel Noriega broke the scoreless tie. The Generals went down 1-2-3 in the bottom half of the inning, and Young had to return to work quickly.
A leadoff double by Jacob Nottingham set the tone for the second inning, though Biloxi starter Jon Perrin (5-2, 3.16 ERA) botched a bunt attempt thereafter, keeping Nottingham at second with one out. Hernandez then allowed a passed ball during Tyrone Taylor's at-bat that let Nottingham advance to third base. Taylor earned a base on balls, creating a double-play opportunity, but the Generals could not capitalize. Marty Herum fumbled a grounder to third that allowed Nottingham to score and Stokes to reach base, and Ortega followed by dumping a single into center field to score Taylor for a 4-0 lead. Coulter grounded out to shortstop for the second out of the inning, but he left two men on base for Gatewood. The young third baseman yanked his first Double-A homer around the left field foul pole, making Biloxi's lead 7-0 despite complaints from the home crowd that the ball was foul.
Handed a large lead, Perrin was able to keep the Generals to just two hits through the first four innings of the game. Denker, doing his best to get into the spirit of Big Bang Theory/Superhero Night, struck with one out in the fifth, batting in place of Young. The blast was Denker's second pinch-hit dinger in his last three pinch-hit appearances, but it proved to be more of an isolated flame than a firestarter. Two Jackson runners were left stranded at the end of the fifth inning, and a double play wiped the bases clear in the sixth ahead of Hernandez's long-ball. The four-bagger was the catcher's first since July 23 and eighth overall.
Josh Taylor, Gabe Speier, and Kirby Bellow each offered scoreless relief appearances for the Generals, but the offense could not muster much off Perrin or his two followers, Josh Uhen and Jorge López. Jackson finished just 0-for-2 with runners in scoring position on the night, failing to collect any non-homer extra base hits. Herum and Victor Reyes each had two hits.
The Generals continue their series with Biloxi on Sunday with another 6:05 pm CT duel. Jackson will go with right-hander Ryan Atkinson (1-2, 7.15 ERA), and Biloxi will throw right-hander Forrest Snow (5-2, 2.87 ERA) in opposition. Radio coverage will begin 15 minutes before first pitch on Willie 94 FM and 1390 AM, as well as the Jackson Generals Baseball Network via TuneIn Radio.
The final Fireworks Show of the year is August 26! Jackson's annual SEC Night with Postgame Fireworks is sponsored by WBBJ and Jackson Sports & Fitness. The Generals will be giving away tickets to a number of SEC Football games
throughout the night. Early arrivers will take home a trucker hat, and the Memphis Grizzlies Caravan will be at the game with former Kentucky Wildcat and current Grizzlies player Andrew Harrison!
Make sure to get your tickets now to see the 20th 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!