OTTERS CRUISE PAST Y'ALLS
Florence, Ky. – The Evansville Otters scored five runs in the first three innings and recorded 14 total hits to beat the Florence Y'alls 9-3 in the series opener. Evansville's 14 hits tied for the second most in a game this season. The Otters scored runs in five innings. Jomar Reyes led the way with a four-hit day and Jake Green hit his first professional career home run. The Otters started early with a run in the first as Kona Quiggle doubled and scored on a Y'alls' throwing error. Green then launched a two run homer over the left field wall in the second to extend the lead to three. Evansville topped off the early surge in the third as Bryan Rosario's base hit scored two. Jhon Vargas earned the win from the mound. The righty pitcher was rolling early, not allowing a hit into the fourth inning. He finished with five strikeouts, allowing just three runs over five innings for his fourth win of the season. Leoni De La Cruz was key out of the bullpen for Evansville. He entered with the bases loaded and nobody out in the sixth, the Y'alls best chance to rally. The lefty pitcher retired all three batters he faced to escape the jam without significant damage. He struck out the side in the seventh to finish with four strikeouts. The Otters added two more runs in the sixth and again in the eighth. Reyes as part of his big day had a two-out RBI double down the left field line in the sixth. Reyes' extended his team high hit streak to 15 games and had his second four hit game of the season. Quiggle notched two doubles and scored three times. Rosario stole two more bases to reach a league-leading 30 stolen bases on the year. He also made a full extension diving catch in left field in the second inning for one of the more impressive defensive plays of the Otters season. Evansville looks to win the series tomorrow night against Florence. First pitch from Thomas More Stadium is at 5:36 PM CT with the Evansville broadcast on the Otters Digital Network.
SCHAUMBURG, Ill. — The Schaumburg Boomers opened an action-packed weekend at Wintrust Field by scoring a 5-4 walk-off victory over the Sussex County Miners in 10 innings in the first ever meeting between the two teams in Schaumburg.
Alec Craig won the game with a sacrifice fly to score pinch-runnerZach Huffins from third with the winning run. The Boomers opened a 2-0 lead in the second on RBI singles from Craig and Blake Grant-Parks. Grant Parks doubled home a run in the fourth to make the score 3-1. Sussex County tied the game in the fifth with a two-run homer and opened a brief lead in the sixth before Grant-Parks tied the game again with a single in the sixth.
Shumpei Yoshikawa made his 2023 season debut, working 4.1 innings and striking out five. Jake Joyce earned his third win in relief. Grant-Parks posted three hits with Craig adding two along with Brett Milazzo. The Boomers also drew eight walks in the game.
The Boomers (21-13) continue the three-game series with Sussex County tomorrow night at 6:00 pm. on Looney Tunes Night featuring another round of postgame fireworks. The Boomers will be in custom designed Tasmanian Devil jerseys to be auctioned off to benefit the Chuck Jones Center for Creativity Chicagoland and there will be special creativity stations throughout the ballpark. RHP Miguel Reyes (3-0, 4.50) is scheduled to start against LHP Alex Hart (2-4, 4.38).
Trois-Rivières, QC—The Empire State Greys (9-28) defeated Trois-Rivières (12-25) 11-7 behind Eric Jenkins and Zak Whalin's two home run days.
Eric Jenkins started off the game with a bang for the Greys. The center fielder hit a lead-off home run off of Aigles starter Gage Feeney (L, 1-2). Zak Whalin added to the offense in the 1st with a sacrifice fly to deep center. Trois-Rivières tied the game at two in the bottom half of the frame with a Juan Kelly 2-run home run against Garrett Sutton.
Empire State quickly responded driving in 3 unanswered runs across the 2nd and 3rd innings. In the 2nd, Jordan Scott hit a solo shot breaking the 2-2 tie. The 3rd was headlined by another home run, this one a 2-run blast by Zak Whalin. Driving in his 2nd and 3rd runs of the game, Whalin extended the Greys' lead to 5-2.
In the 4th, Trois-Rivières cut the Greys' lead with a home run of their own. Brought into the game to pinch hit for Malik Williams, Brendon Dadson provided instant offense. Dadson hit a 2-run homer to cut the Empire State lead to 5-4. However, this is the closest the Aigles got to catching the Greys the rest of the night.
After scoring a run on an error in the top of the 5th, the Greys drove in another 5 runs in the fifth. Eric Jenkins hit his second home run of the game, this one with a runner on. Josh Sears got in on the offensive explosion with an RBI single. Sears was swiftly driven in by Zak Whalin's second two run home run of the game giving Empire State an 11-4 lead.
Trois-Rivières provided the remainder of the offense throughout the course of the game. The Aigles scored in the 6th on an L.P. Pelletier RBI single off Empire State reliever Joseph Brennan (W, 1-0). In the 9th, the team scored two off Tanner Propst but was not enough to complete the comeback.
