MILEY STRIKES OUT 16, SETS MULTIPLE RECORDS - FRONTIER DAILY ROUNDUP
WRITTEN BY: MIKE GUISTOLISE
DEYLEN MILEY NOTCHES 16 Ks, GRIZZLIES SHUT OUT THUNDERBOLTS AGAIN
CRESTWOOD, IL - The Gateway Grizzlies shut out the Windy City ThunderBolts for the second game in a row to claim the series on Saturday night.
RHP Deylen Miley was outstanding for the Grizzlies (50-32), as he set the franchise record for strikeouts in a single season with 148, strikeouts in a single game with 16, and the Frontier League record for most consecutive strikeouts with 10 in a row. Miley, who leads the league in strikeouts this season, did not allow a hit until the fourth inning and ended up leaving the runner stranded after three straight punchouts. Gateway grabbed a 2-0 lead in the top of the fourth with RBIs from LF Victor Castillo and 1B Peter Zimmermann. In the fifth, 2B Dale Thomas brought in another run with an RBI groundout, making it 3-0 Grizzlies. Castillo came through again later in the innings with an RBI double to push Gateway's lead up to four. The Grizzlies' left fielder repeated his efforts in the seventh inning to make it 5-0. Miley's day came to an end after seven innings, coming away with a final tally of 16 strikeouts along with the win; the Grizzlies pitching staff combined for 20. RHP Will Armbruester took the loss after being tagged for 10 hits and five runs.
The Grizzlies will go for the series sweep on Sunday as they inch closer to clinching a playoff spot. First pitch at Ozinga Field will be at 1:05 PM CDT.
VALLEYCATS GRAB PIVITOL WIN VS. BOULDERS
PONOMA, NY - The Tri-City ValleyCats came away with a 7-5 victory on Saturday night to knock the New York Boulders out of the playoffs, at least for the moment.
The ValleyCats (44-37) are now up by two losses on the Boulders (44-39) in the Frontier League East standings. C Oscar Campos put Tri-City up in the first inning, doubling home the game's first run. 3B Ian Walters followed with an RBI single to score Campos and make it 2-0. 2B Elvis Peralta Jr. extended the lead to three in the third when he led off the inning with a solo homer. LF Brett Rodriguez then secured the lead in the fourth when he cleared the bases with a three-run double, putting the ValleyCats up 6-0. New York scored two in the fourth and another in the fifth to cut the deficit in half, but 1B Kyle Novak's RBI single in the sixth put the ValleyCats back up by a grand slam. The Boulders managed two more runs in the seventh but left the tying run on base. Tri-City's bullpen put together two shutout innings to end the game, capped off by RHP Zeke Wood's fourth save of the season. RHP Easton Klein grabbed the win while RHP Garrett Cooper took the loss.
The ValleyCats and Boulders will conclude their four-game series at Clover Stadium on Sunday at 3:30 PM EDT.
TITANS TAKE NAILBITER OVER CAPITALES TO EVEN SERIES
QUÉBEC CITY - The Ottawa Titans grabbed a 2-1 lead in the ninth inning to even their series with the Québec Capitales at Stade Canac on Saturday.
The Titans (47-35) achieved their first victory over the Capitales (56-27) this season and their first since July 2023. Québec got off to a fast start, taking a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning with a solo homer. 1B Jake Hjelle brought around the tying run in the fourth, thanks in part to an error by the Captiales' right fielder. The score stayed stagnant until the ninth when the Titans got a runner over to third on a passed ball and a stolen base. With runners on the corners, Ottawa was gifted the lead after a passed ball brought in CF Taylor Wright for the go-ahead score. The Capitales were able to get the tying and winning runs on base in the bottom of the inning, but RHP Erasmo Pinales was able to secure the save by inducing an easy fly ball for the final out. RHP McLain Harris earned the win in relief for the Titans while RHP Frank Moscastiello took the loss after surrendering the lead in the ninth.
The Titans and Capitales will play a rubber game on Sunday to settle their series. First pitch is at 5:05 PM EDT.
MCNEELY WILLS WILD THINGS OVER CRUSHERS
WASHINGTON, PA - The Washington Wild Things took the series from the Lake Erie Crushers on Saturday night by winning the middle game 3-2.
The Wild Things (57-25) now have the most wins in the Frontier League and are just a handful of games away from winning the West Division. The Crushers (45-37) drew first blood in the third inning with an RBI single. CF Caleb McNeely then put the Wild Things in front in the fifth inning with a three-run homer. Lake Erie got a solo homer to cut the lead down to one in the sixth, but Washington's bullpen put together three scoreless innings to close the game out. RHP Zach Kirby earned the win after going for six innings while striking out nine. RHP Gyeongju Kim earned the save, his league-leading 22nd of the year. LHP Darrien Ragins took the loss for Lake Erie.
