GRIZZLIES DEFEAT MINERS AS TROIS-RIVIERES AND FLORENCE EXTEND WINNING STREAKS

Sussex County vs Gateway

The Gateway Grizzlies got an outstanding start on the mound from Carson LaRue (3-3), who struck out a career-high 10 batters to back an effective and powerful offense in an 8-1 victory over the Sussex County Miners on Thursday night at GCS Credit Union Ballpark, bringing an end to a seven-game losing streak.   

After a scoreless first inning, Sussex County struck first for the third time in the series when David Maberry hit a solo home run to right-center field to give the Miners an early 1-0 lead in the top of the second. But the Grizzlies quickly responded in the bottom of the frame. With two outs and a pair of men on base against Sussex County starter Vin Mazzaro (3-5), Jackson Pritchard smacked a two-RBI double, and scored on the same play thanks to a throwing error by Miners center fielder Mikey Reynolds as the Grizzlies took their first lead of the series at 3-1. 

The Grizzlies then padded the lead in the bottom of the third, as Kevin Krause launched a two-run home run to make it 5-1 Gateway. The power would continue down the stretch as well, as the Grizzlies would hit three more home runs leading off the fourth, seventh, and eighth innings off the bats of Ian Bibiloni, Isaac Benard, and Clint Freeman, the latter of which homered for the third time in his last four games, to build the lead up to the final margin of 8-1. 

Meanwhile, LaRue tossed seven innings to get the win, allowing just one run on five hits while setting a new career-best with 10 punchouts, with Nick Kennedy and Freeman retiring all six Miners batters they faced to seal the big victory in Sauget. 

Empire State vs Florence

The Florence Y'alls (27-35) were on the verge of disaster. Trailing by four runs in the seventh inning and one run entering the ninth, the Y'alls walked off against the Empire State Greys 8-7 at Thomas More Stadium on Thursday.

Empire State (3-60), the Frontier League's traveling team, called in Jesus Rosario for a save opportunity in the ninth after having not pitched in two months. Brennan Price led off with a towering game-tying home run. The next batter, Anthony Brocato, hit a home run to almost the same spot in right-center to win it for the Y'alls.

Florence trailed 7-3 at the seventh inning stretch, but capitalized for three runs in that frame to make the comeback effort more manageable. Price had an RBI hit in that inning as well, one of four hits and three RBI on the night for the big first baseman. Ray Zuberer tacked on three hits for a Florence team that recorded 15.

Empire State swung the bats well, too. The Greys scored in the top of the first inning for the second straight game. More impressively, Empire State recorded a base hit in eight different innings. Manny Garcia and Liam McArthur each had three hits.

The Y'alls threw a bullpen game of sorts against the traveling Greys. Bobby Brabrand, in his first start with the team, went 4.2 innings and allowed two runs. Four relief pitchers combined to get Florence through the remainder of the game. Evy Ruibal earns the win.

Lake Erie vs Quebec

Lake Erie (30-33) came into Thursday's contest with an opportunity to sweep the Quebec Capitales (45-18), the best team in the Frontier League. The Capitales have never been swept in 2022. 

Both teams' offenses were quiet as the pitching shined in Thursday's contest. Both starters were able to last at least six innings. The Crushers failed to score as the Capitales used two innings to score all their runs and win 3-0. 

The first run for either team came in the bottom of the fifth inning, from the Capitales. A leadoff solo home run by Johnathan Lacroix. Later in the inning, David Glaude followed with an RBI double to left field.  

Both starters provided positive outings. Gunnar Kines for the Crushers lasted six innings, allowed seven hits, two runs, walked one, and struck out seven. Kines only runs he gave up came in the two run fifth inning. On the other side, Carlos Sano dealt. Sano also lasted six innings, outdueled Kines by allowing four hits, zero runs, walking three and striking out five. 

Entering the seventh inning, both bullpens were called upon to finish the game. Trevor Kuncl appeared, throwing in the seventh and eight innings. He gave up an unearned run in the eighth inning. T.J. White drove an RBI single to right field, Tristan Pompey scored on the hit. Pompey reached on an error earlier in the inning. 

For the Quebec bullpen, three pitchers combined for three shutout innings. Ian Codina appeared first, lasting two thirds of an inning with one strikeout. Franklin Parra called next out of the bullpen for Codina. Parra got out of the seventh and eighth inning. He lasted an inning and a third, allowed two hits, and struck out three. In the ninth inning, Nick Horvath came in for the save. Horvath threw a 1-2-3 ninth inning, with two strikeouts. The 3-0 win for the Capitales helped avoid their first time being swept.

Washington vs Ottawa

Washington trailed 2-0 but came back and then held on after getting insurance late to earn a series win over the Ottawa Titans and a winning road trip in Canada. The Wild Things knocked off the Titans to take the first series between the two teams ever, 6-3. 

Ottawa started the scoring for the second-straight night by plating two in the third inning against Rob Whalen, who started for the Wild Things. Rodrigo Orozco and Matt Feinstein had RBI singles in the frame for the homestanding Titans. 

