BOULDERS CONTINUE TO DOMINATE AS THEY WIN SEVENTH STRAIGHT
New York vs Ottawa
Ray Hernandez lined a two-run, two-out single in the top of the ninth to lift the visiitng New York Boulders to a 3-2 win over the Ottawa Titans on Tuesday at Ottawa Stadium.
The victory was the Boulders' seventh in a row.
Tied at 1-1 in the ninth, David Vinsky led off with a double for the Boulders off Titans' reliever Grant Larson. After Austin Dennis flied out, Gabriel Garcia was intentionally walked before Chris Kwitzer grounded out to put runners on second anf third.
Tucker Nathans was intentionally walked to load the bases for Hernandez, who singled to drive in two runs. Gian Martellini then struck out to end the inning, but the Boulders led 3-1.
The Titans threatened to tie the game in the home half of the ninth, but came up short. With one out, Kai Moody singled before Rodrigo Orozco doubled. Dan Wirchansky, the third Boulders' pitcher, got pinch-hitter Malik Williams to bounce out to shortstop Austin Dennis with Moody scoring to make it 3-2.
A.J. Wright then ended the game by popping out to Dennis.
Wirchansky got the win, going the final three innings and allowing one run on four hits, while walking one and striking out four. He improved to 4-3 on the season.
Larson, the third Titans' pitcher, took the loss, falling to 5-4 on the year.
The Titans scored in the first, picking up a run on a double play grounder by Jacob Sanford.
It stayed 1-0 until the top of the seventh when Garcia led off with a double and scored one out later when Kwitzer lined a double to left-center.
Andy Hammond started for New York and lasted until one out in the sixth. He allowed only one run on three hits. Hammond walked two and struck out one and did not factor in the decision.
Tyler Jandron went the first 6 1/3 innings for Ottawa, matching Hammond zero for zero after the first inning. He was charged with one run on four hits, while walking one and striking out eight. He did nit factor in the decision either.
Tri-City vs Quebec
The 'Cats arrived in Quebec City on Tuesday fresh off of a weekend sweep of the New Jersey Jackals and looking to make up some ground in the chase for a Frontier League playoff spot against the East's top team to date, the Quebec Capitales. Game 1 of the 3-game set at Stade Canac would turn out to be a pitcher's duel featuring both teams' aces: LHP Miguel Cienfuegos would start for the Capitales, with RHP Joey Gonzalez getting the ball for the 'Cats.
Both starters would work deep into the contest, allowing one run each. The only run to cross the plate against Joey Gonzalez would score on a wild pitch. Gonzalez would allow just 3 hits and strike out 5 Capitales over 7 innings, bringing his season total to 106, and pulling him within one of the league lead.
Brantley Bell would score the 'Cats only run in Tuesday's contest, launching a solo shot to deep center field in the top of the third inning, and extending his hitting streak to 21 consecutive games.
Jeffry Parra would tally a 2-run home run off of ValleyCats reliever Adam Hofacket in the bottom of the eighth inning to break a 1-1 tie. The 2-run shot would be the difference.
Empire State vs New Jersey
The Empire State Greys and New Jersey Jackals game was postponed due to rain and unsafe field conditions. The game will be played as a doubleheader on August 10th.
Trois-Rivières vs Sussex County
The Trois-Rivières Aigles vs Sussex County Miners game was postponed after the third inning after the aigles were leading 4-2 over the Miners. The game will be resumed on August 10th as part of a double header.
Washington vs Florence
In a well-pitched game by the visiting Washington Wild Things, a Jared Mang three-run, sixth-inning homer made the difference in the run column as Washington took the series opener against the Florence Y'alls Tuesday at Thomas More Stadium, 6-3. The game was called after eight innings due to rain.
Nick Ward started the night with a bang for the Wild Things, connecting with another lead-off homer on the third pitch of the game. It was Ward's 17th homer of the season and RBI number 57 for the shortstop and gave Washington the early advantage.
Back-and-forth play ensued after that. In the bottom of the second, Washington's Hayden Pearce yielded a one-out walk to Luis Pintor and Pintor scored on a two-out double by Ethan Stern to tie the game at 1-1. Florence then took the lead in the third on Ray Zuberer III's solo homer.
The Wild Things got the next two, however, with a run in the fourth on a double that was laced to left center by Andrew Czech to score Wagner Lagrange. Washington then grabbed the lead in the fifth on an RBI single by Hector Roa. Czech's RBI was his 50th of the season and Roa's his 45th.
