SOUR GRAPES: Y'ALLS SEND LAKE ERIE TO SIXTH STRAIGHT LOSS - FRONTIER DAILY ROUNDUP
WRITTEN BY: MIKE GUISTOLISE
Y'ALLS STOMP OUT CRUSHERS
FLORENCE, KY - The Flroence Y'alls won their fourth straight matchup with the Lake Erie Crushers on Tuesday night when they took the opener 7-2 at Thomas More Stadium.
The Y'alls (32-35) have been one of the hottest teams in the Frontier League since the All-Star break, winning every series since the mid-summer classic. The one-time first-place Crushers (38-29) on the other hand have continued to stumble, winning just once in their last 10 games, including six straight. Things were looking up for Lake Erie in the fourth inning as they broke the scoreless tie with a two-run triple to grab the game's first lead. Florence began to chip away in the bottom of the inning, starting with an RBI single from CF Thomas Jones. The inning continued to escalate for the Y'alls, eventually walking the bases loaded with two outs for 2B Justin Lavey. The former Louisville Cardinal took advantage of the opportunity, blasting a grand slam to left-center field to put his side in front 5-2. 3B Brian Fuentes added on in the fifth with a two-run bomb to take all of the wind out of the Crushers' sails. LHP Evan Webster, another Louisville alumnus, pitched to a win on the Florence side while RHP Matt Mulhearn took the loss.
The series will continue on Wednesday in Kentucky with a 6:41 PM EDT first pitch.
THUNDERBOLTS SHUT OUT BOULDERS
CRESTWOOD, IL - The Windy City ThunderBolts opened their series against the New York Boulders with a 3-0 shutout at Ozinga Field on Tuesday evening.
The ThunderBolts (29-39) have won eight of their last nine games including three shutouts. Things were pretty close with New York (38-28) throughout the game's early stages, taking a scoreless tie into the bottom of the fifth inning. There, the ThunderBolts' offense came alive behind an RBI single from 3B Emmanuel Sanchez and a Boulder error to take a 2-0 lead. RF Brennen Dorighi added an insurance run in the sixth to push the lead to 3-0. The Windy City bullpen took over from there, only allowing one hit across the final three innings. LHP Michael Barker earned the win while RHP Tyler LaPorte picked up the save. RHP Erik Stock took the loss for New York.
The ThunderBolts will attempt to take the series in the middle game on Wednesday. First pitch is at 11:35 AM EDT.
CAPITALES TAKE SLUGFEST OPENER VS. MINERS
AUGUSTA, NJ - The Québec Capitales came out on top 10-6 over the Sussex County Miners at Skylands Stadium on Tuesday night.
After falling behind in the second inning, the Capitales (44-23) outscored the Miners (24-42) 9-3 to snatch the opener in Augusta. DH Marc-Antoine Lebreux put Québec on top in the first inning with a solo shot to right field. Sussex County answered with three runs in the second to take a 3-1 lead. The Capitales put together an impressive four-run third, retaking the lead at 5-3 behind 2B Jesmuel Valentin's homer and RF Justin Gideon's RBI double. The Miners knotted things up in the bottom of the inning, but Québec used another scoring spurt in the seventh to push their lead to 10-5 and cruise to victory. Gideon and SS Kyle Crowl led the way with three RBIs apiece while RHP Yusneil Padron-Atiles picked up the win in relief. RHP Charlie Neuweiler took the loss for the Miners.
The series will continue on Wednesday at 7:05 PM EDT.
VALLEYCATS HOLD KNOCKOUTS TO ONE RUN IN SERIES OPENER
TROY, NY - The Tri-City ValleyCats coasted to a 4-1 win over the New England Knockouts to open the series at Joseph L. Bruno Stadium on Tuesday.
The ValleyCats (36-31) rallied behind an excellent start from RHP Arlo Marynczak to take an important series opener from the Knockouts (22-43). With New York's loss to Windy City, the win puts Tri-City just 2.5 games out of the last playoff spot in the Frontier League East division. New England grabbed the lead in the top of the first on a wild pitch but went without a hit for the rest of Marynczak's start. The ValleyCats knotted things up in the second on a sacrifice fly and then took the lead on an RBI double from SS Elvis Peralta Jr. In the eighth, DH Oscar Campos put the game out of reach with a two-run blast to make it 4-1. Marynczak took the win behind 6.1 innings of one-run ball that included six strikeouts. RHP Zeke Wood punched out three in the ninth to earn the save while LHP Anderson Comas took the loss.
