VARGAS FANS 10 AS OTTERS BEAT THE GRIZZLIES
Evansville, Ind. – Jhon Vargas worked a perfect game into the fifth inning to lead the Evansville Otters past the first place Gateway Grizzlies 6-1 Friday night at Bosse Field. Facing the top batting average and runs per game offense in the Frontier League, Vargas struck out 10 Grizzlies over seven innings allowing just two singles and one run. The righty pitcher retired the first 14 batters of the game and worked a no-hitter into the sixth inning. His 10 strikeouts tied the most for any Otters' pitcher this year and is Vargas' professional career high. A native of the Dominican Republic now residing in Southern California, Vargas earned his third win of the season and fourth quality start of the year. Kevin Davis finished the job from the mound, working a perfect final two innings. Evansville held Gateway to just two hits, the team's lowest total of the season. Evansville's offense was all about two out runs as all six Otters runs scored with two outs. The Otters struck first in the fourth inning with consecutive two out knocks by Jomar Reyes and Ethan Skender before Bryan Rosario poked an RBI hit up the middle. Dakota Phillips padded the lead with two outs in the fifth, launching a three run home run 393 feet over the right field patio. The Otters added further insurance in the eighth courtesy of a Jeffrey Baez base hit, Phillips walk and a Reyes double to bring them both home. All three Otters reached with two outs. Reyes extended his hit streak to nine games with two hits Friday night. Phillips finished the evening with two hits, two runs and three RBIs. The Otters move to just a half game back of Gateway and Schaumburg for first place in the Frontier League West. Game two of the series between Evansville and Gateway is Saturday night as part of Evansville African American Museum's Salute to the Negro League Night with postgame fireworks. Action kicks off with a 6:35 PM CT first pitch from Bosse Field.
Washington, PA—The Empire State Greys (8-22) have defeated the Washington Wild Things (13-18) 8-4 behind a strong outing by Michael Barker.
Empire State got its offense going early. In the top of the 3rd, the Greys struck for 4 runs off of Wild Things starter Robert Gonzalez (L, 0-1). Eric Jenkins drove in the game's first run with a triple to left center field. The next batter, Quentin Holmes, promptly drove in Jenkins with a single to center field. Josh Sears capped off the inning with a sharp 2 RBI single to left center field.
The Greys got to Gonzalez again in the 4th. With the bases loaded, Quentin Holmes drove in a run on a fielder's choice to shortstop. The out was made at second, but Holmes was too quick and beat the throw to first. For the second time in the inning, the bases were loaded for the Greys, this time for Cristopher Cespedes. Cespedes lined a base hit up the middle for a 2 RBI single and in doing so gave Empire State a 7-0 lead.
In the 6th, the Greys added on an insurance run to make it 8-0 before Washington got their first bit of offense in the game. In the bottom half of the inning, Melvin Novoa drove in the first run of the game for the Wild Things with a ground-rule double off of Greys starter Michael Barker (W, 2-2). Washington then scored two more runs on a balk and Wagner Lagrange's sac fly cutting the deficit to 8-3.
Michael Barker's outing came to a close following the 6th, but the southpaw was remarkable for the Greys. He started off the game by retiring the first 12 Washington batters he saw. Along with this feat, he struck out five, allowed just 3 hits, and earned a quality start.
Washington struck again in the 7th, this time on a Greys' error. The momentum that the Wild Things garnered was short-lived as they did not score a run the rest of the night. Nick Trabacchi and Tanner Propst teamed up to throw scoreless 8th and 9th innings to secure the 8-4 victory.
Ryan Sandberg and the Greys will look to take the series tomorrow night in Washington at 7:05 EST.
Joliet, IL - In all of 1:39, the Ottawa Titans (13-18) were shutout 2-0 by the Joliet Slammers (13-18) on Friday, as both Grant Larson (loss, 2-4) and Cole Cook (win, 4-0) each went the distance.
Matthew Warkentin's two-out homer gave the Slammers the opening run in the bottom of the first as the Canadian took Larson over the wall in centre. Next, Matt McGarry capped off the scoring on Friday with a solo shot to left for his first of the year, making it 2-0. The back-to-back homers were the first allowed by Titans pitching this season.
The damage was all that Grant Larson would allow in his seventh start of the season. The southpaw went eight innings and allowed two runs on seven hits, walking two, and fanning six. Larson's quality start was his team-leading fifth of the campaign.
Cole Cook tossed his first complete game of the season for the Slammers for his fourth victory. The lefty surrendered only three hits, walked none, and struck out seven. Cook also faced the minimum through seven innings.
In the loss, Sicnarf Loopstok tallied a pair of hits, going 2-for-3.
SCHAUMBURG, IL — The Schaumburg Boomers left 10 on base and finished just 1-for-9 with runners in scoring position in suffering a 7-1 loss to the Quebec Capitales in the opener of a weekend series between the two teams who played for the Frontier League title last year.
Quebec jumped ahead in the top of the second inning with a single run. Kyle Fitzgerald homered in the bottom of the frame to tie the score. The homer was the fifth of the season for Fitzgerald among the 14 hit by the Boomers. Quebec went on to score two in the fifth, two more in the sixth and two in the ninth to account for the final.
