Y'ALLS TAKE SERIES WITH WASHINGTON, KEEP PLAYOFF HOPES ALIVE - FRONTIER DAILY ROUNDUP
WRITTEN BY: MIKE GUISTOLISE
Y'ALLS WIN RUBBER GAME IN WASHINGTON
WASHINGTON, PA - The Florence Y'alls came away with a series victory against the Washington Wild Things on Thursday behind a 6-2 win in the finale.
The Y'alls (36-38) remain on the outside of the playoff picture in the Frontier League West division but still have hope after taking down the top-seeded Wild Things (50-24). 3B Brian Fuentes put Florence on top in the top of the first inning with his ninth homer of the year, a solo shot. Washington then gifted the Y'alls an extra run in the second with a wild pitch. The Wild Things managed to stay within shouting distance, homering in the fourth to cut their deficit down to 2-1. In the seventh, C Sergio Gutierrez drove in two runs with a double in the right-center field gap to make it 4-1. In the following inning, Gutierrez drove in a couple more with a two-run single to secure the Florence lead at 6-2. LHP Jonaiker Villalobos earned the winning decision for the Y'alls while RHP Malik Barrington took the loss.
The Y'alls will head back home to begin their next series with the Joliet Slammers on Friday. First pitch is at 7:03 PM EDT. The Wild Things will travel to Chicagoland to face off with the Windy City ThunderBolts beginning on Friday at 6:35 PM CDT.
KNOCKOUTS TAKE SERIES FROM TITANS
OTTAWA - The New England Knockouts collected 15 hits en route to an 11-5 victory over the Ottawa Titans to claim the series on Thursday at Titan Stadium.
The Knockouts (27-46) spoiled the beginnings of an important homestand for the Titans (41-33), who are currently trying to lock up a playoff spot in the Frontier League East division. LF Victor Castillo brought in the game's first run on a bases-loaded single in the top of the first inning. The Knockouts then doubled their lead on a botched play from the Titans' third baseman. DH Tommy Kretzler singled in two more runs to push the early lead to 4-0. Ottawa cut the lead in half with a two-run homer in the third and then grabbed the lead after a three-run sixth. 2B Jake Boone took the lead back for the Knockouts with a two-run homer in the seventh, his third in the last two games. In the eighth, New England sent all nine of their hitters to the plate and brought in five runs to run the score up to 11-5. Castillo capped the inning with a two-run single, bringing his RBI total for the game up to three. LHP Ben Seiler earned the win in relief while LHP Jose Torrealba took the loss for Ottawa.
The Knockouts will host the Québec Capitales for their next series, which begins on Friday at 6:30 PM EDT. The Titans will continue their homestand with a series against the Sussex County Miners. First pitch for Friday's series opener is at 6:30 PM EDT.
MCARTHUR LEADS JOLIET PAST GRIZZLIES
JOLIET, IL - The Joliet Slammers crushed the Gateway Grizzlies 12-3 at Duly Health & Care Field on Thursday behind a five-RBI night from RF Liam McArthur.
The Slammers (32-43) quadrupled their run production from the previous two games combined to take the rubber game with the Grizzlies (44-30) by a significant margin. Gateway was the first to break through on the scoreboard, taking a 2-0 lead in the top of the fifth inning with a two-run double. LF Jeissy De La Cruz cut into the lead with a solo homer in the bottom of the inning. 1B Matthew Warkentin then tied things up with a solo shot to center field in the sixth. The Grizzlies reestablished another small lead on an RBI single in the top of the seventh. McArthur blew the doors off with a grand slam in the bottom of the inning to give Joliet its first lead at 6-3. The Slammers continued to pile on in the eighth, posting six more runs behind a two-run homer from 3B Victor Nova and another RBI from McArthur to run the score to 12-3. The Grizzlies did nothing in response, going 1-2-3 in the ninth to conclude the series. RHP Frank Plesac earned the sin in relief for Joliet while RHP Collin Sullivan took the loss for Gateway.
The Slammers will move on to face the Y'alls in Florence on Friday. First pitch for the series opener will be at 7:03 PM EDT. The Grizzlies will head back home to host the Evansville Otters for a weekend series. First pitch for the opener on Friday is scheduled for 6:30 PM CDT.
CAPITALES ROLL OVER JACKALS
QUÉBEC CITY - The Québec Capitales crushed the New Jersey Jackals 13-5 to claim the series at Stade Canac on Thursday night.
The Capitales (50-25) reached 50 wins with the victory, the first team to do so in the East division. Québec quickly built a significant lead in the first, scoring four times including a two-run homer from LF Tommy Seidl. New Jersey (24-50) was quick to respond, tying the game in the second with a four-run frame of its own. The Capitales would go on to score in each of the first five innings, running their lead up to 12-4 behind a couple of two-run home runs from 1B Guillermo Garcia and RF Justin Gideon. The Jackals took one run back in the seventh, but the Capitales' lead was too great to overcome. RHP James Bradwell continued his undefeated season behind a six-inning, nine-strikeout start to grab his 10th victory of the season. RHP Danny Vazquez took the loss for the Jackals.
