VALLEYCATS SWEEP MINERS, CAPITALES AND WILD THINGS TAKE BACK FIRST PLACE - FRONTIER DAILY ROUNDUP

WRITTEN BY: MIKE GUISTOLISE

VALLEYCATS COMPLETE SWEEP OF SUSSEX COUNTY

AUGUSTA, NJ - The Tri-City ValleyCats completed their sweep of the Sussex County Miners with a 7-1 victory at Skylands Stadium on Sunday

The ValleyCats (20-23) outscored the Miners (14-30) 29-7 over the weekend, holding them to one run twice. Tri-City came out strong once again in the first inning, with DH Oscar Campos getting his side on the board with an RBI single. The ValleyCats would score another run on a groundout later in the inning. 2B Robbie Merced put the lead at 5-0 in the fourth with one swing of the bat, blasting his third homer of the year over the left field fence. The Miners would get their only run in the fifth, cutting the lead to 5-1, but could not muster any other offense against their opponent. Tri-City added on two more in the sixth to put the game out of reach. RHP Dan Beebe earned the win after going for 7.2 innings only allowing one run on five hits. RHP Kellen Brothers took the loss.

The ValleyCats will face the division-leading Québec Capitales for their next series, beginning on Tuesday at 6:30 PM EDT. The Miners will continue their homestand against their cross-state rivals, the New Jersey Jackals, on Tuesday. First pitch for the series opener is scheduled for 7:05 PM EDT.

CAPITALES SWEEP DOUBLEHEADER, RETAKE FIRST PLACE IN EAST

QUEBEC CITY, CAN. - The Québec Capitales swept their doubleheader against the New York Boulders to regain the top spot in the Frontier League East division.

In the first game, the Capitales (30-15) found themselves down early after New York (28-14) scored in the top of the first. 1B Guillermo Garcia turned things around for Québec, answering the New York with a two-run bomb in the bottom of the first. The Boulders retook the lead with a three-run fourth inning, but The Capitales answered right back with a three-run fifth to take a 5-4 lead. Québec then turned things over to their bullpen, allowing LHP Franklin Parra and RHP Frank Moscatiello to close things out for the win and the save, respectively. RHP Tyler Vail took the loss for New York.

In the second game, the Capitales were in control from the first inning. 1B Tyler Osik's two-run double gave Québec an initial lead that it would not relinquish. 2B Jesmuel Valentin added on with an RBI in the second to make it 3-0. New York was able to make things interesting in the fifth, cutting the lead down to one after a bases-loaded walk and a sacrifice fly. The Capitales then blew the score open with six runs in the sixth, including a grand slam from Valentin that made it 9-2. LHP Gilberto Chu picked up the win in relief for Québec while RHP Blaine Traxel took the loss for New York. 

The Capitales have now taken a half-game lead over the Boulders for first in the East as they move on to their next series against the Tri-City ValleyCats. First pitch for that series is scheduled for 6:30 PM EDT on Tuesday. The Boulders will head back to New York to host the Trois-Rivières Aigles for their next series. First pitch for Tuesday's opener is set for 7:00 PM EDT.

WILD THINGS SHUT OUT CRUSHERS TO LEAP BACK INTO FIRST

AVON, OH - The Washington Wild Things retook first place in the West division with a 1-0 shutout victory over the Lake Erie Crushers on Sunday.

The Wild Things (28-16) ended their road trip with a victory and the top spot in the West. The best road team in the league used their bullpen to secure the victory over the Crushers (28-17), as five arms combined to allow just one hit. 2B Ethan Wilder scored the game's lone run in the fourth inning, slapping a base hit through the left side to plate a run. RHP Ryan Munoz took the winning decision for the Wild Things, spinning three shutout innings in relief while allowing only one baserunner. RHP Gyeongju Kim earned his 10th save of the year with a perfect ninth. RHP Pedro Echemendia took the loss for the Crushers.

The Wild Things will return home to begin a series with the Florence Y'alls, beginning at 7:05 PM EDT on Tuesday. The Crushers will continue their homestand by hosting the Windy City ThunderBolts on Tuesday at 7:05 PM EDT.

TITANS TAKE DOUBLEHEADER, COMPLETE SWEEP OF NEW JERSEY

OTTAWA, CAN. - The Ottawa Titans took both games of a doubleheader against the New Jersey Jackals to complete the series sweep on Sunday at Titan Stadium. 

The Titans (26-17) continued their ascent up the East division standings with their sweep of the Jackals (13-31), and are now just three games back from first place. The first game of the Twin Bill was a nailbiter, with New Jersey taking the initial lead with an RBI base hit in the second inning. The Jackals allowed the Titans to tie the game on an E2. Ottawa then took the lead in the bottom of the fourth on an RBI double from DH Jamey Smart. The Jackals were able to tie the game in the top of the fifth and keep the score locked headed into the seventh inning. In the home half of the seventh, the Titans got a leadoff double from LF Lamar Briggs; Briggs was pinch ran for by Bobby Nichols, who took third on a tag-up on the following play. The Jackals then allowed the winning score to cross home plate on a passed ball. RHP Matt Dallas took the win for Ottawa while RHP Ryan Velazquez took the loss.

The second game was controlled by the Titans from the get-go, with Ottawa scoring all three of their runs in the first inning. The Jackals would outhit the Titans 5-4 but were only able to produce one run on a solo homer in the third. LHP Tyler Jandron set the pace for the Titans in his start, going for six innings while only allowing one run and striking out six. RHP Erasmo Pinales picked up his 12th save of the season, which ties him for most in the Frontier League. RHP Roniel Rhoades took the loss for New Jersey.

