MINERS CONTINUE HOT START WITH THREE HR NIGHT

TROY, NY. (May 19) – The Washington Wild Things earned a fifth-consecutive victory and moved to 6-1 on the year with a 9-6 victory at Joseph L Bruno Stadium in Troy, New York Friday night. Fueled by a go-ahead RBI single by Harrison Ray in the top of the eighth and a great relief performance by Stephen Knapp, Washington took the first game in Troy against the ValleyCats since 2021.

Tri-City started the scoring in the first after Washington was retired in order in the top half. A double-play ball off the bat of Trey Hair plated the game's first run before Washington scored four times in the second. Melvin Novoa led off the frame with his first homer of the season, Anthony Brocato doubled home Andrew Czech and Ian Walters hit a two-run home run, his first longball of the year, making it 4-1.

The lead didn't last long, as Tri-City plated four against Angel Landazuri in the third, highlighted by a two-run double by Zach Biermann and RBI hits from Hair and Jakob Goldfarb. Trailing 5-4, Washington tied the game in the next half on an RBI double by shortstop Nick Gotta, but Tri-City got the run right back in the home fourth with an RBI single by Carson McCusker, on which an inherited runner of Landazuri's scored with Knapp on the hill.

Knapp would pitch the next three innings and not allow a run, while also getting a home run from Wagner Lagrange in the fifth that tied the game at 6-6. Knapp earned the win, his first of 2023, with 3.2 scoreless innings of two-hit ball. He fanned two and walked two in the outing. Landazuri got a no decision after being charged with 10 hits and six earned over 3.1 innings in his start.

That brought the game to the eighth, where Washington scored three times. Harrison Ray lined a single to left to plate Anthony Brocato to give Washington a 7-6 lead that grew on the same play with a throwing error by the Tri-City catcher trying to get Ian Walters at third. The ball went into left field, allowed Walters to scamper home and Ray to move to third. Ray scored on an RBI knock from Gotta a batter later, making it 9-6.

Andrew Mitchell and Lukas Young combined to finish the night, with Young earning his first save of the season.

AVON, Ohio - The Lake Erie Crushers took care of business during Game 1 of a three-game-set versus the Florence Y'alls, winning the contest 6-2. 

It was another terrific pitching display from Lake Erie in the opener. Angelo Baez earned the win after going 6.0 innings. He allowed just two runs on two hits while fanning six and walking three.

The runs he allowed were the only ones to find the scoreboard for the Y'alls. In the first inning, Florence led off the game with a single from Cole Brannen, followed by a hit-by-pitch to Andres Rios. 

During the next at bat with Ray Zuberer III, a wild pitch was sent to the backstop. The catcher John Tuccillo had trouble finding it, and it was Baez who came all the way from the bump to gather the baseball. This allowed Brannen to go all the way from second to home and put Rios on third.

A fielder's choice from Brennan Price was able to score Rios, which made it 2-0. Baez stayed poised on the mound following the mishap, and limited the damage after getting Jeremiah Burks to fly out.

From then on the right-hander came out with vinegar in his veins. He set down the next seven men, and limited the Y'alls to just one more hit on three baserunners, capping his night off with a quality performance on the slab.

The Crushers offense was slow to get going, but once they did it was a traffic parade. Y'alls starter Jake McMahill faced the minimum through four frames of play. What was seemingly going to be a great performance for the Florence right-hander quickly came to a halt in the fifth inning. 

After a leadoff walk issued to Sicnarf Loopstok, Vincent Byrd Jr. hit a mammoth shot over the center field wall to even the score at two a piece. The next inning, the Crushers led off again with back-to-back baserunners, as Santiago Chirino drew a free pass and Brendon Dadson hit a ground-rule double to right-center. After getting Jack Harris to fly out the next at-bat, that ended the day for McMahill. 

The bullpen could not pick him up, though. Byrd Jr. came up again and knocked in Chirino with a fielder's choice in the sixth inning. Dadson ended up scoring on a wild pitch. In the seventh, the Crushers got two massive insurance runs after John Tuccillo led off with a double, and was knocked in four pitches later by a Sean Cheely single. Cheely later came around to score off an RBI base knock from Chirino, making the score 6-2.

