Generals Dominate M-Braves in Doubleheader Sweep
GENERALS NEWS RELEASE Jackson out-scored Mississippi 10-1 in two games on Thursday night PEARL, Miss. (August 8, 2013) – The Generals bats busted out to combine for 24 hits in the team‘s second doubleheader sweep of the season as Jackson (21-22) sank the Mississippi Braves (24-22) on Thursday night. Timely hits propelled the Generals to a 4-1 win in the first game and they followed it up by blanking the Braves 6-0 in the nightcap. Jackson sits only four games back of first place with 24 games remaining. The offense made its mark on the first game, but pitching is what defined the win. James Gillheeney (W, 5-6, 4.07) was 0-2 in his last two outings but turned in a quality start to set the tone for the doubleheader. The left-hander threw only 65 pitches in five innings, allowing a run on six hits. The only run was a solo homer to Edward Salcedo in the second. Carson Smith (S, 2.14) notched his 13th save with two perfect innings, including four strikeouts, to finish the game and stay dominant. In Smith‘s last 8.2 innings, he has recorded 14 strikeouts, allowing only four hits and no runs. Offensively, Jackson was sharp. The team pounded out 14 hits in the seven inning game and four players had multi-hit affairs. Gabriel Noriega (1-4, 2B, 2 RBI) started the scoring in the second with a double that plated Chris Taylor (3-4, R) and Leon Landry (2-2, R, BB), while Dan Paolini (2-4, 2B, 2 RBI) secured the game with a two-RBI double of his own. Julio Morban (2-4) tacked on his third consecutive multi-hit game while extending his hitting streak to seven games in the victory. The nightcap was all about the top of the Generals‘ lineup. The first four hitters, Taylor (2-4, 2 R, 2B), Landry (2-3, 2 R, RBI, 2B), Morban (2-3, R, RBI, BB, 2B) and Ramon Morla (2-4, 4 RBI, 2B, 3B), combined to go 8-for-14, scoring five of the six runs and added four doubles. Morla tied a season high with four RBIs. Morban, yet again kept his hitting streak alive, pushing it to eight games and Taylor had his fourth multi-hit game in the last six starts. All the offense overshadowed the second terrific start of the night by another left-hander. Kyle Hunter (W, 2-0, 1.13) made his 29th appearance on the mound and his third start on the season. Hunter had not pitched in seven days and the extra rest showed. He kept the Braves off the scoreboard through five innings, giving up only four hits to earn his second win. The lefty fanned two and walked one. The bullpen finished the sixth and seventh on the way to the Generals ninth shutout of the season. Landry broke out of a 0-for-28 slump with a total of four hits in the two games. His double in the second game was his first extra-base hit since June 23rd. Jabari Blash (2-4) got the start in the second game and notched his first multi-hit game at the Double-A level. Blash has hit safely in the four games he has started since joining the team five days ago. Chris Taylor finished the doubleheader 5-for-8, with three runs scored. The seven game series will continue with a 7 p.m. (CT) start time Friday night at Trustmark Park. Anthony Fernandez (8-5, 4.01) will go up against Mitch Atkins (3-1, 2.66) in the pitching matchup for the fourth game.
