LARSON PITCHES COMPLETE GAME, TITANS SHUT OUT JACKALS - FRONTIER DAILY ROUNDUP
WRITTEN BY: MIKE GUISTOLISE
LARSON SILENCES JACKALS, THROWS COMPLETE GAME
OTTAWA, CAN. - The Ottawa Titans shut out the New Jersey Jackals 6-0 in the series opener on Friday at Titan Stadium.
The Jackals (11-20) were dismantled by LHP Grant Larson and the Titans (15-15), resulting in their sixth straight loss. The Titans used a huge second inning to put New Jersey in an early hole, with the first two runs of the inning scoring on an error. Leading 2-0 with the bases loaded, SS Christian Ibarra cleared the bases with his double to center field to increase the lead to five. 3B AJ Wright would put the finishing touches on the score in the seventh with a sacrifice fly. The biggest part of the game, however, came from Larson; the left-hander tossed the first complete-game shutout for Ottawa this season while allowing just four hits. Larson also tallied a career-high in strikeouts for a single game with 13, which included an immaculate inning in the fourth where he struck out Nilo Rijo, Edwin Tavarez, and Frank Nigro on nine pitches. The left-handed native of San Diego earned his third win of the season with his second-career complete-game shutout. RHP Austin Parsley took the loss for the Jackals.
The Titans and Jackals will continue their series on Saturday evening, with the first pitch of their middle game set for 6:00 PM EDT.
BOULDERS WALK OFF SLAMMERS IN EXTRAS
PONOMA, NY - The New York Boulders sent Clover Stadium into a frenzy on Friday night when they walked off the Joliet Slammers 7-5 in 10 innings.
Things did not start off ideally for the Boulders (20-9), as they gave up a two-run single to the Slammers (13-18) in the first inning. 3B Chris Kwitzer answered for the Boulders in the bottom half, cranking his sixth homer of the year to make the score 2-1. The Slammers would pile on as the game progressed, eventually working their lead out to 4-1 heading into the last of the sixth. CF Isaac Bellony was able to cut into the lead with an RBI single in the bottom half, giving way for the top of the Boulders' lineup to do damage in the next inning. LF David Vinsky was able to tie the game at 4-4 on a two-run double with one out in the seventh, while 1B Peyton Isaacson gave New York the lead with his RBI single. Joliet refused to roll over, tying the game with a home run in the eighth. After neither side could manifest any runs in the ninth, the game went into extras where RHP Dylan Smith did not allow a single hit. DH Joe DeLuca stepped up to the plate with one out and the ghost runner on second and blasted a game-winner over the right field fence. Smith got the win after a hitless two-inning relief appearance, while RHP Ian Delleman took the loss for Joliet.
The Boulders will look to secure the series in the middle game against the Slammers on Saturday. First pitch is at 6:30 PM EDT.
VALLEYCATS TAG AIGLES FOR 11 RUNS
TROIS-RIVIERES, CAN. - The Tri-City ValleyCats put on an offensive show against the Trois-Rivières Aigles with an 11-6 victory on Friday night.
In a game where they would never trail, the ValleyCats (16-15) tallied 10 hits while also taking advantage of four Aigles (15-15) errors. 1B Kyle Novak put Tri-City on top in the first inning with an RBI single. C Chris Burgess followed with his own RBI base hit, making it 2-0. The ValleyCats continued to hum in the second inning, posting four more runs to swell their lead to 6-0. The Aigles would show some life in the fifth and managed to cut the Tri-City lead in half. The ValleyCats were not fazed, posting three more runs across the sixth and seventh innings, while errors and pitching mistakes gifted them another two runs late. RHP Gino Sabatine earned the win in relief for Tri-City while Braeden Allemann took the loss for Trois-Rivières.
The ValleyCats and Aigles will match up at Stade Quillorama for the second game of their series on Saturday. First pitch is at 6:05 PM EDT.
GRIZZLIES SHUT DOWN THUNDERBOLTS, ONLY ALLOW TWO HITS IN VICTORY
SAUGET, IL - The Gateway Grizzlies pitching staff put together an excellent game, allowing only two hits in their 9-2 win over the Windy City ThunderBolts on Friday night.
