JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - Playing for the final time at the Baseball Grounds of Jacksonville in the first half of the season, the Suns were shutout by the Jackson Generals 8-0 on Monday night.
Suns starter Matthew Neil retired nine of the first 10 batters he faced in the game, but the Generals took the lead in the fourth inning. Nick Franklin led off with a single, and came around to score on a single by Jesus Sucre and an error by Jake Smolinski to give Jackson a 1-0 lead. Designated hitter Joe Dunigan then belted a two-run home run to increase the lead to 3-0. It was Dunigan's team-leading 10th round tripper of the season.
Jackson added five more runs in the final three innings of the game to build an 8-0 lead. Six Generals finished the game with two hits, and seven different players scored at least one run. For the Suns, Jake Smolinski went 3-for-4 with three singles. Chris Gutierrez increased his hit streak to 11 games with a double in the eighth inning.
Brandon Maurer (5-1) pitched seven and a-third innings and struck out seven in the win. Matthew Neil (1-1) allowed three runs on three hits in the loss.
The Suns begin their final series of the first half on Wednesday night in Mississippi against the Braves.
