GRIZZLIES SWEEP JOLIET, MILEY Ks NINE - FRONTIER DAILY ROUNDUP
WRITTEN BY: MIKE GUISTOLISE
DEYLEN MILEY STRIKES OUT NINE, GRIZZLIES COMPLETE SWEEP
JOLIET, IL - The Gateway Grizzlies defeated the Joliet Slammers on Thursday night by a final score of 5-1.
RHP Deylen Miley, who leads the Frontier League in strikeouts, led the way for the Grizzlies (36-25) with a strong six-inning start that included nine strikeouts against one earned run. The only run Miley gave up was in the fourth inning, a solo home run that put the Slammers (37-35) in front 1-0. The Grizzlies came back to tie things in the seventh on a solo blast from 1B Peter Zimmermann. The contest remained at a standstill after that, forcing it into extra innings. Gateway took charge of the game in the 10th, scoring the go-ahead run on a base hit by LF Cole Brannen. The Grizzlies plated three more before the inning expired, forcing Joliet to rally down 5-1. The Slammers' comeback bid was unsuccessful, giving the Grizzlies the road series sweep. RHP Joel Condreay got the win in relief while RHP Cameron Smith took the loss for Joliet.
The Grizzlies will return to action on Friday when they host the Schaumburg Boomers at 7:30 PM EDT. The Slammers will head to Crestwood for a series with the Windy City ThunderBolts, beginning on Friday. First pitch is at 7:35 PM EDT.
T-BOLTS SWEEP BOOMERS
CRESTWOOD, IL - The Windy City ThunderBolts completed a partial game before completing their sweep of the Schaumburg Boomers on Thursday night at Ozinga Field.
The series opener at Schaumburg on Tuesday was suspended in the fifth inning due to weather, with the ThunderBolts (26-38) leading the Boomers (33-30) 4-2. The game was resumed as the first part of a doubleheader on Thursday; Windy City earned the victory after neither side was able to change the score. RHP Caleb Riedel earned the win while RHP Jackson Hickertt suffered the loss.
In the second game, the ThunderBolts took charge in the first behind an RBI double from 3B Emmanuel Sanchez. 1B Joe Johnson doubled the ThunderBolt lead in the fourth with another RBI double down the left-field line. Schaumburg refused to yield, scoring four straight runs in the fifth to take a 4-2 lead. Windy City was able to tie things up in the bottom of the seventh, pushing the game into extra innings. The Boomers struck first in extra innings, taking a 5-4 lead after a Windy City error. The ThunderBolts were able to tie the game in the bottom of the inning on a misplayed sacrifice bunt, moving the winning run to third. Ronnie Allen Jr. was called upon to pinch hit in the next at-bat and crushed a two-run homer to right to give the ThunderBolts the victory. RHP Tyler LaPorte earned the win in relief for Windy City while RHP Dylan Stutsman took the loss.
The ThunderBolts will host the Joliet Slammers on Friday for a weekend series, with the first game set to begin at 7:35 PM EDT. The Boomers will head down to Sauget for a weekend series with the Gateway Grizzlies, beginning on Friday at 7:30 PM EDT.
VALLEYCATS SWEEP AIGLES ON ANOTHER WALK-OFF
TROY, NY - The Tri-City ValleyCats walked off the Trois-Rivières Aigles for the second time in the series on Thursday night, winning the finale at Joseph L. Bruno Stadium 4-3.
The sweep gives the ValleyCats (35-28) a 1.5-game lead over the Aigles (33-29) in the Frontier League East division standings, and puts them only one game behind Ottawa for the final playoff spot. The two teams carried a scoreless tie into the seventh inning, which was broken by Trois-Rivières on a two-run single. With two outs in the ninth, DH Oscar Campos was able to tie the game at 2-2 and send the game into extras. The Aigles scored a run to take a 3-2 lead in the 10th, but Tri-City knotted the game on a pinch-hit single from Bradley Roberto. The game was then forced into sudden death and in a bold move, the ValleyCats chose to hit. They were able to load the bases with one out for Demias Jimerson, who delivered a walk-off base hit to give Tri-City the win. RHP Gino Sabatine was given the win.
The ValleyCats will visit the Ottawa Titans over the weekend for their next series. The opener on Friday is set to begin at 6:30 PM EDT. The Aigles will face off with the Québec Capitales at Stade Canac, beginning on Friday at 7:05 PM EDT.
CAPITALES SHUT OUT JACKALS TO COMPLETE SWEEP
PATERSON, NJ - The Québec Capitales closed out their series with the New Jersey Jackals on Thursday by shutting them out for the second time.
The 9-0 win shows the type of dominance Québec (41-22) had over the Jackals (20-42) at Hinchcliffe Stadium, outscoring them 24-4 in the series while shutting them out twice. RF Marc-Antoine Lebreux set the tone for the Capitales in the first inning by launching a solo homer to begin the scoring. Lebreux homered again in the third to double the Québec lead to 2-0. The offense continued to hum throughout the game, including a homer from 2B Jesmuel Valentin in the fifth and another RBI for Lebreux in the eighth. 3B Jake MacKenzie put the finishing touches on the score when he grounded into a double play in the ninth to make it 9-0. The Capitales only allowed five hits in the shutout, none of which were for extra bases. RHP Yusneil Padron-Atiles earned the win in relief for the Capitales while RHP Dylan Sabia took the loss.
