O CANADA: AIGLES, CAPITALES, AND TITANS ALL VICTORIOUS IN THEIR SERIES FINALES - FRONTIER DAILY ROUNDUP

WRITTEN BY: MIKE GUISTOLISE (HEADLINE IDEA, CREDIT TO TIM CALDERWOOD)

OTTAWA FINISHES OFF KNOCKOUTS 

OTTAWA, CAN. - The Ottawa Titans completed their sweep of the New England Knockouts on Thursday with a 4-3 victory at Titan Stadium.

The Titans (23-17) have won three straight and are 8-2 over their last 10 ballgames. The first run of the game crossed the plate in the second inning for the Titans as a result of a double play. After the Knockouts (12-29) tied the game in the third, 1B Jason Dicochea put Ottawa back in front with a solo homer to left field in the fourth. The Titans expanded their lead with a sacrifice fly in the fifth, then made it 4-2 in the sixth off a home run from LF Lamar Briggs. New England was able to score one in the ninth while getting the tying run on base, but RHP Erasmo Pinales was able to induce a groundball to end the game and gather his 11th save of the season. LHP Bryan Pena started and picked up the win for the Titans after striking out five across six innings. LHP Brian Seiler took the loss.

The Titans will host the New Jersey Jackals for their next series, beginning on Friday at 6:30 PM EDT. The Knockouts will travel back to Brockton to host the Trois-Rivières Aigles on Friday. First pitch for the series opener will be at 6:30 PM EDT.

CAPITALES USE BIG FIFTH INNING TO BREEZE PAST MINERS

QUEBEC CITY, CAN. - The Québec Capitales posted eight runs on 11 hits to take down the Sussex County Miners in the series finale on Thursday. 

The Capitales (28-14) are back on a winning streak, winning four in a row after finishing their sweep of the Miners (14-27) at Stade Canac. After falling behind in the first inning, 3B Jake MacKenzie gave Québec the lead with a two-run homer in the bottom half. The Miners came back to tie things up in the second, but CF Jonathan Lacroix's RBI single in the fourth put the Capitales back on top 3-2. In the fifth with the game tied at three, Québec opened the game up with a five-run frenzy, which included another two RBIs from Lacroix. The Capitales' bullpen shut out the Miners in the final three innings, including three consecutive strikeouts from RHP Yusniel Padron-Artiles to close it out. RHP James Bradwell earned the winning decision for the Capitales while LHP Mike Reagan took the loss.

The Capitales are back in action on Friday when they host the New York Boulders for a weekend series, beginning at 7:05 PM EDT. The Miners will head back to Augusta to begin a homestand against the Tri-City ValleyCats. First pitch for their series opener on Friday is scheduled for 7:05 PM EDT.

AIGLES TAKE LEAD BACK IN EIGHTH INNING TO WIN SERIES

TROIS-RIVIERES, CAN. - The Trois-Rivières Aigles defeated the Tri-City ValleyCats 8-5 to take the series at Stade Quillorama on Thursday.

The Aigles (22-18) got off to a hot start, scoring three in the first inning. After the ValleyCats (19-23) got on the board with a homer in the third, 3B Brendon Dadson tacked on his third RBI of the game in the home half to push the Trois-Rivières advantage to 4-1. Tri-City was able to rally in the eighth inning to take a 5-4 lead, but the Aigles responded with four runs in their half of the eighth, retaking the lead with an RBI single from DH Rodrigo Orozco. RHP Kosei Natio got the win in relief for Trois-Rivières, his second win of the year. Meanwhile, RHP Nathan Medrano took the loss out of the ValleyCats' bullpen.

The Aigles will hit the road and head to Brockton for their next series against the New England Knockouts. First pitch for that series opener is set for 6:30 PM EDT on Friday. The ValleyCats will be hosted by the Sussex County Miners for their next series at Skylands Stadium. First pitch will be on Friday at 7:05 PM EDT.