The Wild Things will go for the series sweep on Sunday. First pitch at Wild Things Park is scheduled for 5:35 PM EDT.
AIGLES FLIP THE SCRIPT, GET REVENGE VS. JACKALS IN SUDDEN DEATH
TROIS-RIVIÈRES - The Trois-Rivières Aigles got the sudden death victory of the New Jersey Jackals at Hinchcliffe Stadium to even up the series on Saturday night.
The Aigles (39-42) finally got revenge on the Jackals (29-53) in sudden death, breaking a four-game losing streak against New Jersey. The game was the third in a row between the two teams that had gone into sudden death, with New Jersey taking the first two. Neither side was able to score until the 10th inning, with the Jackals breaking the scoreless tie with a bases-loaded walk. The Aigles were able to knot things up in the bottom half with an RBI single from 1B Brandon Dadson. In sudden death, the Aigles elected to defend and closed the game out with a 5-4-3 double play. LHP Didier Vargas grabbed the win for the Aigles. There was not a losing pitcher for the Jackals, according to Frontier League sudden death rules.
The Aigles and Jackals will play a rubber game on Sunday to determine the series victor. First pitch will be at 1:05 PM EDT.
KNOCKOUTS CLUB 12 HITS, DOUBLE UP MINERS
AUGUSTA, NJ - The New England Knockouts tied the series with the Sussex County Miners on Saturday after winning the middle game 4-2.
The Knockouts (30-50) and Miners (29-53) combined for 19 hits, with New England coming away with the 12-7 advantage. Sussex County took the game's first lead with an RBI single in the bottom of the first inning. The Knockouts responded with an RBI double from LF Tommy Kretzler in the top of the second to tie the game at 1-1. The Miners retook the lead at 2-1 with a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the third. New England then grabbed the lead on a two-run double from 1B Jack-Thomas Wold in the fifth. Kretzler then added an insurance run in the sixth to put the Knockouts up by two. New England then rode on to victory on the strength of their bullpen, who put together six-plus scoreless innings and capped the day off with a save from RHP Reeves Martin. RHP Matt Cronin got credit for the win after spinning three scoreless innings in relief. RHP Charlie Neuweiler took the loss for the Miners.
The series at Skylands Stadium will conclude with a doubleheader on Sunday. First game is set to begin at 2:05 PM EDT.
SLAMMERS HOLD SCHAUMBURG TO TWO HITS
SCHAUMBURG, IL - The Joliet Slammers silenced the Schaumburg Boomers by a final score of 5-1 on Saturday night.
The Slammers (35-48) handed their divisional rival what could be a key loss, but the Boomers (42-41) did not lose ground in the playoff race due to Lake Erie's loss. Joliet grabbed the lead in the first inning on an RBI single from RF Jonathan Sierra that scored two runs and then added on to it via a sacrifice fly later in the inning. The Slammers got another sacrifice fly in the third to make it 4-0, and then another in the fourth to increase their lead to five. The Boomers finally broke through in the fourth, plating their first run on a fielder's choice. The Joliet pitching staff was stingy, however, and only allowed one hit past the fourth. RHP Dwayne Marshall allowed just two hits and one earned run as he came away with the victory for Joliet. LHP Antonio Frias took the loss for the Boomers.
Joliet and Schaumburg will conclude their series at Wintrust Field with a rubber match on Sunday. First pitch will be at 1:00 PM CDT.
OTTERS EVEN SERIES WITH Y'ALLS
EVANSVILLE, IN - The Evansville Otters used a five-run fifth inning to take down the Florence Y'alls 7-5 at Bosse Field on Saturday night.
The Otters (36-48) got a big effort from two-way player Pavin Parks, who collected five RBIs and the save. RF Gary Mattis got things started for Evansville with an RBI triple in the first inning. Parks came through with a sacrifice fly to double the Otters' lead to two. The Y'alls (41-41) tied the game with a two-run homer in the second before jumping ahead 5-2 with three runs in the fourth. CF Gio DiGiacomo got the Otters one run closer to in the fifth with an RBI single; three batters later, Parks stepped in with the bases loaded and crushed a grand slam to put Evansville back in front 7-5. Parks then came out to the mound in the ninth and shut Florence down to earn his fourth save of the year. RHP Parker Brahams got the win for Evansville while RHP Reed Smith took the loss.
The Otters and Y'alls will conclude their series on Sunday at 12:35 PM CDT.
