BOOMERS COMPLETE SWEEP IN CONVINCING FASHION - FRONTIER DAILY ROUNDUP
WRITTEN BY: MIKE GUISTOLISE
SCHAUMBURG BRINGS THE BOOM OVER WINDY CITY
SCHAUMBURG, IL - The Schaumburg Boomers demolished the Windy City ThunderBolts 12-1 to complete the series sweep on Sunday.
The Boomers (32-25) will head into the All-Star break a half-game out of the last playoff spot in the Frontier League West division, just one loss behind Gateway. Schaumburg got out in front early on an RBI double from 3B Paxton Wallace in the first inning. The ThunderBolts (21-37) got even in the top of the second, but DH Jake Meyer and RF Christian Fedko put the Boomers back on top with an RBI apiece in the bottom of the inning. The Boomers ran away with the game after that, with Wallace picking up two more RBIs in the fourth while LF Aaron Simmons and C Felix Aberouette both homered. RHP Cole Stallings earned the win in relief while RHP John Mikolaicyk took the loss.
The Boomers will play their first game after the break on Friday against the Gateway Grizzlies at 7:30 PM EDT. The ThunderBolts will head to Joliet on Friday to begin a weekend series with the Joliet Slammers. First pitch is at 7:35 PM EDT.
KNOCKOUTS TAKE FINALE VS. AIGLES
BROCKTON, MA - The New England Knockouts earned the series victory against the Trois-Rivières Aigles with a 9-6 at Campanelli Stadium on Sunday.
The Knockouts (20-36) have won five of their last six games and are 8-4 in July. The game was initially in control of the Aigles (31-25), who built a 4-0 lead headed into the bottom of the third inning. New England responded in the best way possible, plating eight runs in the frame to double up their opposition 8-4. The inning was filled with mistakes from Trois-Rivières, including two hit batsmen, four walks, a wild pitch, a passed ball, and an error. The Knockouts were able to capitalize and send 13 men to the plate as the Aigles gave away the lead. New England was able to add on with a sacrifice fly from All-Star CF Austin White in the fifth to make it 9-4. The Aigles could not get a grip on the game after that, despite scoring twice to trim their deficit down to three. RHP Matt Cronin earned the win out of the bullpen for the Knockouts while RHP Osman Gutierrez walked away with the loss.
Like the rest of the league, the Knockouts and Aigles will both be off until games resume on Friday. The Aigles will host the New York Boulders at 7:05 PM EDT coming out of the break while the Knockouts will visit the New Jersey Jackals at 6:35 PM EDT.
SEIDL BRINGS HOME FOUR IN WIN OVER TITANS
OTTAWA - The Québec Capitales crushed the Ottawa Titans 12-2 at Titan Stadium to complete the three-game sweep on Sunday.
The Capitales (37-20) are now 2.5 games up in the East division and have the second-best record in the Frontier League. Québec took charge in the third inning, taking a 1-0 lead on a sacrifice fly. In the fourth, DH Jake MacKenzie doubled the lead with an RBI double down the left-field line. He was followed two batters later by LF Tommy Seidl, who doubled the lead up to 4-0 with a two-run double down the same line. The Titans (32-23) were able to cut into the lead with two runs in the fifth, but the Capitals responded with five runs in the sixth to run their lead up to 9-2. Seidl aided in putting the game away in the seventh, crushing a two-run homer. RHP James Bradwell earned the win with a strong six-inning quality start, with RHP Yusneil Padron-Artiles earning the three-inning save. LHP Bryan Pena took the loss for the Titans.
Both clubs will resume play on Friday, with the Capitales taking on the Tri-City ValleyCats and the Titans paying a visit to the Sussex County Miners. Both games will begin at 7:05 PM EDT.
WASHINGTON WINS ANOTHER CRAZY GAME, SWEEPS FLORENCE
FLORENCE, KY - The Washington Wild Things completed their sweep of the Florence Y'alls at Wild Things Park on Sunday with a crazy 13-12 victory.
The Wild Things (38-18) own the best record in the league heading into the All-Star break and earned their 38th win in a strange slugfest against Florence (23-33). Both sides combined for 38 hits in the game, with Washington having the advantage 22-16. The Wild Things were relentless in the first four innings of the game, posting 10 runs against the Y'alls' four. CF Caleb McNeely hit a two-run home run during the surge while SS Carson Clowers hit a homer and drove in three runs. The game looked to be well in hand after the Wild Things pushed across two more runs in the top of the eighth to get their lead up to 13-6, but Florence refused to go down quietly. The Y'alls scored six in the eighth to come to within one, but could not bring home the tying run. The Y'alls threatened once again in the ninth with two men on, but RHP Gyeongju Kim was able to slam the door for his 15th save of the season. RHP Malik Barrington earned the win for Washington while RHP Dante Chirico took the loss.
The Wild Things will pick play back up on Friday at 7:35 PM EDT when they visit the Evansville Otters at Bosse Field. The Y'alls will also be off until Friday and will come back to play the Lake Erie Crushers at 7:05 PM EDT in Ohio.