The Grizzlies (18-12) continued the battle for positioning in the Frontier League West division, making a strong statement with their win over the ThunderBolts (13-19) at Grizzlies Ballpark. Gateway started things off with a sacrifice fly from LF Kevin Krause, giving themselves an early 1-0 lead in the first inning. The ThunderBolts would come back to tie the game in the fourth with a sacrifice fly, all while not registering a hit. The Grizzlies would then post five runs in the sixth inning, batting around the lineup but only tallying two hits in the inning. The Bolts would make their last hit of the evening count, blasting a home run that would cut the score to 6-2. From there, the Grizzlies found more ways to score without much hitting, taking advantage of several pitching mistakes and increasing their lead to 9-2 by the end of the eighth. RHP Deylen Miley put together a great start for the Grizzlies, allowing only one hit in six innings while striking out 10 for the win. RHP Jacob Newman took the loss for Windy City.
The Grizzlies will attempt to win the series on Saturday in the second game. First pitch is scheduled for 7:30 PM EDT.
CRUSHERS TAKE CLOSE GAME FROM Y'ALLS
FLORENCE, KY - The Lake Erie Crushers got a late home run to secure their 3-2 victory over the Florence Y'alls at Thomas More Stadium on Friday night.
The Crushers (21-10) got three shutdown innings from their bullpen, surrendering only two hits to Florence (10-19) in the last three innings. Lake Erie ignited their offense in the second inning, as 3B Logan Thomason lined a double into the right-center field gap to give the Crushers a 1-0 lead. Thomason was then brought in two batters later, thanks to a single and an error to make it 2-0. The Y'alls were slow to answer, but they managed to tie the game with two runs in the sixth. The tie was short-lived, as DH Jack Harris sent a ball over the wall for his third homer of the year and second in as many games. Reigning Pitcher of the Week Jack Eisenbarger earned his fourth win of the year for Lake Erie, lowering his season ERA to 2.25. LHP Jonaiker Villalobos took the loss for Florence.
The Crushers and Y'alls will play the middle game of their series on Saturday, starting at 6:36 PM EDT.
WASHINGTON BEATS BOOMERS FOR THIRD STRAIGHT WIN
SCHAUMBURG, IL - The Washington Wild Things took down the Schaumburg Boomers 9-6 at Wintrust Field for their third straight victory.
The Wild Things (21-9) continued their hot road stretch on Friday night, taking down another West division rival in the Boomers (19-11). Washington made its presence felt early, scoring seven straight runs in the first three innings, including a two-run triple from CF Caleb McNeely in the third that made the score 6-0. The Boomers broke through for a run in the fourth, but McNeely notched another RBI base hit to reestablish the six-run lead in the top of the fifth. Schaumburg would post another run in the bottom half, but 2B Ethan Wilder erased the run difference with his second RBI knock of the game in the sixth. The Boomers would put together three runs in the last of the sixth to bring the game within three, but the Washington bullpen shut things down in the last 3.2 innings to quell the rally. RHP Jordan DiValerio earned the win for the Wild Things while new LHP Ryan Munoz picked up his first save. RHP Aaron Glickstein took the loss for Schaumburg.
The Wild Things will look to pad their division lead on Saturday, as they face the Boomers for the second game of their weekend series. First pitch is at 7:30 PM EDT.
CAPITALES PUT DOWN KNOCKOUTS
QUEBEC CITY, CAN. - The Québec Capitales posted 13 hits in their 13-6 victory over the New England Knockouts on Friday night at Campanelli Stadium.
The Capitales (18-13) now find themselves just three games out of first in the Frontier League East division. Québec would put the Knockouts (11-19) on the defensive in the first inning, jumping out to a 2-0 lead thanks to RBIs from 1B Guillermo Garcia and 3B Jake MacKenzie. New England managed to tie the game in the top of the second, but the Capitales took the lead right back on a three-run double from CF Jonathan Lacroix. In the fourth, Garcia and 2B Jesmuel Valentin homered to increase the Québec lead to 8-3. Garcia would add two more RBIs with a double in the sixth, while Valentin notched a two-run single in the seventh. Garcia and Valentin combined for eight RBIs behind RHP Ryan Sandberg's second win of the season. RHP Matt Cronin was tagged with the loss for New England.
The Capitales will look for the series win on Saturday, as they face the Knockouts for game two starting at 7:05 PM EDT.