In the last frame, Perry Bewley shut the door on the Y'alls. He led the inning by giving up a base hit, but struck out the next batter. After a fielder's choice from Burks, he was on first with two away and tried to make something happen. He attempted to steal second base, and was unsuccessful as the cannon of an arm from Tuccillo was able to deliver a strike to catch Burks' hand in the cookie jar. 

That was the final out, giving the Crushers a three-game win streak, and moving their overall record to 5-2.

SCHAUMBURG, IL — Alec Craig homered on the first pitch of the bottom of the eighth inning as the Schaumburg Boomers upended the Windy City ThunderBolts 5-3 to claim a win in the home opener at Wintrust Field on Friday night.

Schaumburg wasted no time in jumping ahead in front of the home crowd for the first time this season. Chase Dawson led off the game with a single, stole second, moved to third on a single from Miles Simington and crossed the plate on a Gaige Howard groundout. The lead reached 2-0 in the fourth on an RBI double from Craig.

Windy City tied the game in the fifth with a two-run homer from Junior Martina but the Boomers regained the lead with an unearned run in the bottom. Windy City again tied the game in the eighth with a two-out RBI single from Jake Boone but Craig delivered the swing to decide the game and Simington tallied his third hit of the game to drive home an insurance run in the bottom of the inning.

Kristian Scott picked up the win in relief, working tow innings and striking out four. Starter Miguel Reyes worked five innings and allowed two runs on just one hit, the fifth inning homer. Reyes faced the minimum through the first four innings of the contest. Jake Joyce closed the door for his second save of the season, punctuating the home opening win with a strikeout, the 10th of the game by the pitching staff.

The offense totaled a season high 12 hits led by the three from Simington. Dawson, Craig and Blake Grant-Parks all posted multiple hits in the victory, the fourth of the year for the Boomers and the third against Windy City.

Augusta, NJ - For the second consecutive night, the Sussex County Miner bats tore through opposing pitching in the later innings, this time turning a 2-2 game against their in-state rival New Jersey Jackals into a 10-2 drubbing on a Fireworks Friday night at Skylands Stadium.

For only the second time this season, the Miners would surrender the game's first run, as Josh Rehwaldt got a one-out single, stole second, then was knocked home on a RBI base knock by Keon Barnum for a 1-0 Jackals lead. But the Jackals would get no more, as former Miner Alex Toral flew out with runners at second and third to end the top of the first. Sussex County would immediately respond, as Edwin Mateo led off the home half of the inning with a double. He would get knocked home on a Gavin Stupienski RBI single, as the teams went to the second tied at one run apiece.

The Miners next run came with some excitement in the second inning. Jawuan Harris drew a leadoff walk. Harris would then take off on a pitch that Jackson Valera served into right-center field. Both he and third base coach Simon Walters read the play well, and Walters didn't hesitate in sending the former Rutgers football and baseball standout. The Jackal defense was caught off guard, and the relay throw from second came home late, giving the Miners a 2-1 lead through two innings.

Sussex County would break the game open in the fifth inning. A one-out walk and stolen base for Will Zimmerman led to Stupienski cracking his first home run of the season over the right-center field wall to run the Miner advantage to 4-1. A walk to Jason Agresti brought a Jackal pitching change, and two batters after the change, Valera went down and golfed a pitch over the wall in left field for another two-run shot, and a 6-1 Miner lead.

After the Jackals plated an unearned run in the top of the sixth, the home side would make sure any ideas of a comback were dashed. Willie Escala led off the home sixth with a double and stole third. Mateo would then drive Escala home with a RBI single, would then steal second and third bases, and Stupienski would get his fourth RBI of the night with a single that plated Mateo and stretch the Miner lead to 8-2.

Oraj Anu would cap off the scoring for the evening with a two-run home run over the center field wall to make it 10-2 Sussex County in the seventh. Anu's shot was the longest one hit at an estimated 405 feet.

