Jackson, Tenn. - Brett Ash turned in seven sensational innings, combining with Ryne Harper on a 2-0 shutout of the Mississippi Braves in game two of the Southern League Championship Series Tuesday night. The victory puts the Generals one win away from replacing the Chattanooga Lookouts as the Southern League Champions.
Brett Ash (2-0, 0.69) propelled the Generals to the win with another strong playoff start.
The right-hander pitched seven scoreless frames, allowing just five hits while striking out four and not issuing a walk. In two postseason starts, Ash has given up just one run in 13 innings while earning a pair of victories.
Mississippi had a couple of opportunities to score against Ash, but were unable to come through. In the top of the third inning, Johan Camargo and Dylan Moore singled with nobody out to put two on. Ash followed by striking out Mallex Smith before a groundout put both runners in scoring position. Dustin Peterson lined one to right field, but Tyler O'Neill made a diving grab to keep the Braves off the board.
The Generals had five men on in the first four innings before finally breaking through in the fifth against Atlanta's top pitching prospect, Sean Newcomb (0-1, 2.45). Adam Law led off the frame with a home run hit over the fence in left to put the Generals on top 1-0. The long ball was Jackson's seventh in six playoff games.
With two outs in the sixth, the Generals rallied to add to their lead. Leon Landry worked a walk to get on before Tyler Marlette mashed a double to right-center field to make it 2-0. Marlette finished the night with two hits, and he now has five runs batted in for the team in the postseason.
The two runs are all Jackson would need thanks to strong pitching. Ash gave up a leadoff double to Joey Meneses in the seventh, but he got no further than third base. Ash threw just 77 pitches over seven nearly spotless innings to get the win.
With a slim edge, the Generals turned to one of their most reliable relievers in Ryne Harper. The former Mississippi Brave pitched two perfect inning innings with four strikeouts. Harper (S, 1) induced a pop out from Meneses to end the game.
The Generals now stand just one win away from a second-ever Southern League Championship and a first since 2000.
Box
After a day off on Wednesday, the series shifts to Trustmark Park in Pearl Mississippi for game three Thursday night.
Game three in the Southern League Championship Series at Trustmark Park starts at 8:00 pm ET. Paul Blackburn (9-5, 3.27) gets the ball for the Generals opposite Mississippi right-hander Patrick Weigel (1-2, 2.18) in the first game of the series.
Go to http://tinyurl.com/z9n3s4m for the MiLB.com story of Game 2.