WATLAND, QUIGGLE LEAD OTTERS TO SHUTOUT OF CRUSHERS

Justin Watland pitched seven shutout innings and the Evansville Otters topped the Lake Erie Crushers 11-0 Thursday night at Bosse Field. A season best crowd of 5,108 watched the Otters hold the Crushers to just two hits. Evansville scored seven runs in the seventh inning, led by a Kona Quiggle grand slam. Quiggle hit two homers with six RBIs. Watland proved nearly unhittable Thursday to earn his sixth win of the season. The second year Otter allowed just two hits and one walk while striking out nine Crushers. He retired 13 straight batters over a four inning stretch. Evansville led 2-0 before exploding in the seventh inning to put the game away. Dakota Phillips started the inning with a double and scored on a sacrifice fly. John Dyer added an RBI hit to extend the lead to 4-0. Quiggle then launched his grand slam over the right field wall. Jomar Reyes capped the inning with a two RBI single. Noah Myers opened the scoring with a leadoff double in the first and scored on a wild pitch. Josh Broughton hit a solo home run in the fifth inning in his first game as an Otter. Quiggle capped his big day with a two-run blast in the eighth. The Evansville center fielder has hit four home runs in the six games since the All-Star Break. Kevin Davis finished the Evansville pitching performance with a perfect last two innings with four strikeouts. Davis and Watland combined to retire 24 of the last 25 Crushers' batters. Noah Myers extended his hit streak to eleven games. Phillips and Bryan Rosario both totaled two hits.

Jason Dicochea's walk-off two-run homer in Sudden Death helped the Ottawa Titans (28-29) to a come-from-behind 9-7 victory over the Tri-City ValleyCats (34-23) on Thursday, taking the final game of the series to avoid the sweep. The Titans managed to open the scoring against left-hander Elijah Gill (ND, 6-2) in the bottom of the first inning. Evan Berkey's leadoff double to left was brought home by a Jamey Smart single to make it 1-0. With Zac Westcott (ND, 4-5) mowing through the first two innings, the ValleyCats managed to get to the Titans starter with a pair of runs in each of the third and fourth innings. A pair of walks in the third came around to score as John Mead and Pavin Parks were able to put the visitors in front. In the fourth, an Ian Walters solo shot extended the lead before Lamar Briggs brought home Jaxon Hallmark with a sacrifice fly, making it 4-1. Taylor Wright made it a two-run game with an RBI single in the bottom of the fourth, cashing in an AJ Wright walk. The single tally was all the offence was able to drive home as the Titans wound up leaving the bases loaded. With the ValleyCats adding another run in the fifth, Westcott ended the night allowing five runs on seven hits. The veteran righty walked three and did not strike out a batter. Oscar Campos gave the ValleyCats a 6-2 lead with a sac fly off Nick MacDonald in the seventh, driving home Cito Culver's double. Down to their final six outs, the Titans strung together a two-out rally against Brendan Bell in the bottom of the eighth, sending eight to the plate. David Menham's first pro hit gave the Titans some life before Austin Davis made it a two-run game with a single. Next, pinch hitter Broc Mortensen lined a double to left-centre, plating Taylor Wright and Davis to tie the game. Following a scoreless ninth, the ValleyCats took the lead on an RBI groundout in the tenth against Trevor Clifton (win, 3-1), making it 7-6. In the bottom half, Taylor Wright's double down the right-field line with the infield in scored the start-up runner AJ Wright to tie the game once again. Facing Pavin Parks (loss, 0-1) for the second-straight night, the Titans elected to play offence in Sudden Death. With the start-up runner at first, a fielder's choice got out number one. It then set up Jason Dicochea who smashed the game-winning two-run homer off the left-field foul pole to give the Titans the victory.

Phil Steering did it again for the Joliet Slammers as the All-Star catcher logged a walk-off double in the bottom of the ninth to hand Joliet a 4-3 win over the Schaumburg Boomers in the series finale after tallying the walk-off hit in Tuesday's contest. Joliet scored a pair of runs in the bottom of the second with two outs against Schaumburg starter Hunter Hoopes who was making his first professional start after signing earlier in the day. Will Prater evened the score with a two-run single in the top of the third with two outs but former Boomer Matt McGarry doubled home the go-ahead run in the bottom of the third with two outs as the Slammers led 3-2. The contest remained even until Blake Berry throttled his second homer in as many games over the wall in right to tie the game. Both teams threw out the potential go-ahead run at the plate. Gaige Howard recorded an outfield assist to cut down a run in the sixth and Lane Baremore threw out a runner to end the top of the ninth. Hoopes, a University of Alabama product, worked four innings in his debut and allowed three runs with three walks and four strikeouts. Antonio Frias, Miguel Reyes, Dylan Stutsman and Kristian Scott all tossed scoreless innings in relief. Jake Joyce suffered the loss. The pitching staff struck out 11 in the defeat and fanned double-digit hitters in all three games of the series. Chase Dawson recorded a pair of hits to up his career total to 333 in his four seasons with the team, matching Jordan Dean for the all-time franchise lead. Zach Huffins and Prater both tallied a pair of hits while Alec Craig walked three times. Schaumburg stole six bases in the game with four different individuals getting in the act.

