VALLEYCATS WALK-OFF TITANS IN EXTRAS - FRONTIER DAILY ROUNDUP
WRITTEN BY: MIKE GUISTOLISE
VALLEYCATS GET EVEN WITH TITANS WITH WALK-OFF WIN
TROY, NY - The Tri-City ValleyCats tied their series with the Ottawa Titans after walking them off 3-2 in 10 innings on Saturday night.
After getting embarrassed in front of their home crowd at Joseph L. Bruno Stadium on Friday, the ValleyCats (49-38) redeemed themselves with a walk-off victory in extra innings to even the series with the Titans (50-38). Ottawa grabbed the initial 1-0 lead in the fifth inning with a solo homer to left field. The Titans then doubled their lead in the ninth with an RBI single. Down to their final two outs in the bottom of the ninth, the ValleyCats stormed back to tie the game on the strength of a two-run blast from RF Dylan Broderick and send it into extra innings. After keeping the Titans off the board in the top of the 10th, Tri-City loaded the bases in the bottom half with nobody out. RHP Erasmo Pinales spiked a wild pitch in the dirt that went all the way to the backstop, allowing 2B Elvis Peralta Jr. to scamper home and win the game. RHP Zeke Wood was credited with the win in relief while Pinales took the loss.
The ValleyCats and Titans will settle their series with a rubber game on Sunday at 5:00 PM EDT.
WILD THINGS TROUNCE CRUSHERS TO SERIES
AVON, OH - The Washington Wild Things stomped the Lake Erie Crushers 10-2 to earn the series victory at Crusher Stadium on Saturday night.
The win brings Washington's (62-26) magic number for clinching the Frontier League West Division down to one. CF Caleb McNeely continued his incredible season with a leadoff homer in the top of the first to give the Wild Things the first lead of the game. McNeely came back to the plate in the second and smacked an RBI single through the left side to make it 2-0 Washington. DH Tyreque Reed then opened the game up with a three-run homer, bringing Washington's run total for the inning to four while increasing their lead to five. After a run in the third, the Wild Things' offense fell silent until the seventh inning when McNeely brought in another two runs with a double to center field. 1B Andrew Czech made it a 10-0 lead in the eighth with a solo home run, his 16th of the season. The Crushers (47-41) finally broke through in the bottom of the eighth with a two-run homer, but it ended up being their final hit of the game. RHP Dariel Fregio was excellent for the Wild Things, pitching seven scoreless frames and striking out eight for the win. RHP Pedro Echemendia took the loss for Lake Erie.
The Wild Things will look for the series sweep and a West Division crown with a win on Sunday. First pitch for the series finale will be at 2:05 PM EDT.
GATEWAY SCRAPES TOGETHER THREE LATE RUNS TO TAKE DOWN EVANSVILLE EVANSVILLE
EVANSVILLE, IN - The Gateway Grizzlies skated past the Evansville Otters on Saturday night for a 4-3 win in 10 innings at Bosse Field.
The Grizzlies (55-33) took the win after trailing the Otters (41-49) through the first eight innings. Evansville grabbed a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first with a sacrifice fly and an RBI double. The Otters then tacked on one more in the fifth with another sacrifice fly to make it 3-0. The Grizzlies at last got on the scoreboard in the seventh with a solo home run from DH Kevin Krause. The momentum flipped in favor of Gateway in the ninth after SS Abdiel Diaz tripled home two runs to tie the game at three apiece. The Grizzlies stayed hot in the 10th inning, grabbing their first lead with a single through the right side. The Otters threatened in the bottom half with two men on but were put to rest with a game-ending 6-4-3 double play. LHP Leoni De La Cruz picked up the win against his former club while RHP Matt Hickey earned the save. RHP Michael McAvene took the loss after allowing the unearned run in the 10th.
The series will conclude with a rubber game on Sunday. First pitch is at 12:35 PM CDT.
Y'ALLS SKATE PAST BOOMERS TO EVEN SERIES
FLORENCE, KY - The Florence Y'alls evened up their series with the Schaumburg Boomers at Thomas More Stadium with a 3-2 win on Saturday night.
The win snapped a six-game losing streak for Florence (42-46) and kept it alive in the playoff race. 1B Craig Massey brought in the game's first run in the third inning with a sacrifice fly to put the Y'alls up 1-0. LF Hank Zeisler added on two batters later with an RBI single to double the lead. The Boomers (46-43) got on the board with a sacrifice fly in the fourth that trimmed the lead down to one. 3B Brian Fuentes reestablished the two-run advantage with a sacrifice fly in the seventh. Schaumburg answered with a sac-fly of its own in the eighth to get back to within one, but were unable to plate the tying run. RHP Hunter Mink grabbed the win while LHP Kent Klyman earned the save with a scoreless ninth inning. RHP Cristian Lopez took the loss for Schaumburg.
The Y'alls and Boomers will conclude their late-season battle for the final playoff spot on Sunday. The series rubber game will begin at 1:07 PM EDT
KNOCKOUTS SQUASH MINERS FOR THIRD STRAIGHT VICTORY
BROCKTON, MA - The New England Knockouts routed the Sussex County Miners 10-3 to earn the series win on Saturday at Campanelli Stadium.
