THREE TEAMS WIN IN WALK-OFF
Tri-City vs Schaumburg
The Tri-City ValleyCats(8-5) defeated the Schaumburg Boomers(9-5) on Saturday night by a score of 4-3.
After falling into a 3-run deficit, the Tri-City pitching staff, composed of starter Joey Gonzalez, along with relievers Adam Hofacket, Brac Warren (2-0) and Trey Cochran-Gill settled into a groove, holding the Boomers scoreless after the fourth inning.
Brantley Bell got the Tri-City scoring started in the sixth with an RBI single, driving in Jesus Lujano, and cutting the deficit to two. The deficit would hold until the ValleyCats came up to the plate in the top of the ninth.
Denis Phipps led off the ninth with a walk, setting the stage for Juan Silverio. Down by 2 runs, the veteran third baseman sent a baseball over the outfield fence for a game-tying 2-run home run. With two outs, Juan Santana stepped into the batter's box and homered for the second straight night, putting the 'Cats ahead by 1.
Trey Cochran-Gill entered in the bottom of the ninth and worked a 1-2-3 inning for his third save of the season, securing the win for Tri-City.
Florence vs Quebec
The Quebec Capitales(11-3) swept the doubleheader against the Florence Y'alls(4-9) winning both games 7-2, and 4-2 on Saturday night.
Florence forced extra innings in game one with Joe Lytle scoring on a passed ball with two out in the seventh. The Y'alls scored a run in the eighth, but it would all be for naught. Quebec's Kyle Crowl launched a walk-off two-run home run in the bottom of the inning to secure the victory.
The Y'alls started out well in game two. David Stiehl cruised through three innings, and Brennan Price homered to straightaway center to give Florence a 2-0 lead. The runs stopped there, as Quebec answered with seven runs over the next two frames.
All nine runs scored in the nightcap were produced by four home runs: Price, then the Capitales' David Glaude, Josh McAdams, and TJ White. It is the first time that has happened in a Y'alls game this season.
Karl Craigie takes the loss in game one, with David Stiehl taking it in game two.
The Y'alls did roll out a new wrinkle for the first time ever. In game one, two-way player Billy Damon appeared as the starting pitcher as well as the nine-hole hitter. Due to the implementation of the "Shohei Ohtani rule," teams are allowed to have a pitcher continue batting as the designated hitter after being pulled from the mound.
Joliet vs Sussex County
The Sussex County Miners (8-6) defeated the Joliet Slammers (8-6) Saturday night by a score of 5-2. The Miners got on the board first in the fifth inning with a three-run homerun off Isaias Quiroz. The Slammers finally got on the board in the top of the eighth inning when Brylie Ware hit a single to help score two.
The Miners got some insurance runs in the bottom of the eighth with Nilo Rijo stealing third and then scored on an error and then the Slammers threw a passed ball that caused Martin Figueroa to score to make the score 5-2 and ultimately would allow the Miners to take the win.
Vin Mazzaro was on the mound for the Miners and got the win by pitching seven shutout innings. Cole Cook was on the Mound for the Slammers and got charged with the loss.
Evansville vs Trois-Rivières
The Evansville Otters (7-7) split a Saturday doubleheader against the Trois-Rivieres Aigles (6-8) on Saturday night, falling 2-0 in the first game before a come-from-behind 7-5 win in the night cap.
In game one, a pair of RBI singles gave the Aigles all they needed to prevail, scoring a run each in the second and third innings. Justin Watland allowed the two runs on four hits, striking out nine. Sam Poliquin earned his first win of the season, allowing just two hits across seven scoreless innings.
As for game two, the offense was well spread. Trois-Rivieres got things started in the first with a pair of runs. In the second, the Otters answered for two of their own as catcher Ronnie Allen Jr. picked up two RBIs on a double.
The 2-2 score held to the fourth, when Trois-Rivieres found the run column again, this time from right fielder Steve Brown, who sent a two-run home run over the left-field wall. Catcher Guillaume Morin added one more run on an RBI single later in the fourth, giving the Aigles a 5-2 lead.
