BOULDERS AND JACKALS SPLIT DOUBLEHEADER - FRONTIER DAILY ROUNDUP

WRITTEN BY: MIKE GUISTOLISE

BOULDERS SPLIT DOUBLEHEADER WITH JACKALS, TAKE SERIES 3-1

PONOMA, NY - The New Jersey Jackals avoided a four-game sweep by splitting a Thursday night doubleheader with the New York Boulders at Clover Stadium.

In the first game, the Boulders (24-11) opened the scoring with a sacrifice fly to take a 1-0 lead. New York took control of the game in the fourth inning, scoring six runs while sending ten players to the plate. The highlight of the inning was SS Assaf Lowengart clearing the bases with a three-run blast after DH David Vinsky's fielder's choice and error brought in a run. Lowengart expanded the Boulder lead in the fifth with an RBI double that made it 9-1, later scoring on a passed ball. Vinsky put the finishing touches on the first game with his solo homer in the sixth that increased the lead to 11-1. LHP Joe Testa took the loss for New Jersey while RHP Brandon Blackman pitched all seven innings for New York in the win. 

In the second game, Vinsky hit his second home run of the day to get things started in the first. 3B Ryan Ford was able to answer back with a two-run single for the Jackals that tied the game at 2-2. After the Jackals gave up a run on a dirt ball, they responded mightily in the fourth inning: CF Bryson Parks knocked in the tying run with a base hit before stealing two bases, setting himself up in scoring position with only one out. Ford then launched a two-run homer to give the Jackals their first lead of the day at 5-3, adding on another with a sacrifice fly later in the inning. In the sixth, 2B Nilo Rijo widened the New Jersey lead with a solo shot to kick off the inning. The Jackals would score twice more in the frame, putting themselves up 9-3. The Boulders would make things interesting in the last of the sixth with a four-run outburst to get within two, but would ultimately fall 9-7. RHP Jalon Tyson-Long picked up his third win of the season to finally snap New Jersey's 11-game losing streak while RHP Mike DeSanti earned his first save. RHP Aaron Dona took the loss for New York.

The Boulders will continue their homestand on Friday when the New England Knockouts come to town. First pitch is at 7:00 PM EDT. The Jackals will travel back to New Jersey to begin a home series with the Québec Capitales on Friday at 6:35 PM EDT.

CAPITALES BLANK VALLEYCATS, GIDEON HOMERS TWICE

TROY, NY - The Québec Capitales limited the Tri-City ValleyCats to two hits in their 9-0 shutout victory at Joseph L. Bruno Stadium.

The fans and the bats were quiet for the ValleyCats (16-20) on Thursday, as the Capitales (23-13) homered four times to support RHP Ryan Sandberg's brilliant outing. Both teams went through the first three innings without any offense to show for it, but Québec broke through in the fourth, leading the inning off with a home run from 1B Tyler Osik. LF Tommy Seidl added on with a home run of his own to increase the Capitales lead to 3-0. The power surge continued into the fifth inning when RF Justin Gideon crushed his eighth homer of the season. Gideon homered again in the seventh, making it 6-0 Québec while also tying him for the Frontier League lead in home runs. Sandberg, making his third start of the season, only surrendered one hit in his seven-inning start and added seven strikeouts. After beginning the season as a reliever, Sandberg is now 2-0 as a starter with his latest start lowering his season ERA to 1.24. RHP Jhon Vargas was tagged with the loss for Tri-City.

The Capitales will continue their East Coast road trip in New Jersey on Friday, as they take on the Jackals at 6:35 PM EDT. The ValleyCats will continue their homestand and host the Sussex County Miners beginning at 6:30 PM EDT on Friday.

OTTERS BLOW OUT BOOMERS TO AVOID SWEEP

EVANSVILLE, IN - The Evansville Otters took down the Schaumburg Boomers 10-1 in the series finale on Thursday night.

After losing the first two games of the series, the Otters (14-22) were able to defeat one of the top teams in the Frontier League West division in convincing fashion. 1B Logan Brown put Evansville out in front with a two-run double in the first inning. The Boomers (22-13) were not able to produce any offense until the fifth inning, only managing a single run to cut their deficit to one. The Otters would score eight unanswered runs after that, including at least one run in the last four innings. Two-way player Pavin Parks blasted a home run to right-center while CF Gio DiGiacomo racked up three RBIs on the night. RHP Tristan Harvin picked up the win for the Otters while RHP Aaron Glickstein got the loss.

The Otters will host another Illinois-based team in the Windy City ThunderBolts, beginning on Friday. First pitch is set for 7:35 PM EDT. The Boomers will be back in Schaumburg to host the Washington Wild Things at 7:30 PM EDT on Friday.

GRIZZLIES STEAL SERIES FROM FIRST-PLACE WILD THINGS IN SUDDEN DEATH

WASHINGTON, PA - The Gateway Grizzlies earned a close 2-1 victory against the Washington Wild Things at Wild Things Park on Thursday night.