The Titans will play their next series on the road against the Schaumburg Boomers. Their series opens on Tuesday at Wintrust Field. The Jackals will travel to Skylands Stadium for an in-state rivalry series with the Sussex County Miners. First pitch for the series opener on Tuesday is scheduled for 7:05 PM EDT.

THUNDERBOLTS GET FIRST SWEEP OF THE SEASON

CRESTWOOD, IL - The Windy City ThunderBolts closed out their homestand with a series sweep on Sunday, taking down the Evansville Otters 3-1 at Ozinga Field. 

The ThunderBolts (20-26) got a big-time start from RHP Will Armbruester, who allowed only one run across 6.1 innings of work. Windy City took the lead in the fifth inning when LF Kingston Liniak drove a double into the left-field corner and brought in two runs. SS Henry Kusiak drove in another run on an error by the Evansville first baseman. The Otters (17-28) got on the board in the seventh, but the Windy City bullpen shut things down across the final 1.2 innings, only allowing one hit. Armbruester picked up his second win of the season while RHP Tyler LaPorte earned his third save of the season. Freshly signed RHP Terance Marin took the loss for Evansville but crossed a big career milestone by notching his 750th professional strikeout in his start. 

The ThunderBolts will head to Avon to begin a road series with the Lake Erie Crushers, beginning at 7:05 PM EDT on Tuesday. The Otters will stay in the Chicagoland area for their next series as they travel to Joliet to take on the Slammers. First pitch for the series opener is at 7:35 PM EDT.

BOOMERS BLAST SLAMMERS TO AVOID SWEEP

SCHAUMBURG, IL - The Schaumburg Boomers took down the Joliet Slammers 9-3 at Wintrust Field on Sunday afternoon.

The Boomers (26-19) ended their four-game skid and avoided being swept with their win on Sunday against the Slammers (21-24). Joliet took an early 1-0 lead in the first inning, but the Schaumburg offense woke up in the second, scoring two runs on a bases-loaded walk and an RBI single from 2B Alec Craig. The Boomers were able to add on with a big fifth inning that began with a two-run single from 1B Kyle Fitzgerald. Schaumburg picked up three more runs in the inning to increase their lead to 7-1. The Slammers responded with two runs in the top half of the sixth, but Fitzgerald's RBI single in the bottom half reestablished the Schaumburg lead 5. SS Tyler Depreta-Johnson tallied his second RBI of the day in the seventh, pushing the Boomer lead to 9-3. The Schaumburg bullpen then took over, not allowing a run in the final three innings. RHP Aaron Glickstein earned the win for Schaumburg while RHP Dwayne Marshall took the loss.

The Boomers will continue their homestand on Tuesday when they host the Ottawa Titans, starting at 7:30 PM EDT. The Slammers will head back home to begin a series with the Evansville Otters on Tuesday. First pitch is scheduled for 7:35 PM EDT.

Y'ALLS TAKE FINALE AGAINST GRIZZLIES, WIN SERIES

FLORENCE, KY - The Florence Y'alls defeated the Gateway Grizzlies 5-4 at Thomas More Stadium on Sunday, capturing the series win. 

The Y'alls (20-24) lost the lead to the Grizzlies (24-20)  in the middle innings but were able to buckle down and take the series with a one-run victory. Gateway got on the board first with an RBI single in the first inning, but allowed the Y'alls to plate their first run with an error in the second. The Grizzlies retook the lead with another RBI single in the third, but the Y'alls responded with a sacrifice fly from RF Hank Ziesler and an RBI single from DH TJ Reeves to take a 3-2 lead. Ziesler added on with an RBI triple in the fifth, pushing the Florence lead to 4-2. Gateway scored a run in the sixth off a wild pitch and then tied the game with a solo home run in the seventh. LF Ed Johnson gave the Y'alls a late lead with his RBI single in the eighth and RHP Alex Wagner was able to close things out for his third save of the season in the ninth. LHP Jonaiker Villalobos earned the win for Florence while RHP Gage Vailes took the loss.

The Y'alls will travel to Washington for their next series against the Wild Things. First pitch for Tuesday's opener is scheduled for 7:05 PM EDT. The Grizzlies will travel back to Sauget to host the New England Knockouts for their next series, beginning on Tuesday at 7:30 PM EDT.

AIGLES USE COMEBACK TO SWEEP KNOCKOUTS

BROCKTON, MA - The Trois-Rivières Aigles completed their sweep of the New England Knockouts with a 7-4 victory at Campanelli Stadium on Sunday afternoon.

The Aigles (25-18) have now won five in a row and eight of their last nine games. The Knockouts (12-32) were able to match their total from the previous two games in the first inning, taking a 1-0 lead on a sacrifice fly. The Aigles were unfazed, tying the game in a similar matter in the third and then taking the lead on an RBI single in the fourth from C Jacob Carroll; Carroll then came around to score on a wild pitch later in the inning. The Knockouts refused the give in, scoring three in the bottom of the fourth to take a 4-3 lead. DH Brendon tied the game in the fifth with a solo homer to left, while Carroll drove in another run later in the inning to give Trois-Rivières the lead. The Aigles added on two more in the ninth to push the lead to 7-4, giving them the series sweep. RHP Osman Gutierrez earned the win for the Aigles while RHP Kosei Naito picked up the save. RHP Daniel Goggin took the loss for New England. 

The Aigles will visit the Boulders in New York for their next series, which begins on Tuesday at 7:00 PM EDT. The Knockouts will travel to Sauget for a series with the Gateway Grizzlies next. First pitch for the series opener in southern Illinois is scheduled at 7:30 PM EDT.