Aaron Glickstein suffered the loss, working six innings. Merfy Andrew struck out the side in the seventh and Cristian Lopez did the same in the eighth before Jake Joyce worked the ninth. Schaumburg struck out 10 batters in the game, a second straight double-digit showing. The Boomers have logged double-digit strikeouts in five series openers this year.
Quentin Selma reached base four times to lead the offense with two singles and two walks. Fitzgerald tallied two hits as the Boomers finished with nine. Gaige Howard drew his 30th walk of the year and extended his on-base streak to 30, every game this season. Blake Grant-Parks reached twice to push his on-base streak to 14 and Brett Milazzo doubled to extend his streak to 13.
The Boomers (19-11) are tied atop the West Division standings and will continue the series with Quebec at 6:00pm on Saturday night. Saturday night will feature postgame fireworks and Baseball to End Alz – Alzheimer's Awareness Night.
The team will be wearing special purple jerseys to be auctioned off for LMJ's Lost Souls Alzheimer's charity thanks to Matt Harrold American Family Insurance and will feature purple themes throughout the game. RHP Miguel Reyes (3-0, 3.64) is scheduled to start for the Boomers against RHP Jack Dellinger (1-0, 3.86).
POMONA, NY - The Lake Erie Crushers were winners in Game 1 of a three-game-set versus the New York Boulders taking the contest by a score of 9-6. The Crushers (15-16) rallied late and battled from behind to beat the Boulders (17-13) in what was an impressive hitting display.
The Crushers fell behind early after a run came across to score in the bottom of the first for the Boulders, but the Grapes came right back.
Sean Cheely stepped to the dish and delivered a knock that drove home two to give Lake Erie their first lead of the night. Todd Isaacs Jr. came to the dish later in the second inning and roped a two-out double that one-hopped the center field wall to score Cheely.
The 3-1 lead was short lived though. In the bottom of the third inning the Boulders led off with a single before Pat Kivlehan launched a two-run blast over the left field wall to tie the game. Thomas Walraven then doubled and was later scored on a sacrifice fly to take the lead.
The Crushers tied the game in the fourth inning when Sean Lawlor hit his first homer in a grape uniform this season. It was a missile that came with two away and the solo-blast squared the duel at four a piece. But in the bottom of the frame the Boulders retook the lead after David Vinsky scored on a wild pitch.
In the fifth inning the Rocks got one more run after Kivlehan scored on an error from the catcher Mike Blanke. New York held the lead for multiple innings afterwards and things were looking bleak for the Crushers.
But, the good guys had some more fight in them. They put together a rally in the eighth inning, and after having the bases loaded with two outs, Isaacs Jr. hit a single up the middle to score two runs and tie the game at six.
In the top of the ninth inning, Kemuel Thomas-Rivera led off with a walk followed by a Jack Harris single. After John Tuccillo, who subbed in for Blanke in the fifth inning, walked to juice the bases full, Santiago Chirino, who came in as a pinch hitter in the eighth inning, hit a ground ball to Walraven at third.
His throw home went in the dirt and all the way to the backstop on what was a really difficult play that not only allowed Thomas-Rivera to score but also Harris. It was a fielder's choice RBI for Chirino with a throwing error for Walraven, and that was all Lake Erie needed.
Tuccillo also came in to score on another fielder's choice RBI for insurance from Cheely, and just like that it was a 9-6 ballgame.
Sam Curtis came on to slam the door in the ninth inning. He allowed a pair of base hits but got the job done and picked up his fifth save of the year as he slammed the door on the Boulders without allowing a run, securing the win.
There were four Crushers to have a multi-hit game tonight, as the team totaled a dozen. Cheely and Isaacs Jr. each had three RBIs a piece, and the combined efforts of all 11 guys who saw an at-bat tonight were able to comeback and lift themselves against the Boulders on a night that ended a two-game slide for the Grapes.
Thomas Bruss picked up the win and it was his first as a Crushers after throwing a scoreless inning in the eighth, before Lake Erie would take the lead in the top of the ninth inning and seal the deal.
The Lake Erie Crushers will battle it out with the New York Boulders again tomorrow night with a 7:00 PM ET first pitch.
CRESTWOOD, IL – The New Jersey Jackals scored in each of the first five innings as they handed the ThunderBolts a 13-3 loss at Ozinga Field in the opener of a three-game series Friday night.
The Jackals (19-11) took the lead right out of the gate as the first four batters of the game reached base, leading to three runs.
The ThunderBolts (11-20) were able to quickly bounce back with a pair of their own in the bottom of the inning. Will Riley doubled and Bren Spillane walked. Both men eventually scored, thanks to a Junior Martina sacrifice fly and a Micah Yonamine single, respectively.
New Jersey tacked on another pair in the second but again the Bolts responded. After Jordan Hovey reached on an error in the bottom of the second, Riley singled him home.
The 5-3 deficit was as close as the Bolts got as the Jackals added three runs in both the third and fourth before scoring a single run in the fifth. Six different Jackals finished the game with multiple hits and James Nelson led the way with four RBIs.
Despite a three-hit performance from Riley and a pair of hits from Yonamine, the ThunderBolts weren't able to mount a rally after the second inning as they dropped their second straight.
After a shake start, John Baker (2-3) rebounded to earn the win with six solid innings. Cole Bellair (1-6) allowed eight runs in 2.1 innings to take the loss. He issued six of the ThunderBolts' 13 walks in the game