The Y'alls tied the game at 3-3 in the bottom of the fifth on an RBI knock from Zuberer, but Washington responded quickly. Jared Mang hit a go-ahead three-run home run, his ninth of the season, to give the Wild Things a 6-3 lead in the sixth, that they would not relinquish.
Hayden Pearce got the win going six innings of three-run ball for a quality start. Pearce is now 5-5 after allowing six hits and three runs with three strikeouts. Isaac Mattson pitched two innings of scoreless ball and fanned two. Once the game was called, it gave Mattson the save, his first in a Wild Things' uniform.
Joliet vs Schaumburg
The Boomers recorded 15 strikeouts in posting the first shutout of the season, grabbing a 6-0 win over the Joliet Slammers on Tuesday night at Wintrust Field.
Kobey Schlotman matched the team's single game record for strikeouts by fanning 12 in 7.1 shutout innings. Schlotman allowed just four baserunners and only two reached second base in earning the win in just his second professional start. Schlotman, who improved to 2-1, struck out batters in six innings, more than one in five, and fanned the side in the fifth. The Boomers gave Schlotman all the support he would need in the bottom of the fifth when Chase Dawson recorded his 22nd triple of the year, expanding his Frontier League record and scoring Nick Oddo and Clint Hardy.
The lead swelled to 6-0 behind four runs in the seventh. Mike Hart singled home two runs and an error enabled a third to score. Hart then stole third and scored on a throwing error as the lead reached 6-0. Jake Joyce finished the game by working the final 1.2 innings, striking out three more. The Boomers held Joliet to just two hits and have limited the Slammers to only four in the series.
Both games in the series have been shutouts. Hardy and Hart both finished with two hits as the Boomers totaled nine. Oddo and Hardy both scored twice. The Boomers finished with nine hits and own 50 in the last four games.
Lake Erie vs Gateway
The Gateway Grizzlies scored five runs with two outs in the bottom of the fourth inning to break a scoreless tie, and Gateway starter Taylor Sugg (4-1) tossed five shutout innings in his second career start as they defeated the Lake Erie Crushers 8-1 in the series opener on Tuesday night at GCS Credit Union Ballpark, winning their third straight game overall.
Both Sugg and Lake Erie starter Gunnar Kines (3-4) kept the offenses in check through the first three innings of the ballgame. But in the bottom of the fourth inning, with two outs and two runners on base, Abdiel Diaz drove in the game's first run on an RBI single, and Jay Prather followed with a two-run double. Andrew Penner then capped off the frame with a two-run home run to center field to give the Grizzlies a 5-0 lead.
The Grizzlies would add a pair of insurance runs in the sixth on another RBI hit for Diaz and a stolen base of home by Ian Bibiloni, then another run on a passed ball on Lake Erie catcher Bryan De La Rosa in the bottom of the eighth to complete their scoring.
Meanwhile, Sugg finished with five scoreless innings, scattering five hits with one walk and striking out a season-high six batters in what is the longest professional outing of his career. The Crushers would avoid being shut out in the ninth, as Matt McDermott led off with a triple and scored on a sacrifice fly by London Green, but that was all that Lake Erie would get on the board as the Grizzlies took the opener of the critical, three-game set in Sauget.
Evansville vs Windy City
The Otters immediately found the scoreboard in the first as J.R. Davis tripled in Zach Biermann. Directly after, Steven Sensley added a run with a fielder's choice groundout RBI.
In the second, the lead grew again on an RBI double from Bryan Rosario.
Late in the third inning, George Callil grabbed his second hit of the day, this time scoring Elijah MacNamee with a single.
The 4-0 lead held steady into the fifth until MacNamee found a run himself with a solo home run to left field.
In the sixth, the ThunderBolts finally got after Brett Adcock, capitalizing on three straight hits to start the inning. The final hit from Bren Spillane scored the T-Bolts sole run of the night.
Steven Sensley added to the Otters' lead in the seventh, hitting a solo home run of his own to left center field.
In the eighth, Evansville found the run column for the final time in the game. After a leadoff triple from Miles Gordon, Justin Felix's RBI single expanded the lead to 7-1.
Tyler Spring entered the game in the ninth for Evansville, sitting down the ThunderBolts in order.
The win was assigned to Adcock, his fifth of the season. He allowed just one run on six hits, striking out nine in his 6.2 innings. Garrett Christman received the loss, dropping him to 2-5.
MacNamee led the way for the Otters with three hits. Sensley, Gordon and Callil each had two hits as well.