BOULDERS AND MINERS SPLIT DOUBLEHEADER, SERIES
AUGUSTA, NJ - The New York Boulders and the Sussex County Miners split their doubleheader at Skylands Stadium on Sunday afternoon.
The first game was dominated by the Boulders (33-22), who limited their opponent to one run. LF David Vinsky put New York in front 1-0 in the first inning with an RBI single. The Boulders posted four runs in the second, highlighted by 2B Nick Gotta singling home a run before coming around to score on a passed ball. The Miners (21-36) scored their only run in the third, followed by New York scoring four more in the fourth, including two more RBIs from Gotta. The Boulders continued to pile on, scoring twice in the fifth and once in the seventh to run the score up to 12-1 before finally closing it out. RHP Garrett Cooper earned the win while RHP Jose Ledesma Jr. took the loss.
In the second game, the Miners got off to a hot start by scoring three in the first. The Boulders would struggle to get anything started, not picking up their first runs until the fourth inning. In the sixth, OF Alec Sayre gave his side some insurance via an RBI single into center field that put the Miners up 4-2. RHP Robbie Hitt was able to enter the game in the seventh to close things down, picking up his sixth save of the season in the progress. RHP Matt Stil earned the win with a perfect inning of relief work. RHP Aaron Dona took the loss for New York.
Both clubs will be back in action on Friday at 7:05 PM EDT, with the Boulders visiting the Trois-Rivières Aigles and the Miners hosting the Ottawa Titans.
CRUSHERS HIT THREE HOMERS IN VICTORY OVER OTTERS
AVON, OH - The Lake Erie Crushers took down the Evansville Otters 8-5 to complete the sweep heading into the All-Star break.
After the win, the Crushers (37-20) have equaled their win total from last season and are just 1.5 games back from the first-place Wild Things in the West. Lake Erie took charge of the game in the second inning, creating a 3-0 lead off of home runs from LF Ron Washington and 3B Michael Triana. The Otters (21-36) retorted loudly in the top of the third, scoring five runs to take a 5-3 lead. The Crushers were able to load the bases and draw a walk to bring home a run but left three men stranded before they could tie the game. In the fourth, the power returned to the Lake Erie lineup, as RF Jack Harris tied the game with an RBI double and was followed by DH Vincent Byrd Jr.'s two-run blast to take the lead. CF Burle Dixon closed the inning out with a sacrifice fly to put the Crushers up by three. Lake Erie then handed the game off to their bullpen, with four relievers combining to pitch four shutout innings while allowing just two hits. LHP Darrien Ragins picked up his league-leading seventh win of the season while RHP Trevor Kuncl picked up his 15th save. RHP Ryan Wiltse took the loss for Evansville.
The Crushers will return to action on Friday when they host the Florence Y'alls at 7:05 PM EDT. The Otters will begin a homestand on Friday against the Washington Wild Things. First pitch is at 7:35 PM EDT.
JACKALS STEAL FINALE DESPITE BEING HELD TO THREE HITS
TROY, NY - The New Jersey Jackals won a close 2-1 contest against the Tri-City ValleyCats at Joseph L. Bruno Stadium on Sunday afternoon.
The Jackals (19-36) were outhit 6-3 but still managed to earn the victory by the slimmest of margins in sudden death. New Jersey got out in front early, scoring their first run on a groundout in the first inning. Run-scoring was not a premium item during this game, as the next run would not cross the plate until the eighth inning when the ValleyCats (30-27) tied things up on a sacrifice fly. The game ultimately spilled over into extra innings, and with neither side able to make anything happen in the 10th, the game went into sudden death, with Tri-City electing to defend. After moving the ghost runner on first base over on a sacrifice bunt, 2B Xavier Valentin put a base hit into center field to bring home the winning run for New Jersey. RHP Ryan Velazquez earned the win in relief for the Jackals. By rule, there is no losing pitcher in sudden death.
The Jackals will return to play on Friday when they host the New England Knockouts at 6:35 PM EDT. The ValleyCats will resume play on Friday and begin a weekend series in Québec against the Capitales. First pitch is at 7:05 PM EDT.
GRIZZLIES TAKE SERIES FROM SLAMMERS
SAUGET, IL - The Gateway Grizzlies earned the series win with a 3-1 victory over the Joliet Slammers on Sunday at Grizzlies Ballpark.
Gateway (32-24) owns the last playoff spot in the West division by a half-game heading into the break while Joliet (26-31) is on the outside looking in. The Slammers broke the scoreless tie in the fourth, taking a 1-0 lead on an RBI groundout with the bases loaded. The Grizzlies knotted things up in the fifth off an RBI single from 2B Gabe Holt. In the eighth, Gateway was able to take the lead off a lead-off homer from DH DJ Stewart and then add on another with an RBI single from LF Cole Brannen. LHP Leoni De La Cruz closed things out for Gateway in the ninth, picking up his third save of the season. RHP Matt Hickey earned the win for the Grizzlies while RHP Ian Delleman took the loss.
Both teams will return to play on Friday as the Grizzlies head up to Schaumburg to face the Boomers, and the Slammers host the Windy City ThunderBolts. Both games will begin at 7:35 PM EDT.