Allen Jr. once again led the charge from behind for the Otters, singling in two more runs in the top of the sixth to bring Evansville within one run.In the top of the seventh, the Otters came out swinging, getting runners on quick. Designated hitter Justin Felix singled in the game-tying run as the Aigles continued to search for the first out of the inning.
Pitches later, right fielder Trevor McKinley singled in a pair of runs to give the Otters a 7-5 advantage, one that would hold the distance. Closer Logan Sawyer entered for the bottom of the seventh, sitting the side down in order to give Evansville the win.
Brady Tedesco was awarded with the win, his second of the week. Kyle Thomas received the loss, his first result of the season. Sawyer earned his fourth save of the year and 30th of his professional career.
Allen Jr. finished with a two-hit game and four RBIs, while Felix, McKinley and first baseman Zach Biermann also added two-hit games each.
Gateway vs Ottawa
The Ottawa Titans defeated the Gateway Grizzlies on Saturday night by a score of 5-4 in a walk-off win.
Isaac Benard's two-out RBI single in the top of the first inning put Gateway ahead 1-0. They would stay ahead until the bottom of the second inning, when Clay Fisher lined a two-run home run just over the wall in left field to give Ottawa the lead.
Sam Gardner then got into a groove, retiring 14 of the next 15 Titans batters after the home run, including 10 in a row at one point from the fourth through seventh innings in the longest start by a Grizzlies pitcher this season. The offense chipped away, as the Grizzlies tied the score at 2-2 in the fourth on an RBI fielder's choice by Abdiel Diaz, then took the lead in the fifth when Benard hit into a double play with no one out and a runner at third base, making the score 3-2.
Gateway would also plate a big insurance run in the top of the eighth when Jackie Urbaez threw wide to second base for an error trying to start a double play, allowing Josh Goulet to score and make it 4-2. Gardner then retired the first two batters he faced in the bottom of the eighth, but that is when the trouble began for the Grizzlies.
Urbaez reached on a bunt single and went to second when Clint Freeman's throw caromed into the dugout for an error. With two strikes and two outs, Rodrigo Orozco then made it 4-3 on an RBI single to right field. The Grizzlies brought in John Murphy to face A.J. Wright, and again with two strikes and two outs, the Ottawa infielder tied the game at 4-4 with an RBI double that just eluded the glove of a diving Cam Touchette in left field.
The game ended up in extra innings, and Gateway could not score in the top of the 10th with the International Tiebreaker in effect, and Ottawa walked off on Jason Dicochea's base hit to center field, also with two strikes, to seal the Grizzlies' fate in the series.
Empire State vs Lake Erie
The Lake Erie Crushers (7-7) defeated the Empire State Greys (0-14) by a score of 6-0 on Saturday night.
Lake Erie scored early and often over the first three innings and never looked back. The scoring started in the bottom of the first inning, as the first four batters reached safely. Kenen Irizarry and Jackson Valera hit back-to-back singles to begin the inning before Bryant Flete walked to load the bases. Jared Mang was hit by the very next pitch to score Irizarry and Kokko Figueiredo brought in the next run on a sacrifice fly.
Danny Perez stroked a one out single to left in the bottom of the second inning and Irizarry followed with a double down the line in right. Valera drove Perez home a few moments later on a groundout to give Lake Erie a 3-0 lead.
The Crushers pulled away with a trio of runs in the bottom of the third. Singles from Mang, Figueiredo and Alonzo Jones started the inning, with Jones's base hit to right field scoring Mang. Nick Cicci's sacrifice fly scored Figueiredo and Irizarry struck again a few moments later with his third hit of the game, a run scoring single to right that plated Jones.
The pitching trio of Jason Alvarez (1-0), Chris Mutter and Ryan Campbell combined to toss a three-hit shutout. Alvarez picked up the victory, tossing six scoreless innings while allowing just a pair of hits and struck out eight. Mutter tossed a pair of scoreless innings in relief and Campbell tossed a scoreless ninth. Conor Maguire (0-2) took the loss after surrendering six runs on nine hits over two and two thirds.