The Gateway Grizzlies found their first lead of the series against the New York Boulders, then expanded it, but could not hold it, as the home team scored five unanswered runs to win 5-3 and sweep the three-game series at Clover Stadium on Thursday night. Neither Alec Huertas nor Lukas Veinbergs blinked in the first four innings of the game, with Veinbergs allowing just two batters to reach base safely in that span. It was Gateway who finally broke through offensively in the top of the fifth- Noah Fisher led off with his first professional hit, an infield single, and was sacrificed to second base before Jairus Richards hit an RBI single of his own, bringing an end to a nearly 15-inning scoreless drought and putting the Grizzlies ahead 1-0.  Gateway then scored two more runs in the following frame, loading the bases for Abdiel Diaz, who singled to right field to make the score 3-0. But after Veinbergs retired the first batter he faced in the bottom of the sixth inning, things went downhill from there- Chris Kwitzer doubled just over the leap of Andrew Penner at the left field wall, and Gabriel Garcia singled him home to make it 3-1. Tucker Nathans then followed with an RBI hit of his own to make it 3-2. After a pitching change, Alec Whaley struck out Pat Kivlehan for the second out of the frame, but walked Thomas Walraven, and gave up a game-tying single to David Vinsky.  With the score 3-3, New York took the lead for good on Joe DeLuca's second go-ahead solo homer of the series, taking Trevor Tietz (1-1) deep to right-center field to make the score 4-3 leading off in the bottom of the seventh. The Boulders would score an additional run that inning for the final margin. Gateway got the tying runs in scoring position with no outs in the eighth, and the tying run to the plate with one out in the ninth, but failed to score to seal the sweep. 

The Tri-City ValleyCats (34-23) fell 9-7 in sudden death to the Ottawa Titans (28-29) on Thursday at Ottawa Stadium. Per the Frontier League rules, the home team can opt to hit or play defense. If the offense scores, they win, and if they do not push across a run, they lose. It was the second Sudden Death game of the season for the ValleyCats, and the second time they lost to the Titans in this extra-inning format. Ottawa opened the scoring for the first time in the series. Evan Berkey greeted Elijah Gill with a double. Jamey Smart drove in a run with a single to give the Titans a 1-0 lead. Tri-City responded in the third. Zac Westcott issued a walk to Connor Bagnieski and Lamar Briggs. John Mead hit an RBI single, and Briggs went to third. Pavin Parks reached on an RBI fielder's choice to put the ValleyCats on top, 2-1. Tri-City extended its lead in the fourth. Ian Walters blasted his second solo homer in as many days. It was his sixth long ball of the year. Jaxon Hallmark singled, and moved to third after Bagnieski picked up his first hit in a 'Cats uniform. Briggs lifted a sac fly to pull the ValleyCats ahead, 4-1. Ottawa cut the deficit to two runs in the bottom of the fourth. AJ Wright walked and David Mendham was hit by a pitch. Taylor Wright plated a run with a single to make it a 4-2 ballgame. Gill received a no-decision. He tossed four frames, allowing two runs on four hits, walking five, and striking out two. Tri-City once again made it a three-run affair in the fifth. Cito Culver singled, and Oscar Campos walked. Culver advanced to third on a wild pitch, and came around on a single from Hallmark to provide the ValleyCats with a 5-2 lead. Westcott was also handed a no-decision. He pitched five innings, giving up five runs on seven hits, walking three, and striking out none. Tri-City took its biggest lead of the game in the seventh. Culver opened the frame with a double off Nick MacDonald. Jakob Goldfarb grounded out, and Culver went to third. Campos knocked in a run by hitting a sac fly to pull the ValleyCats ahead, 6-2. Ottawa retaliated with a four-run eighth. Brendan Bell walked Jason Dicochea, who advanced to second on a wild pitch. Mendham then singled home Dicochea. Afterward, Taylor Wright walked before Austin Davis stroked an RBI single. Broc Mortenson knotted the game at 6-6 with a two-run double. Goldfarb was the "ghost runner" in the 10th for Tri-City. The ValleyCats played some small ball as Goldfarb swiped third, and Walters drove him in with an RBI groundout off Trevor Clifton to take a 7-6 advantage. Parks entered in relief in the bottom of the 10th. Mendham, the free runner, moved to third on a groundout from AJ Wright before coming around to score on a double from Taylor Wright to make it a 7-7 contest. Parks hit Davis with a pitch before escaping the jam by inducing a popout from Mortenson and a flyout from Jackie Urbaez. Ottawa elected to hit, and Parks returned to the mound in the 11th. Urbaez was the "ghost runner" at first base. Mitsuki Fukoda bunted, and reached on a 2-6 fielder's choice. Dicochea launched a two-run jack to provide the Titans with a walk-off 9-7 victory. Clifton (3-1) earned the win. He pitched a scoreless 10th. Clifton went an inning, yielding one run, none earned on no hits, walking none, and striking out two. Parks (0-1) received the loss. He went 1.1 innings, allowing three runs, one earned on two hits, walking none, and striking out none.

