BOOMERS BLOW OUT OTTERS, DAWSON HITS FOR THE CYCLE - FRONTIER DAILY ROUNDUP
WRITTEN BY: MIKE GUISTOLISE
BOOMERS BURY OTTERS BEHIND DAWSON'S CYCLE
SCHAUMBURG, IL - The Schaumburg Boomers crushed the Evansville Otters 13-1 on Wednesday to even up the series at two games apiece.
The Boomers (40-40) went off for 13 runs on 18 hits to even up the five-game series at Wintrust Field. 3B Chase Dawson got Schaumburg off to a fast start with a solo homer to take the lead in the first inning. LF Andrew Sojka doubled in another run later in the inning to make it 2-0. In the third, Anthony Calarco stretched the lead out to 3-0 with a solo home run of his own. The Boomers then exploded on offense in the fourth, scoring four runs while sending all nine hitters up to the plate. The offensive onslaught continued in the sixth when Calarco crushed a two-run homer to increase the lead to nine. The Otters (35-46) were finally able to find their offense in the top of the seventh to score their first run, but Schaumburg answered them with a pair in the bottom half, including an RBI double from Dawson. The Boomers' third baseman then tripled home an insurance run in the eighth to cement the score at 13-1 while picking up the final part of the cycle. Dawson's cycle was the first of the season and the third in Schaumburg franchise history. LHP Cole Cook was excellent in his start, tossing six shutout innings en route to his fourth win of the season. RHP Zach Smith took the loss for Evansville.
The elongated series will come to an end on Thursday when the two teams match up at 12:00 PM CDT.
WILD THINGS HOMER THREE TIMES TO EVEN SERIES IN JOLIET
JOLIET, IL - The Washington Wild Things had their power on display in a 6-3 win over the Joliet Slammers at Duly Health & Care Field on Wednesday night.
The Wild Things (54-25) are now one win and one Schaumburg loss away from clinching the first playoff spot in the Frontier League West Division. 3B Tommy Caufield and LF Wagner Lagrange both launched solo homers in the top of the first to establish a 2-0 Washington lead. CF Caleb McNeely then led off the third with a home run and 2B Jalen Miller added on with an RBI single two batters later. The Slammers (34-46) broke through in the fifth with three straight runs to cut the deficit down to one. Miller struck again in the seventh with another RBI base hit to stretch the lead out to 5-3. RF Brandon McIlwain put the game out of reach in the ninth when he shot an RBI single up the middle to make it 6-3. LHP Ryan Munoz picked up the win in relief while RHP Gyeongju Kim picked up his league-leading 20th save of the season. RHP Brett Sanchez took the loss for Joliet.
The Wild Things will try to win the series and earn a playoff spot in the finale on Thursday. First pitch is at 6:35 PM CDT.
CAPITALES WIN SLUGFEST AGAINST AIGLES
TROIS-RIVIÈRES - On Wednesday, the Québec Capitales came out on top of a 15-9 barnburner against the Trois-Rivières Aigles at Stade Quillorama.
The Capitales (54-26) and Aigles (38-40) combined for 31 hits as Québec evened up the French-Canadian rivalry series. Trois-Rivières took the initial lead in the first inning, scoring the game's first run on an RBI double. C Anthony Quirion knotted things up for the Capitales in the second with an RBI single. Québec then took the lead off of 1B Mathieu Sirois' two-run single later in the inning. In the fourth, SS Kyle Crowl cleared the bases with a three-run double to push the Capitales' lead to 6-1; Crowl then came across to score on CF Jonathan Lacroix's RBI double. 2B Jesmuel Valentin then blew the game open in the fifth with a two-run blast in the fifth, increasing Québec's lead to eight. The Capitales continued to pour it on in the sixth, collecting another four runs to run their lead up to 13-1. The Aigles scored three over the next two innings, but another two runs in the eighth secured the lead for the Capitales. The Aigles made things interesting with a five-run eighth inning, but the deficit was too large to overcome. RHP James Bradwell continued his streak of winning decisions and now boasts a pitching record of 11-0. RHP Osman Gutierrez got tagged with the loss for Trois-Rivières.
The two sides will play a rubber game to decide the series on Thursday. First pitch will be at 7:05 PM EDT.
CRUSHERS TAKE MIDDLE GAME VS. GRIZZLIES
SAUGET, IL - The Lake Erie Crushers evened up their series with the Gateway Grizzlies with a 2-1 victory at Grizzlies Ballpark on Wednesday night.
After being nearly no-hit in Springfield on Tuesday, the Crushers (45-34) got even with the Grizzlies (47-32) in a pitchers' duel. Both teams matched each other through six shutout innings, taking a scoreless tie into the seventh. SS Jarrod Watkins and 2B Alberti Chavez broke the scoring silence with back-to-back RBI singles with the bases loaded to put Lake Erie up 2-0. The Grizzlies were able to cut the lead in half in the eighth, but could not tie the game despite having two men in scoring position with nobody out. RHP Trevor Kuncl took over in the eighth and shut the Grizzlies down. The flamethrowing right-hander got the final six outs in relief to tally his 19th save of the season and get the Crushers back to within two games of second place in the West. RHP Anthony Escobar earned the win behind 6.1 innings of shutout ball while RHP Justin Goossen-Brown took the loss for Gateway in relief.