Y'ALLS DOWN THE BOOMERS IN FINALE TO TAKE SERIES

FLORENCE, KY - The Florence Y'alls dismantled the Schaumburg Boomers with a 9-7 victory in the series finale at Thomas More Stadium on Thursday.

After taking big losses at the hands of the Boomers (25-17) to start the week, the Y'alls (18-23) took back-to-back games against their West division foe and are now 7-3 over their last 10 games. Florence's newfound offensive prowess was on display early, with 2B Ed Johnson and CF Blaze O'Saben combining for three runs in the second inning to put their side out in front. The hero from Wednesday afternoon's game, RF TJ Reeves, homered again in the fourth to put the Y'alls up 5-0 in the third. The Boomers then surged for six runs in the top of the fifth inning, taking a 7-6 lead. Johnson brought in the tying run in the bottom half on a ground out. In the sixth, 1B Hank Ziesler gave the Y'all a lead that would last through the end of the game with a towering two-run blast, ending his day with a 2-for-4 line and a walk. The Y'alls pitching staff was able to batten down the hatches following a rocky start, shutting out Schaumburg in the final three innings. RHP Cameron Pferrer earned the win in relief while RHP Alex Wagner picked up his first save of the year. RHP Cristian Lopez was tagged with the loss for Schaumburg.

The Y'alls will host another top team in the Frontier League West in the Gateway Grizzlies for their next series. First pitch in Kentucky will take place on Friday at 7:03 PM EDT. The Boomers will head back home for a weekend series against the Joliet Slammers at Wintrust Field. The series is set to begin on Friday at 7:30 PM EDT. 

SLAMMERS, OTTERS SPLIT DOUBLEHEADER, JOLIET TAKES SERIES

EVANSVILLE, IN - The Joliet Slammer and Evansville Otters split their doubleheader on Thursday, with the Slammers taking the first game 4-0 and the Otters winning the second 6-1.

After weather postponed the original series opener on Tuesday, the Slammers (19-23) and Otters (17-25) rescheduled it as part of a doubleheader to decide the series winner. In the first game, Joliet RHP Gino Encina was sharp in his start, tossing a seven-inning shutout while only allowing three hits. RF Chris Davis brought in two runs to give the lead to the Slammers in the third inning. Behind Encina, 2B Jeissy De La Cruz and 1B Matthew Warkentin both added RBIs that would secure the Joliet lead and eventually win them the series. Encina's win was his first of the year. For the Otters, RHP Parker Brahams took the loss after lasting just four innings into his start.

In the second game, Evansville flipped the script, opening the scoring with a two-run bomb from newly acquired RF Alec Olund. In the fourth, C Justin Felix launched another two-run homer for the Otters, pushing their lead to 5-0. Olund picked up another RBI on a sacrifice fly to put the game out of reach. LHP Braeden Scott showed off his stuff in his seven-inning start, sitting down 11 Slammers via the strikeout. Scott picked up his first win of the season while LHP Zach Grace struggled, giving up three runs in three innings en route to the loss.

The Slammers will meet the Schaumburg Boomers at Wintrust Field for their next series, which begins on Friday at 7:30 PM EDT. The Otters will also travel to the Chicagoland area for their next series against the Windy City ThunderBolts. The series opener at Ozinga Field is scheduled to begin on Friday at 7:35 PM EDT.

WASHINGTON 1-HITS GATEWAY, CONTINUES TO RULE THE WEST

SAUGET, IL - The Washington Wild Things outdueled the Gateway Grizzlies for a 6-1 victory at Grizzlies Ballpark on Thursday night.