The middle game of the series will be at 6:30 PM EDT on Wednesday.
TITANS, AIGLES SPLIT DOUBLEHEADER
TROIS-RIVIÈRES - The Trois-Rivières Aigles and Ottawa Titans split their series-opening doubleheader at Stade Quillorama on Tuesday evening.
In the first game, the Titans (39-27) scored twice in the top of the first to take a 2-0 lead. Trois-Rivières (35-32) went on a furious run in the bottom of the inning, scoring eight runs while sending 12 men to the plate and forcing Ottawa's starter from the game after recording just two outs. SS Thomas Green had the highlight of the Aigles' run, clearing the bases with a three-run double. The Titans slowly chipped away at the lead, eventually tying the game at 9-9 as things went into the seventh. After a single and a stolen base, the Aigles were able to move the winning run over to third with only one out; C Willie Estrada came through in the next at-bat, singling home the winning run to deliver the walk-off for Trois-Rivières. RHP Yunior Thibo earned the win while RHP Zach Voelker took the loss.
The Titans opened up the second game with an RBI double from RF Brendan O'Donnell, immediately followed by 1B Jamey Smart's two-run single to establish a 3-0 lead. Ottawa scored another two runs in the second, including another RBI from O'Donnell, to push the lead out to 5-0. Trois-Rivières was able to cut into the lead in the bottom of the second with a couple of RBI base hits to make it 5-2. The Titans were gifted a run in the third on a wild pitch, pushing their lead back out to four. Smart reestablished the lead at five in the seventh, driving in his third run of the game and fourth of the day. The Aigles made things interesting by scoring three in the seventh but ultimately came up short by a final score of 7-5. LHP Tyler Jandron earned the win while RHP Mitchell Miliano suffered the loss.
The series will continue on Wednesday with a 7:05 PM EDT first pitch.
JACKALS DEMOLISH GRIZZLIES TO OPEN MIDWEST ROAD TRIP
SAUGET, IL - The New Jersey Jackals smashed the Gateway Grizzlies 11-1 at Grizzlies Ballpark on Tuesday.
The Jackals (23-43) collected six extra-base hits, including two home runs, as they dismantled the Grizzlies (39-27) on the road. New Jersey opened the scoring with five runs on seven hits in the second inning after sending 11 men to the plate. Gateway managed one run in retaliation in the bottom of the inning but was unable to produce much past that. DH Arbert Cipion hit a two-run homer in the sixth, only to be outdone by C Xavier Valentin's three-run bomb in the seventh. Cipion's big day was not to be overshadowed, however, as he blasted another home run in the eighth to cement the New Jersey lead at 10 runs; the Jackal's designated hitter ended the day with four RBIs to lift RHP Reinaldo De Paula to the win. RHP Tyler Cornett took the loss for Gateway.
The Jackals and Grizzlies will face off in the middle game of their series on Wednesday. First pitch is at 7:30 PM EDT.
WILD THINGS CONTINUE TO ROLL, WIN THIRD STRAIGHT
JOLIET, IL - The Washington Wild Things pushed their winning streak to three on Tuesday as they took the series opener 5-3 from the Joliet Slammers at Duly Health & Care Field.
The win pushed Washington's (44-22) winning streak to three as they still sport the best record in the Frontier League. Joliet (28-39) gave away the lead in the first inning on a wild pitch, falling behind 1-0. The Wild Things doubled their advantage in the second on a sacrifice fly from RF Brandon McIlwain. The Slammers were able to take a run back in the fourth before takin the lead with two runs in the fifth. 2B Jalen Miller evened things up in the seventh with a solo homer, his second of the season. With the bases loaded in the eighth, DH Tyreque Reed and Miller both knocked in runs on base hits to take a 5-3 lead. RHP Gyeongju Kim clamped things down in the ninth to secure his 17th save of the season. RHP Christian James earned the win in relief while RHP Jacob Morin took the loss.
The Wild Things will try to make it four in a row as they face the Slammers in game two on Wednesday at 11:05 AM EDT.