The Capitales will host the Trois-Rivières Aigles for their next series, with the opener on Friday set to start at 7:05 PM EDT. The Jackals will head to Brockton for a series with the New England Knockouts. First pitch for Friday's opener is scheduled for 6:30 PM EDT.
Y'ALLS WINNING STREAK AT THREE AFTER SWEEP
FLORENCE, KY - The Florence Y'alls completed their sweep of the Evansville Otters at Thomas More Stadium on Thursday night, winning the finale 8-4.
The Y'alls (28-35) have slowly inched their way up the standings in the West since the All-Star break, and are now four games behind Schaumburg and eight games away from a playoff spot. Florence got off to a hot start in the first inning, grabbing a 2-0 lead off of RF Hank Zeisler's two-run bomb. Two more runs crossed in the inning on a wild pitch and a sacrifice fly, giving the Y'alls a 4-0 lead right out of the gate. LF Stephen Hrustich brought in two more in the third on a ground-rule double, and C Sergio Gutierrez piled on with a two-run single in the same frame. The Otters tried to chip away at the lead, but could not complete a timely comeback. RHP Reed Smith was excellent for the Y'alls, allowing just one run on four hits across seven innings while punching out five. RHP Parker Brahams was responsible for the loss.
The Y'alls will continue their homestand against the Sussex County Miners on Friday, with a 7:03 PM EDT first pitch. The Otters will return home to host the Lake Erie Crushers for the weekend. First pitch for Friday's opener is scheduled for 7:35 PM EDT.
WILD THINGS HUMBLE CRUSHERS, TAKE SERIES
WASHINGTON, PA - The Washington Wild Things took down the Lake Erie Crushers 4-2 at Wild Things Park on Thursday night to earn the series victory.
The Wild Things (41-21) came out on top in a battle of the West division's top two teams, and have taken both series with Lake Erie (38-25) since the All-Star break. The Crushers took a 1-0 lead in the second inning on the strength of a solo home run. Washington responded in kind in the fourth with LF Wagner Lagrange's sixth big fly of the year. A wild pitch in the sixth gifted Lake Erie the lead, but the bottom of the inning saw three runs scored from three extra-base hits, including an RBI triple from 3B Tommy Caufield. The Washington bullpen closed things out in the last three innings, capped with RHP Gyeongju Kim's 16th save of the season. RHP Dariel Fregio earned the win while RHP Pedro Echemendia took the loss.
The Wild Things will return home to face another dangerous opponent in the New York Boulders on Friday at 7:05 PM EDT. The Crushers will travel to Evansville to face the Otters in a weekend series. First pitch for Friday's opener will be at 7:35 PM EDT.
KNOCKOUTS DOWN MINERS
AUGUSTA, NJ - The New England Knockouts defeated the Sussex County Miners 5-1 at Skylands Stadium on Thursday evening.
The series will end up as a tie after Wednesday's game was postponed. The Knockouts (21-40) struck first in the opening frame, scoring two runs on base hits from RF Keagan Calero and 2B Jake Boone. The Miners (23-39) scored their only run in the fourth inning, trimming the deficit down to one. New England was able to capitalize on a Miner error in the sixth, scoring two runs on what would have been a routine groundout. In the ninth, the Knockouts managed to pull off a successful double steal, as Calero stole home after a throw down to second to make it 5-1. RHP Mike McKenna earned the win in relief for New England while RHP Jose Ledesma Jr. took the loss.
The Knockouts will host the New Jersey Jackals for their next series, beginning on Friday at 6:30 PM EDT. The Miners will move on to Florence to face off with the Y'alls in a weekend series. First pitch for Friday's opener is at 7:03 PM EDT.
BOULDERS CRUSH TITANS IN FINALE
PONOMA, NY - The New York Boulders poured on seven runs in the second inning to propel them to a 9-1 win over the Ottawa Titans at Clover Stadium on Thursday.
The Boulders (37-25) created a little more distance between them and the third-place Titans (35-26) in the East, and now hold a 1.5-game lead headed into the full last series in July. Ottawa grabbed the lead in the first inning on an RBI single. New York then responded in the second inning with a massive offensive production that included a leadoff homer from CF Isaac Bellony and was capped with a grand slam by LF David Vinsky. The Boulders sent 10 men to the plate in the second and scored seven runs to take a 7-1 lead. Bellony drew a walk with the bases loaded in the fourth to bring in another run; RF Steve Barmakian put the finishing touches on the score in the ninth with an RBI single. RHP Brandon Backman earned the win after allowing only one run in his six-inning start. RHP Shane Gray took the loss.
The Boulders will move on to Washington as they face off with the Wild Things in a weekend series, beginning on Friday at 7:05 PM. The Titans will host the Tri-City ValleyCats next, with Friday's opener set to begin at 6:30 PM EDT.