Before the game, it was announced that Lake Erie shortstop Jarrod Watkins was a late scratch from the starting lineup because his contract was purchased by the Arizona Diamondbacks. Watkins hit .340 over 13 games with the Crushers this season with a pair of homers and seven RBI.
Irizarry led the way for Lake Erie offensively with a three-hit performance, going 3-for-5. Valera hit safely multiple times as well, going 2-for-5 on the night. Figueiredo extended his on base streak to 14 games and he's reached safely multiple times in 12 of those games.
New Jersey vs Washington
The New Jersey Jackals (6-7) defeated the Washington Wild Things (8-6) by a score of 10-4 on Saturday night.
The scoring started on the first pitch of the game when New Jersey's Todd Isaacs hit a solo home run off Washington's Micky Foytik. The Jackals continued to make it hard on Foytik in the second, scoring eight runs, including two three-run home runs; one from Isaacs and one from Justin Wylie.
The Wild Things scored four runs in the second to close the gap. Hector Roa hit a three-run home run that inning, and Alex Alvarez hit a solo home run. Roa's home run gave him the franchise record for most home runs in a Wild Things' career with 58, surpassing the previous record holder: Jacob Dempsey.
Foytik allowed a run in the third before he was pulled a few innings later. He finished his night having pitched 4.2 innings, allowing 10 runs, walking four batters and striking out two. Kenny Pierson relieved Foytik in the fifth.
The runs stopped and hits became scarce after the third as both defenses put on a show of their own. Pierson struck out five batters between the fifth and seventh innings, and New Jersey's Jorge Tavarez struck out six batters in a row between the fourth and sixth. Trevor Abrams' hit in the fifth was the only one for the Jackals, and Nick Ward and Ian Walters had the only hits for the Wild Things.
Juan Perez closed the game for New Jersey to earn Tavarez the win.
After relieving Foytik, Pierson pitched for 3.1 innings, allowing no runs or hits and struck out five batters. Lukas Young entered in the ninth for Washington, facing three batters and allowed no hits and struck out one.
New York vs Windy City
The Windy City ThunderBolts (8-6) defeated the New York Boulders (6-9) by a score of 7-5 on Saturday night in a walk-off win
The ThunderBolts rallied twice as Daryl Myers delivered the game winning home run in a 7-5, 10 inning Windy City victory over the New York Boulders at Ozinga Field Saturday night.Giovanni Garbella singled and Al Reda walked for the Boulders to start their first scoring rally in the second inning.
Jake MacKenzie followed with a 2-run RBI double down the third base line. David Vinsky added on with an RBI double to left center that scored MacKenzie to make the score 3-0.
The Bolts responded in the third inning as a Nikola Vasic RBI groundout plated Jake Boone. In the next at-bat, Jace Mercer contributed with an RBI single to left field to bring in Brynn Martinez. The tying run would come an inning later. With one out in the fourth inning, Jairus Richards smacked a deep solo home run to right center field to even the game at 3-3.
New York regained their lead in the 10th inning. With a runner on third base, Gabriel Garcia singled through the left side of the infield to drive in David Vinsky. Two batters later, Chris Kwitzer's RBI double extended the Boulder lead to 5-3.
The Bolts answered with some late-game magic. Richards started the inning on second base and advanced to third on a wild pitch. After a Boone walk, Martinez singled through the right side of the infield, scoring Richards as Boone was thrown out at third base on a perfect throw by right fielder Max Smith. A strikeout and hit by pitch later, Daryl Myers stepped into the batter's box with two outs and launched the walk-off three-run homer to give the Bolts their fifth straight win.
Miguel Ausua pitched seven innings for Windy City, giving up three runs and striking out five. Daniel Kight (1-0) picked up the win for the ThunderBolts after striking out one batter. Leudeny Pineda (1-1) took the loss for the Boulders.