The Wild Things (27-14) limited Gateway (23-18) to just one hit for the entire game. RHP Dariel Fregio was solid after giving up a leadoff home run, retiring 16 straight hitters while Washington's offense got to work. The Gateway lead carried until the fifth inning, when LF Evan Berkey knotted things up with an RBI ground-rule double for the Wild Things. Washington then posted five runs in the seventh inning to take a commanding 6-1 lead, highlighted by DH Wagner Lagrange's two-run homer. Fregio sat down 18 of the 20 batters he faced, while the two relievers that followed his start did now surrender a hit. Fregio's win marks his fifth of the season. On the Grizzlies' side, RHP Alvery De Los Santos took the loss after only managing to get through 0.2 innings. 

The first-place Wild Things will continue their season-long road trip with a stop in Avon, Ohio for a series with the second-place Lake Erie Crushers. First pitch for their weekend series is scheduled for Friday at 7:05 PM EDT. The Grizzlies will head to Kentucky to for a series with the Florence Y'alls, beginning on Friday at 7:05 PM EDT.

BOULDERS TAKE LONE GAME AGAINST JACKALS

PONOMA, NY - The New York Boulders scored four straight runs to win the one-game series 4-2 against the New Jersey Jackals.

Due to scheduling conflicts, the Boulders (27-12) and Jackals (13-28) had been off since last weekend, shortening their series at Clover Stadium to just one game. During their lone game on Thursday night, New Jersey struck first with a two-run home run in the top of the first. 1B Peyton Isaacson answered right back for New York, bringing in two runs on a double to left field in the bottom half to tie the game. LF David Vinsky put the Boulders on top in the sixth inning with a solo shot to right-center. Isaacson brought in another run with a sacrifice fly in the eighth to push the Boulder lead to 4-2. The Jackals were able to load the bases with one out in the top of the ninth, but RHP Dylan Smith was able to strike out back-to-back hitters to end the game and notch his sixth save of the year. RHP Garrett Cooper picked up the win for New York while LHP Jake Kuchmaner took the loss for the Jackals.

The Boulders will move on to Québec for a series against a fellow East division heavyweight in the Capitales. First pitch for the series is set for Friday at 7:05 PM EDT. The Jackals will head up to Ottawa for a weekend series with the Titans. First pitch on Friday is scheduled for 6:30 PM EDT.

CRUSHERS, BOLTS BOTH SUFFER INJURIES IN MARATHON GAME

CRESTWOOD, IL - The Lake Erie Crushers dominated the Windy City ThunderBolts to the tune of an 11-3 win on Thursday night at Ozinga Field.

In a game that crossed the three-and-a-half-hour mark on the South Side of Chicago, the Crushers (26-16) took the series against the ThunderBolts (17-26) in an injury-riddled finale. Both starting pitchers were sharp early, with RHP Ruddy Gomez and LHP Darrien Ragins both registering three strikeouts in the first inning while averaging fastballs in the mid-90s. The Crushers were able to break through in the second inning with a single that hit off the second baseman's glove, bringing in the game's first run. Unfortunately, Gomez was taken out in the middle of an at-bat during the top of the fourth inning with what looked like an arm injury, forcing manager Bobby Jenks to turn to his bullpen early. Lake Erie took advantage, drawing six consecutive walks that resulted in four runs in the frame. In the sixth, the Crushers' power hitters were put on display, with 1B Alfredo Gonzalez and DH Vincent Byrd Jr. hitting back-to-back doubles, with the latter resulting in two more runs. Lake Erie would tack on three more in the inning to push their lead to 10-0, but not before Byrd was taken out after hobbling around the bases; his injury was not the only one for the Crushers, as 2B Ethan Skender was also taken out of the game after fouling a ball off his left knee. The ThunderBolts surrendered a total of 11 walks and 13 hits en route to an 11-3 blowout loss. Ragins earned the win for Lake Erie, his fourth of the year. Gomez took the loss for Windy City.

The Crushers will return home for a series against the first-place Washington Wild Things, beginning on Friday at 7:05 PM EDT. The ThunderBolts will continue their homestand with a weekend series against the Evansville Otters. First pitch for the series opener on Friday is scheduled to begin at 7:35 PM EDT.