The Knockouts (35-52) have outscored the Miners (30-59) 29-6 through the first three games of the series. Sussex County at first looked like it was going to turn things around, taking a 1-0 lead in the first before adding a pair of runs in the second. New England had other ideas, getting on the board in the third with a sacrifice fly before tying the game in the fifth on a two-run double from CF Austin White. RF Keagan Calero, 1B Jack-Thomas Wold, and 2B Jake Boone all notched RBIs in the fifth to give New England a 6-3 lead. White followed up his at-bat in the fifth with an RBI base hit in the sixth to push the lead to four. Wold then blew the game open with a two-run bomb to extend the New England lead to 9-3. The Miners then gifted New England its 10th run on a wild pitch in the seventh, effectively sealing their loss. RHP Sam Ryan earned the win for the Knockouts while RHP Jimmy Boyce took the loss for Sussex County.
The Knockouts will go for the rare four-game sweep on Sunday. First pitch for the series finale will be at 1:00 PM EDT.
10-RUN FIRST PROPELS BOLTS TO SERIES WIN
JOLIET, IL - The Windy City ThunderBolts overwhelmed the Joliet Slammers 11-3 on Saturday to claim the series at Duly Health & Care Field.
The ThunderBolts (34-54) got their revenge on the Slammers (35-54) from a game back in July in Crestwood where the Joliet scored 14 in a single inning. Windy City came out of the gates firing, collecting 10 runs on eight hits while sending 14 men to the plate in the top of the first inning. Some of the highlights in the inning included DH Christian Kuzemka collecting two RBIs in his two plate appearances that he had and LF Robert Chayka crushing a grand slam for his first home run as a member of the ThunderBolts. 2B Michael Seegers added another run in the top of the fifth on an RBI single to put the Bolts up by 11. The Slammers got on the board with a sacrifice fly and an RBI groundout in the fifth to avoid the shutout. The Slammers would add on one more in the eighth but ultimately fell 11-3. RHP Buddie Pindel earned the win for the T-Bolts while RHP Landon Smiddy took the loss for the Slammers.
Despite the loss, the seventh inning saw Joliet's LF Liam McArthur hit a single through the left side to give him the all-time hits record for the Slammers franchise.
The ThunderBolts will try for the series sweep on Sunday. First pitch for the series finale will be at 1:05 PM CDT.
CAPITALES EVEN SERIES WITH BOULDERS
PONOMA, NY - The Québec Capitales took down the New York Boulders 5-4 on Saturday night to even up the series at Clover Stadium.
The Capitales (60-29) are the first team in the Frontier League East Division to hit 60 wins while the Boulders (47-42) continue to slip further out of the playoff picture. New York grabbed a 2-0 lead in the first inning with a two-run single. LF Tommy Seidl turned the game around with a three-run homer in the third that gave Québec the lead. 1B Ruben Castro added on a run with a sacrifice fly in the fifth. RF Marc-Antoine Lebreux then brought in an important insurance run on an RBI single in the sixth to make it 5-2. The Boulders got back to within one with a two-run homer in the bottom of the ninth, but RHP Frank Moscatiello was able to get the final out to preserve the win. RHP Ryan Sandberg earned the win for Québec while Moscatiello picked up the save. RHP Erik Stock took the loss.
The Capitales and Boulders will play a rubber game on Sunday to determine the series winner. First pitch will be at 5:00 PM EDT.
AIGLES, JACKALS SPLIT CONTINUATION DOUBLEHEADER
PATERSON, NJ - The New Jersey Jackals and Trois-Rivières Aigles split a doubleheader on Saturday that was a continuation of Friday's suspended game.
Friday's game at Hinchcliffe Stadium was delayed in the fourth inning after both starting pitchers were injured as a result of a bad mound. Play resumed in the bottom of the fourth, where the Jackals (30-58) had the bases loaded. LF Trent Taylor broke the scoreless tie with a two-run single to give New Jersey the lead. New Jersey then blew the game open with seven runs in the sixth inning where it sent 10 men to the plate. The inning was capped with a three-run homer from DH Jordan Scott that made it 9-0. SS Fritz Genther then added on in the eighth with a two-run double to make it 11-0 Jackals. The Aigles (42-45) were held to just five hits as they suffered the shutout in the resumed game. LHP Zach Morris picked up the win after pitching four innings in relief. RHP Alex Mack took the loss.
In the second game, Trois-Rivières grabbed a 1-0 in the second behind an RBI double from 1B Dalton Combs. 2B Rodrigo Ozorco then followed with an RBI single to make it 2-0. With two outs, RF Mathieu Vallee and 3B Brendan Dadson notched back-to-back RBI base hits to make it 4-0. The Jackals struggled to get their footing, not scoring a run while only collecting three hits. RHP Tucker Smith ended up going the distance for the Aigles, shutting the Jackals out in seven innings while striking out 10. LHP Alex Barker took the loss for New Jersey after giving up all four runs.
Trois-Rivières and New Jersey will conclude their series with another doubleheader on Sunday, with the first game beginning at 2:00 PM EDT.