Pitching-wise for the Miners, Tyler Thornton wiggled out of serious first inning trouble in going four innings, allowing only one base runner after the first inning. Jimmy Boyce would also throw four inning, also allowing just three hits in the contest along with the one unearned run. Matt Stil came on in the ninth and set the Jackals down in order, punctuating the night with a strikeout to end the game.

Sauget, IL – The Gateway Grizzlies scored runs in four straight innings to open their series against the Ottawa Titans on Friday night at Grizzlies Ballpark, including 11 in a massive, second-inning onslaught en route to a 16-6 victory. 

Adopting an alternate identity as the "Gateway Toasted Ravioli," they took an early 1-0 lead when two wild pitches and a balk by Ottawa starter Trevor Clifton (0-1) scored Gabe Holt following a leadoff single in the first inning. The Titans responded against Carson LaRue (1-0), as they scored three runs on five hits in the top of the second, including homers by Gabe Snyder and Taylor Wright, to take a 3-1 advantage. 

Then came the pivotal bottom of the second inning. Andrew Penner began it with a walk, and Jairus Richards was hit by a pitch before Peter Zimmermann doubled to make it 3-2. A passed ball tied the score, and back-to-back walks loaded the bases for Holt, who was plunked to force in the go-ahead run. With the score 4-3, Eric Rivera hit a ball back to Clifton, whose wild throw to home plate bounced away for an error and scored two more runs to make it 6-3. Two batters later, D.J. Stewart drove in two with a single and an 8-3 advantage, and Penner followed with a solo home run for a 9-3 lead.  

After Richards subsequently singled, the Titans made a pitching change, and Max Steffens was greeted by back-to-back solo homers from Zimmermann and Willie Estrada before a groundout ended the inning, with Gateway scoring 11 runs on only six hits in the seismic frame. 

The Grizzlies would keep right on scoring- Stewart plated his third run of the night on sacrifice fly in the third, and Zimmermann homered in the bottom of the fourth, a solo shot which answered a homer by A.J. Wright in the top half, to make the score 14-4. Both teams scored a pair of runs in the sixth to complete the scoring, with RBI hits by Rivera and Mark Vierling accounting for the final score. 

Zimmermann led the "Toasted Ravioli" with a monster, 4-for-5 day at the plate that included two homers and two doubles, plus three runs scored and four RBIs, while Rivera and Penner enjoyed three-hit days as part of a 19-hit attack. Every single Grizzlies position player on the roster recorded at least one hit in the game, and the 16 runs scored marked a new season-high for the club. 

The Grizzlies, back in their old identity, will look for a series win over Ottawa when the two teams clash again on Saturday, May 20, at Grizzlies Ballpark. Collin Sullivan will make his first start of the season for the Grizzlies, opposed by the Titans' Damon Casetta-Stubbs.

Evansville, Ind. – The Evansville Otters hit back to back home runs twice as they cruised to a 10-3 win over the Trois-Rivieres Aigles on Friday night at Bosse Field. Jeffrey Baez led the charge with two home runs and four RBIs on the night.

Baez and Kona Quiggle went back to back in the first inning to give Evansville the early lead. Baez launched a two run home run over the left field fence and Quiggle followed on the very next pitch with a solo shot to nearly the same spot in the ballpark.

The seventh inning would provide back to back jacks for the second time. Dakota Phillips launched a solo blast also over the left field fence and Baez followed with his second home run of the night.

On the mound, Justin Watland earned the win. He scattered three runs and eight hits over six innings while striking out ten Aigles.

Outside of the home runs Evansville's offense had a productive night totaling 12 total hits. Baez had an RBI base hit in the third inning and Phillips had an RBI double in the fifth. Phillips would cap a three hit, four RBI night with a base hit scoring two Otters in the eighth.

Jomar Reyes had a multihit game while Noah Myers extended his opening day week hit streak to seven games.

The Evansville bullpen also extended their scoreless streak to six games. They have not allowed a run in the last 24.1 innings dating back to opening day. Overall, the bullpen has allowed just one run in 26.1 innings this season.

Leoni de La Cruz, Kevin Davis and James Krick provided hitless relief pitching Friday night.

The Otters are back at Bosse Field Saturday night to face the Trois-Rivieres Aigles in the middle game of the series. First pitch is at 6:35 PM.