Generals Rout River Monsters in Series Opener
July 28, 2022- The Generals faced off against the Seguin River Monsters at home on a free ticket night presented by Victoria college. A great crowd was present at Riverside Stadium as the Generals played their final game of a three-game home stretch. They looked to continue their strong second half of the season as they sit atop the league standing with just a couple of games remaining.
The River Monsters stuck first as they were able to bring across a run in the top of the first inning. However, the Generals responded in the bottom of the first with an offensive explosion. The leadoff man Jackson Hardy started it off with a leadoff home run, tying the ballgame. Isiah Walker followed up Hardy’s home run with one of his own, giving the Generals the lead. Up next was Adam Becker, who hit another home run, giving the generals three straight home runs to start the ballgame. The Generals continued to pile it on, as Adrian Minjares brought in another run with a walk and Hardy hit an RBI double. Walker capped off the huge first inning for the Generals with a sacrifice fly, giving the Generals a 7-1 lead going into the second inning.
Starting pitcher Parker Bigham had a good second inning, allowing no runs and striking out a batter. The Generals continued to add to their lead in the bottom of the second. They rallied with two outs as Minjares capitalized with runners in scoring position, hitting an RBI single to increase the Generals lead. Hardy brought home another run with a walk, giving the generals a 9-1 lead going into the third.
The River Monsters bounced back in the third inning, scoring two runs, and cutting into the Generals substantial lead. However, the Generals continued to score runs in bunches as they rallied with two outs once again in the third inning. The home team showed off their plate vision, as Minjares, Bryce Jewell, and Hardy brought home runs on walks, giving the Generals a 12-3 lead heading into the fourth.
Pitcher Jakub Rayfield came into the game in relief and did a great job out of the bullpen, striking out one batter and allowing no runs in the fourth. The Generals bats cooled off in the fourth inning as they were unable to bring across any more runs. The fifth inning was similar to the fourth, as Rayfield continued to do well out of the bullpen, silencing the River Monsters bats for a second straight inning. The Generals were able to get a runner in scoring position in the fifth inning, however they failed to bring him around to score.
The River Monster were able to bring across a run in the sixth inning, cutting into the Generals lead. However, the Generals were able to respond once again as they scored a run in the bottom of the sixth on a ground ball off the bat of Malach Lott.
Pitcher Seve Medrano came into the game in the seventh inning and shut down the River Monster’s bats, pitching a scoreless seventh inning. However, the Generals were unable to get any runs in the seventh either, leaving the score at 13-4 heading into the eighth inning. The River Monster brought home a run in the eighth, decreasing their deficit to eight runs. While the Generals were unable to get anything going in the bottom of the eighth, they needed only three more outs to secure the win.
Kamron Snodgrass was called upon to close out this game for the Generals. He did just that, pitching a scoreless ninth inning and securing a 13-5 Generals victory. This improved the Generals second half record to 12-3-1 as they look to stay in first place with just two games remaining. The Generals will be back in action tomorrow night at 7:00 as they play game two of this three game series against the River Monsters on the road in Seguin.