The Grizzlies (20-15) were able to plate the winning run in sudden death to take an important series against the Wild Things (23-12) on the road. While Washington is still in first place in the West, the Grizzlies are now only three games back with a series against the second-place Lake Erie Crushers coming up next. The game was scoreless through the first six innings, with both sides combining for just five hits headed into the seventh. With two outs in the top half, 3B DJ Stewart drove in a run with a base hit up the middle to give his side a 1-0 advantage. The Wild Things led off the bottom of the ninth with a solo home run to tie the game, eventually forcing the game into extra innings. After a scoreless 10th, the Wild Things elected to play defense to try and win the series. After a sacrifice bunt moved the ghost runner to second base, LF Tate Wargo slapped a base hit down the right-field line to drive in the winning run for Gateway. RHP Nate Garkow earned the win in relief after tossing two scoreless innings.

The Grizzlies will head back to Sauget to host the Crushers on Friday at 7:30 PM EDT. The Wild Things will head to Schaumburg for another top-of-the-West battle with the Boomers. First pitch for Friday's game is set for 7:30 PM EDT.

TITANS SHUT OUT KNOCKOUTS TO COMPLETE SWEEP

BROCKTON, MA - The Ottawa Titans completed their series sweep of the New England Knockouts with a 5-0 shutout victory at Campanelli Stadium on Thursday. 

The Titans (20-15) are now only 2.5 games behind Québec for second place in the Frontier League East division. 2B Christian Ibarra put the Titans on top with a two-run single in the second inning. In the sixth, LF Jake Guenther added on with a two-run double into the right-center field gap that made it 4-0. A sacrifice fly later in the inning would put the lead at 5-0, which would hold until the end of the game. RHP Shane Gray became the second Titan to throw a complete-game shutout this season, with the other being LHP Grant Larson last week. Gray's ability to induce soft contact was on display, as he allowed only four hits in his nine innings pitched and tallied four strikeouts. RHP Matt Cronin got the loss for New England.

The Titans will head to Trois-Rivières to take on the Aigles in their next series. First pitch for Friday's opener is scheduled for 7:05 PM EDT. The Knockouts will be in New York on Friday to take on the Boulders at 7:00 PM EDT.

CRUSHERS TAKE FINALE AGAINST JOLIET

AVON, OH - The Lake Erie Crushers took down the Joliet Slammers 4-1 on Thursday at Crusher Stadium.

The Crushers (23-13) salvaged a game against their divisional opponents to stay within a half-game of the West division lead. Lake Erie was able to take an early lead on a wild pitch in the first inning. DH Vincent Byrd Jr. then doubled the Crusher lead with a bomb to right field in the second. Joliet (16-20) was able to get on the board in the seventh to trim the lead down to 2-1, but CF Burle Dixon and the Crushers put the game away with a two-run blast in the eighth to put them up by three. LHP Jack Eisenbarger picked up his fifth win of the season while RHP Trevor Kuncl racked up save number 11. RHP Geno Encia took the loss for the Slammers.

The Crushers will hit the road for a series with the Gateway Grizzlies, beginning on Friday. First pitch is at 7:30 PM EDT. The Slammers will travel back to Joliet for a weekend series with the Florence Y'alls. First pitch for Friday's opener is scheduled for 7:35 PM EDT.

Y'ALLS SWEEP BOLTS

FLORENCE, KY - The Florence Y'alls completed their three-game sweep of the Windy City ThunderBolts with a 3-2 victory at Thomas More Stadium on Thursday.

The Y'alls (14-20) now boast a four-game winning streak, which is their longest of the season. 3B Brian Fuentes put the Y'alls on top in the third inning with an RBI infield single. The Bolts (15-22) grabbed the lead in the fifth inning with a two-run home run, but C Sergio Gutierrez snatched the lead back for Florence with his two-run blast in the seventh. LHP Joniker Villalobos had his stuff on display against Windy City, striking out 12 hitters in his six innings pitched to capture the victory. LHP Kent Klyman cleaned things up with his second save of the season. RHP Ruddy Gomez took the loss for Windy City.

The Y'alls will head to Joliet on Friday to begin their next series with the Slammers at 7:35 PM EDT. The ThunderBolts will head to Evansville to take on the Otters for their next series. First pitch for the Friday opener is set for 7:35 PM EDT.

AIGLES SALVAGE GAME TO AVOID SWEEP 

AUGUSTA, NJ - The Trois-Rivières Aigles took the final game of their series against the Sussex County Miners by a score of 6-4 on Thursday. 

After losing the first two games by a combined three runs, the Aigles (18-17) were able to take the finale at Skylands Stadium against the Miners (13-22). The Aigles controlled the game throughout the first five innings, putting together a 6-0 lead before the Miners could answer. Sussex County homered twice in the seventh inning to come within two, but Trois-Rivières closed out the last 2.2 innings by only allowing two hits en route to a victory. DH Brendon Dadson homered in the winning effort while 2B Thomas Green led the team with two RBIs. RHP Braeden Allemann earned his first win of the season behind five innings of one-run ball while RHP Yunior Thibo picked up his first save of the season. RHP Jose Ledesma Jr. got the loss for the Miners. 

The Aigles will host the Ottawa Titans next, with their series beginning on Friday at 7:05 PM EDT. The Miners will be in New York for their next series against the Tri-City ValleyCats. First pitch for Friday's series opener is set for 6:30 PM EDT.