The Crushers and Grizzlies will decide their series with a rubber match on Thursday. First pitch is at 6:30 PM CDT.
BOLTS DOMINATE Y'ALLS
FLORENCE, KY - The Windy City Boomers took down the Florence Y'alls 7-2 on Wednesday night to even up the series at Thomas More Stadium.
The Y'alls (39-40) had their playoff hopes damaged when they dropped to below .500 with only 16 games left to play in the regular season. Windy City (34-47) got off the a fast start, taking a 1-0 lead behind RF Brennen Dorighi's RBI double in the first inning. Dorighi singled in another run in the third to make it 2-0 Bolts. Florence got on the board thanks to a wild pitch in the fourth. C Ronnie Allen Jr. made up for it when he singled home a run in the seventh to put the Windy City lead back at two. LF Robert Chayka, who was recently acquired from Washington, tallied his first two RBIs as a ThunderBolt when he laced a double down the left-field line to make it 5-1. The Y'alls picked up another run in the seventh but the ThunderBolts responded with two runs in the eighth, including another RBI from Chayka, to put the game away. RHP Ruddy Gomez got the winning decision for Windy City after only allowing one run and striking out nine through six innings. LHP Jonaiker Villalobos took the loss for Florence.
The series will be decided on Thursday with a rubber game. First pitch is at 6:44 PM EDT.
TITANS WIN CRUCIAL SERIES OVER BOULDERS
PONOMA, NY - The Ottawa Titans got the series win over their divisional rivals in the New York Boulders on Wednesday by taking the second game of the series by a final score of 7-5.
The Titans (45-34) now have a two-game lead over the Boulders (43-36) in the Frontier League East Division. 3B AJ Wright gave the lead to Ottawa in the first inning with an RBI double to left field. New York then tied things up in the fourth with a sacrifice fly. CF Jackie Urbaez gave the Titans the lead back with a three-run homer in the top of the seventh. The Boulders caught up in the bottom of the inning and scored four to take a 5-4 lead. In the ninth, 2B Christian Ibarra knotted things up with an RBI single back up the middle. DH Jamey Smart then put the Titans back on top with a two-run single in a similar spot. RHP Erasmo Pinales closed things out for the Titans in the bottom of the ninth, leaving the tying run stranded on first base for his 18th save of the season. RHP Scott Prins got the win for Ottawa while RHP Dylan Smith took the loss.
The Titans will go for the sweep on Thursday. First pitch for the series finale is at 7:00 PM EDT.
NEW ENGLAND TAKES FIFTH STRAIGHT CONTEST AGAINST TRI-CITY IN SUDDEN DEATH
BROCKTON, MA - The New England Knockouts continued their dominance over the Tri-City ValleyCats on Wednesday with a sudden death victory to claim the series.
Despite their struggles this season, the Knockouts (29-49) are 5-0 against the ValleyCats (42-36). The Knockouts struck first in the second inning behind an RBI double from RF Noah Lucier. The ValleyCats knotted things up in the sixth with an RBI single and then were gifted a 2-1 lead after a New England error in the eighth. 1B Jack-Thomas Wold pulled the Knockouts back even with an RBI single in the bottom of the ninth to send the game into extra innings. After neither side were able to score in the 10th, the game slipped into sudden death where the Knockouts elected to defend. The ValleyCats were able to get the winning run to third, but RHP Mike McKenna was able to get the game-ending strikeout to deliver New England the win. McKenna was credited with the win. Due to Frontier League rules, there was not a losing pitcher for Tri-City.
The Knockouts, now on the verge of sweeping the ValleyCats, will finish up the series on Thursday. First pitch for the finale will be at 6:30 PM EDT.
MINERS COLLECT 18 HITS, EVEN SERIES WITH JACKALS
PATERSON, NJ - The Sussex County Miners blasted the New Jersey Jackals 13-7 on Wednesday to even up the series at Hinchcliffe Stadium.
The Miners (28-51) and Jackals (27-52) combined for 32 hits in the game, with the Miners claiming the 18-14 advantage. New Jersey got off to a fast start, scoring three in the opening frame to take an early lead. The Miners got back into the game on back-to-back RBI singles in the second from RF Tony Gomez and SS Cory Acton. Sussex County then flipped the game script with back-to-back five-run innings in the fifth and sixth to go up 12-5. The Jackals cut the lead to five with a pair of runs in the bottom of the sixth but then surrendered a bases-loaded walk in the top of the ninth to take themselves out. LF Evan Sleight led the Miners with four RBIs for the game as RHP Jimmy Boyce picked up the win. RHP Reinaldo De Paula took the loss for New Jersey.
The Miners and Jackals will settle their series with a rubber game on Thursday. First pitch is at 11:35 AM EDT.