The Greys will look to take the series against the Aigles at 6:05 EST tomorrow night.
Sauget, IL (June 23, 2023) – The Gateway Grizzlies bounced back from an early 1-0 deficit by scoring nine unanswered runs, and snuffed out a late comeback to beat the Washington Wild Things 9-6 at Grizzlies Ballpark.
Tristan Peterson's solo home run off Carson LaRue (4-0) made it 1-0 in the first inning, but the Grizzlies answered back right away against Robert Gonzalez (0-2) in the bottom of the first, with Andrew Penner's RBI single tying the score. In the second inning, a leadoff walk by Willie Estrada and a bunt single by Eric Rivera set up Abdiel Diaz, who pushed a bunt past the first baseman for an eventual RBI double to give the Grizzlies the lead for good at 2-1. A Jairus Richards sacrifice fly would make it 3-1 after two innings.
With LaRue holding the fort on the mound, it was Diaz who walked with two outs in the bottom of the fourth, leading to a huge inning when the next five batters all reached base on hits. Gabe Holt smacked a two-run home run to right field for a 5-1 lead, and after a pair of singles by Richards and Penner, Peter Zimmermann doubled in one more run before Zach Racusin singled to center field, driving in two and increasing the Gateway lead to 8-2 in his first game back with the club.
Racusin would also reach on an infield hit in the sixth inning with two outs that plated Holt from third base and made the score 9-1. The Wild Things used a leadoff walk to kick off a three-run eighth to cut the deficit and make the score 9-4, and back-to-back solo home runs leading off the ninth brought the visitors within 9-6. But that was as far as the comeback went, as Colton Easterwood recorded the final three outs and got the Grizzlies their second consecutive win.
Gateway will look to clinch the weekend series against Washington in the second game of the series on Saturday, June 24, at 6:45 p.m. CT. Collin Sullivan will pitch for the Grizzlies in the middle contest.
TROY, NY - The Tri-City ValleyCats (21-16) mashed six homers in a 14-6 win over the Ottawa Titans (16-21) to begin a three-game set on Friday at Joseph L. Bruno Stadium.
Ottawa got on the board in the first. Jason Dicochea singled off Elijah Gill, and Jamey Smart ripped a two-run blast to put the Titans in front, 2-0.
Tri-City flexed its muscles in the bottom of the second. Alec Thomas issued a walk to Zach Biermann, and Jakob Goldfarb followed suit with a two-run blast to tie the game, 2-2.
The ValleyCats took the lead in the third. Cito Culver led off the frame with a solo homer. Pavin Parks then walked, and Trey Hair singled before Carson McCusker clobbered his second three-run blast in as many days. His 14th long ball of the year put Tri-City on top, 6-2.
Culver collected his first multi-homer game in a 'Cats uniform with a solo shot in the fifth. His sixth big fly of the season pulled Tri-City ahead, 8-2.
The ValleyCats reached double digits in runs column in the sixth. Culver greeted Brooks Walton with a double. Parks flew out to center, and Culver advanced to third. Hair then lifted a sac fly. McCusker went to first on a single, his third hit of the night. Afterward, Biermann drilled a two-run homer, his eighth of the season. Aaron Altherr singled, and Goldfarb went yard for the second time in the game to extend the 'Cats lead to 12-2. It was Goldfarb's fourth tater of the year, and he has gone deep for the fourth time in his last five games.
The Titans showed some life in the seventh. Dicochea hit a solo homer off Aaron Ernst. Smart singled, and Sicnarf Loopstok launched a two-run jack to cut the deficit to 12-5.
Ottawa picked up a run in the eighth. Matt Dunaway hit Evan Berkey with a pitch, and walked Jackie Urbaez and Dicochea. Brendan Bell came in relief, and uncorked a wild pitch, bringing in Berkey, and making it a 12-6 ballgame. Bell walked Smart, but left the bases juiced after Loopstok grounded out to third.
The ValleyCats offense continued to shine in the bottom of the eighth. Biermann doubled off Kenny Williams. Altherr flew out, which moved Biermann to third. Biermann came around on an RBI groundout from Goldfarb, who joined Altherr, McCusker, and Pat Adams as the only players with Tri-City this year to record a five-plus RBI game. Jaxon Hallmark followed suit with a hustle double. Ian Walters then singled in Hallmark to put Tri-City ahead, 14-6.
Elliot Carney shut the door with a scoreless ninth, walking one, and striking out three. He has not allowed an earned run in 13.1 consecutive innings.
Gill (4-2) earned the win. He tossed his fifth straight quality start. The left-hander hurled six innings, yielding two runs on six hits, walking four, and striking out four.
Thomas (1-2) received the loss. He tossed five frames, giving up five runs on seven hits, walking four, and striking out four.
Tri-City continues its three-game series against Ottawa tomorrow, Saturday, June 24. First pitch is scheduled for 6:30 PM.