Washington didn't get on the board until the fifth inning when an error allowed Scotty Dubrule to reach and Ian Walters to score from third. Then the Wild Things were able to tie things at 2-2 when Tristan Peterson homered for the second time this season in his sixth game back with the club. Washington added two more in that inning. Andrew Czech doubled and scored on a single by Nick Ward, who scored on a fielder's choice off Jared Mang's bat to make it 4-2 Washington.

The Titans scored once in the sixth inning on a groundout by AJ Wright and threatened with two on in the seventh. Rob Whalen exited the game with two outs in the frame in favor of lefty Kenny Pierson, who got Rodrigo Orozco to fly out to end the inning. Whalen finished the night with 6.2 innings pitched and seven hits allowed. He yielded three runs and fanned two, leaving in line for his 11th win of the year. 

Washington added two runs in the ninth: one on an error on an attempted sacrifice bunt by Chris Eusay on which Scotty Dubrule scored from first as the throw from pitcher Kevin Escorcia went to the Washington bullpen. Eusay then scored on a sac fly by Peterson. 

Pierson, who had worked a scoreless eighth, went back out to start the bottom of the ninth and tossed up a zero to end the game, earning his first save and Whalen his league-leading 11th win.

Tri-City vs Joliet

Following Wednesday's walk-off win by Joliet, the Slammers and ValleyCats were back in action Thursday night for the rubber match of this week's three-game set, in the only meeting between the two teams this season. Ryan Williamson got the ball for the 'Cats against reigning Frontier League Pitcher of the Week Trevor Charpie on a night that the two pitchers would dominate. 

Williamson would strike out 8 in 7 innings of work, surrendering 5 hits and 1 earned run. Williamson, along with relievers Adam Hofacket and Trey Cochran-Gill, would not issue a single free pass to the Slammers in Thursday's contest. 

On the offensive side of the ball, it was a quiet night for the 'Cats aside from a two-run home run off of the bat of Brantley Bell in the top of the third inning. Bell's 15th home run of the year made Thursday's contest the 7th consecutive game he has left the yard in, dating back to before the All-Star Break. Aside from the longball, the 'Cats would record just 3 additional hits, all singles from Jesus Lujano, Denis Phipps, and Joey Campagna.

Trey Cochran-Gill earned his 9th save of the season on a night dominated by Tri-City pitching, and the one-year anniversary of him becoming the saves king in Tri-City, surpassing the record previously held by Blake Ford.

New Jersey vs Schaumburg

Clint Hardy drove home Chase Dawson with an RBI double in the bottom of the fifth to take over the franchise's all-time lead for RBIs but the Schaumburg Boomers could not slow down the New Jersey Jackals in a 12-4 loss on Thursday at Wintrust Field. 

Dawson opened the scoring with a solo homer leading off the bottom of the third as the Boomers scored for for the third time in the series. New Jersey tied the game in the fourth on a solo homer from Josh Rehwaldt, his 23rd of the year to equal the league lead. Justin Wylie put the Jackals ahead for the first time in the series with a grand slam in the fifth. Hardy's double came as the Boomers trailed 5-1 following Dawson's 18th triple of the year. The Jackals scored in four straight innings to build a 12-2 lead. Schaumburg scored twice in the ninth on an RBI groundout from William Salas and a solo homer from Blake Grant-Parks, his first of the year.

Blake Stelzer worked five innings and suffered the loss. Luis Perez worked an inning, Juan Pichardo two and Kobey Schlotman finished out the ninth on the hill. New Jersey amassed 15 hits and three homers in the game. Schaumburg homered twice and totaled eight hits. Dawson finished with a pair. Braxton Davidson reached base three times to push his on-base streak to 19 games while Hardy's extended to 16. Alec Craig doubled and reached four times in the loss. The Boomers were able to take two-of-three in the series and have won six of the last eight series overall.

New York vs Evansville

The New York Boulders' Thursday game in Evansville against the Otters at Bosse Field has been canceled due to rain.

The Boulders will move on to Sauget, IL, to begin a weekend three-game series, July 29-31, with the host Gateway Grizzlies on Friday night. 

Windy-City vs Trois-Rivières

The ThunderBolts nearly overcame a six-run deficit but came up one run short in a 7-6 defeat to the Trois-Riviéres Aigles at Stade Quillorama Thursday night.

The Aigles (34-29) wasted no time in taking a multi-run lead. After scoring a quick run on a wild pitch, a two-run single from Elliott Curtis made their first-inning lead 3-0. Juan Kelly homered in the second to extend the lead by two runs.

After another run-scoring wild pitch made the deficit 6-0, the ThunderBolts (24-38) began to make their move. They got two runs on an error in the fifth to make it a four-run game.

L.P. Pelletier's RBI double gave Trois-Riviéres a much needed insurance run but the Bolts plated three more in the eighth. Matt Morgan hit a two-run single and Peyton Isaacson doubled home Morgan to make it 7-5.

With one out in the ninth inning, Payton Robertson and Joshuan Sandoval hit back-to-back singles to put the tying run on base. Dan Robinson came through with an RBI single to make it 7-6. With the tying and leading runs on base and one out, Christian Allegretti retired Brian Fuentes and Jairus Richards to end the game.

Sam Poliquin (5-4) was the winning pitcher. He did not allow an earned run over six innings. Jack Alkire (1-4) allowed six runs (four earned) in four innings and took the loss. Allegretti picked up his second save.