The Washington Wild Things dropped the third game of the series to the Trois-Rivieres Aigles after the offense could not score for Kobe Foster, who had a great day on the bump in a quality start over seven innings. The final was 5-2. After a scoreless first inning from both teams, the Aigles got on the board. A one-out double from Brendon Dadson led to an RBI single from Ricardo Sanchez. This gave the Wild Things an early deficit. Later in the game, Dadson hit another extra base hit, this time it was a triple with two outs. Scotty Dubrule saved a potential run by making a great over the shoulder catch in shallow right. This play kept it at just a one-run deficit for Washington. In the bottom half of the fourth, the Wild Things made some noise with two outs after Melvin Novoa and Tommy Caufield both singled. However, Caufield was caught stealing at second base to end the inning. Washington pulled starting pitcher Foster after seven innings of work. In that span, Foster gave up one earned run on six hits. He was relieved by Christian James. Trois-Rivieres scored in the eighth after a pop-up bunt single over the mound and a bloop single from Nate Scantlin which scored Tyler Clark-Chiapparellli from second base. James got out of the inning when bases were loaded with less than two outs. In the eighth inning, the Aigles relieved starting pitcher Tucker Smith with Christian Scafidi. Smith had a great day on the bump allowing no runs on seven hits, reaching seven scoreless for the second-consecutive start. Stephen Knapp came in for James in the ninth and he was quick to give up a run. He let up a leadoff double from Markmann and in the next at-bat, he gave up a hit to Sanchez which scored Markmann from second. Later in the inning, Knapp gave up two more on a bloop single from Steve Brown with the bases loaded. This made it a 5-0 game headed into the bottom half of the inning. The Washington offense got going in the ninth off reliever Frankie Giuliano, scoring two runs, but it was too little too late. 

The Florence Y'alls (25-32), presented by Towne Properties, clinched their second consecutive series win with a 6-3 victory over the New Jersey Jackals (35-20) at Hinchliffe Stadium on Thursday.  Pitching dominated the early portion of the series finale. Florence righthander Edgar Martinez (5.0 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 5 BB, 3 K) held the Jackals' league-leading offense scoreless through the first three innings. New Jersey starter Yuichi Shiota (3.2 IP, 4 H, 5 ER, 3 BB, 2 K) matched Martinez through three innings, but ran into trouble in the fourth inning. The Y'alls burst onto the scoreboard with a five-run fourth. A leadoff walk to designated hitter Craig Massey and a single from first baseman Brennan Price set up right fielder Harrison DiNicola, who hit a one-out three-run home run to give the Y'alls a 3-0 lead. Left fielder Ray Zuberer then hit a solo homer for back-to-back long balls that extended the lead to 4-0. Center fielder Cole Brannen doubled with two down before the Jackals switched pitchers, but second baseman Tristin Garcia singled home Brannen against Jackals' lefthander Cody Whitten. Heading to the bottom of the fourth, the Y'alls led 5-0.  New Jersey battled back for two runs in its half of the fourth. After a leadoff single from third baseman James Nelson and a fielding error that allowed first baseman Keon Barnum to reach, left fielder Josh Rehwaldt hit a sacrifice fly to score Nelson from third and cut the lead to 5-1. Two batters later, catcher Rusber Estrada hit into a fielder's choice that scored Barnum and brought New Jersey to within 5-2. The Jackals scored another in the eventh when second baseman Nilo Rijo walked to lead off, stole second, advanced to third on a lineout, then scored on a wild pitch. The Jackals would draw no closer, and the Y'alls capitalized with a run in the eighth on a Ray Zuberer sacrifice fly. In the ninth, righthander Brian McKenna nailed down his fifth save of the year to give the Y'alls a series victory.