The Capitales will head down to Brockton to face the New England Knockouts for their next series, which begins on Friday at 6:30 PM EDT. The Jackals will host the Trois-Rivières Aigles for their next series, beginning on Friday at 6:35 PM EDT.
BOULDERS TAKE SERIES AFTER SPLITTING RESUMED DOUBLEHEADER
AUGUSTA, NJ - The New York Boulders claimed the series after splitting a doubleheader with the Sussex County Miners at Skylands Stadium on Thursday.
After weather postponed the opener on Tuesday, the Boulders (40-33) and Miners (26-48) began a doubleheader on Wednesday, with the Boulders claiming the first game. The second game was put on hold in the fourth inning, with the Miners holding a 2-0 lead. That game resumed on Thursday, with the Miners completing the shutout by a final score of 3-0. RHP Billy Parsons took the win in relief while RHP Garrett Cooper took the loss for a game he started the day before.
In the second game, New York got out to a 2-0 lead in the fourth on a two-run double from C Joe DeLuca. LF Steve Barmakian and DH Marshall Awtry added on in the following at-bats to push the lead to 4-0. Sussex County cut the lead down to one with three runs in the bottom of the fourth and then tied the game on an RBI single in the fifth. The game remained deadlocked at 4-4 through seven innings, forcing extra innings to decide a winner. New York came out firing in the top of the eighth, taking the lead on an RBI triple from RF Jake Reinisch. The Boulders then went on to score four more times while sending 10 men to the plate in the inning, working the lead up to 11-4. The Miners fell well short in response, scoring just one run to fall 11-5. RHP Colton Easterwood earned the win in relief for the Boulders while RHP Matt Stil took the loss.
The Boulders will begin an important series with the Tri-City ValleyCats on Friday, which holds heavy playoff implications for both teams. First pitch is at 6:30 PM EDT. The Miners will head up to Ottawa to begin a series with the Titans on Friday at 6:30 PM EDT.
CRUSHERS, OTTERS EXCHANGE SHUTOUTS IN POWERLESS TWIN BILLING
AVON, OH - The Evansville Otters and Lake Erie Crushers split a doubleheader to end their series on Thursday at Crusher Stadium.
Still with no power in the ballpark, the games were moved to the afternoon to make the most of natural light. The Crushers (41-33) began the first game of the doubleheader with an offensive outburst in the first inning, scoring seven runs on five hits while sending 11 men to the plate. The Otters had no response, tallying three total hits for the game while Lake Erie added on another run in the sixth. RHP Leonardo Rodriguez earned the win for the Crushers after spinning four scoreless innings in the start. RHP Terance Marin took the loss, despite only being charged for one earned run.
The second game maintained a 0-0 score through the first seven innings and required extra innings to determine the winner. 2B Amani Larry finally broke the scoreless tie with an infield RBI single in the top of the eighth to give Evansville the lead. RHP Pavin Parks then closed the game out with a 1-2-3 bottom of the inning to secure the series win for the Otters. Parks earned the win after two-plus innings of relief work while RHP Trevor Kuncl took the loss for the Crushers.
The Otters will move on to face the Gateway Grizzlies in Sauget for their next series. First pitch for Friday's opener is at 6:30 PM CDT. The Crushers will host the Schaumburg Boomers on Friday to kick off an important divisional weekend series. First pitch is at 7:05 PM EDT.
THUNDERBOLTS TAKE FINALE VS. SCHAUMBURG
CRESTWOOD, IL - The Windy City ThunderBolts took the series finale against the Schaumburg Boomers on Thursday to avoid being swept.
Due to a scheduling arrangement, the series moved to Ozinga Field for the final game of the three-game set. The ThunderBolts (33-43) came out firing in the first inning, scoring four times on four hits to jump out in front. Schaumburg (38-35) responded in kind in the second inning, tying the game at 4-4. Windy City retook the lead in the bottom of the inning after a fielding error from the Schaumburg pitcher resulted in a run scored. DH Christian Kuzemka pushed the lead to 6-4 with an RBI single in the following at-bat. Schaumburg again tied the game in the fifth and then took a 7-6 lead in the seventh off of a fielder's choice. 3B Henry Kusiak tied things up with an RBI single in the bottom of the seventh. In the eighth, C JJ Figueroa put Windy City back on top with a two-run homer that sailed over the wall down the left-field line. The Boomers scored once in the ninth to come to within one but left the tying run stranded on second after a game-ending groundout. RHP Bryce Hellgeth earned the win in relief while RHP Tyler LaPorte picked up the save, his 11th of the year. RHP Matt Helwig took the loss for Schaumburg.
The Bolts will host the first-place Washington Wild Things for their next series, beginning on Friday at 6:35 PM CDT. The Boomers will head to Ohio for a huge weekend series with the Lake Erie Crushers. First pitch for Friday's opener is scheduled for 7:05 PM EDT.
