Frontier League Game Recaps, Notes, News & Transactions — June 5, 2021

Just a great night of baseball overall, yesterday, with new matchups and teams that are on the road for the first time this season, creating a new dynamic for the league in the early going.

Later today, I’ll be talking to Evansville Otters left-handed starter Dalton Stambaugh about his early season success and the torrid start his team his having. They may you can’t win a championship early in the season, but you certainly can set the tone.

Here’s what’s been happening in the last 24 hours in the Frontier League.

NEWS

Before the game, today, the Southern Illinois Miners will retire the jersey from Steve Marino who was instrumental in their success from 2014 to 2016:

TRANSACTIONS

ÉQUIPE QUÉBEC

June 4: Released RHP Austin Hutchison, a starter I really believed would at least give a solid arm for their rotation, but he was just not off to a good start: 3.2 IP, 8 H, 5 ER, 2 BB and 3 K.

GATEWAY GRIZZLIES

June 4: Released RHP Clinton Hollon. To say that I am surprised about this move would be an understatement. He had a 1.59 ERA in 5.1 innings pitched, so obviously something is going on. I was really rooting for that guy after all the struggles he’s been through.

NEW JERSEY JACKALS

June 4: Signed LHP Jared Mirch, about whom I found litteraly nothing about, but I’ve been promised a full report by team Media Relations Coordinator, Reed Keller.

SOUTHERN ILLINOIS MINERS

June 4: Released OF Brandon Pugh. This could be a nice pickup for a team like the Tri-City ValleyCats, for example, who are having trouble scoring runs and would give manager Pete Incaviglia the speed he likes to have at the top of the lineup. He can play all three outfield spot, get on base and really turn it on.

SUSSEX COUNTY MINERS

June 4: Placed INF Jett Manning on the inactive list.

TRI-CITY VALLEYCATS

June 4: sold the contract of RHP Samuel Perez to the Minnesota Twins. After Joliet Slammers starter Bobby Milacki, yesterday, that’s the second pitcher that the Twins have signed in two days from the Frontier League. Congratulations, Sammy!

WASHINGTON WILD THINGS

June 4: Activated INF Nick Ward from the injured list. The Wild Things keep putting these productive players on the field after losing another one (see Cody Erickson, below), a testament to the work of GM Tony Buccilli on the player acquisition side of things.

June 4: Placed INF Cody Erickson on the 7-day injured list.

STANDINGS

GAME RECAPS and NOTES

Evansville news release:

Otters win sixth in a row Friday

SCHAUMBURG, Ill. — The Evansville Otters won their sixth game in a row Friday night, opening their four-game series and seven-game road trip with a 6–2 victory over the Schaumburg Boomers.

The Boomers took an early lead in the bottom of the first inning. Quincy Nieporte hit a two-out, two-run home run off Otters starter Polo Portela.

Portela had struck out the first two batters he faced before the gopher ball, but settled right back down after the homer to strike out Angelo Gumbs for the final out, in effect striking out the side.

Over his next two innings, Portela allowed only a one-out single, before the Otters had a chance to bat in the top of the fourth.

Elijah MacNamee started a rally with a base hit to centerfield to lead off the inning. Then, veteran John Schultz slapped a bunt toward third for a base hit, putting runners at first and second.

Bryce Denton lined a base hit off the glove of the Boomers’ third baseman, Luke Becker, to load the bases, before J.R. Davis hit a two-run single through the left side of the infield, tying the game.

Denton would score the go-ahead run on a wild pitch, and an insurance run would score on a ground ball hit by Christopher Pujols through the left side — — ruled an error.

The Otters extended their lead in the top of the sixth on a two-run shot off the scoreboard from Justin Felix.

Portela would finish his night on the mound by pitching a scoreless sixth. Overall, Portela allowed only five hits and struck out eight.

Justin Lewis pitched two scoreless innings out of the bullpen, striking out three. He was relieved by Reid Bukowski, who rolled a double play ball to pitch a 1–2–3 ninth.

Denton, Davis, and Felix all had multi-hit games.

The Otters and Boomers will square off again at 6:00 p.m. Saturday night.

Frontier League Journal Notes:

• There seems to be no stopping those Otters who score over 6 runs a game, second only to the Sussex County Miners. That’s made possible by a very strong bottom of the order that produces on a daily basis, like last night with Bryce Denton, J.R. Davis and Justin Felix: 6 hits (HR) and 4 RBIs.
• Portela, Lewis and Bukowski pitched for the Otters and only allowed one walk. That always makes things way easier and no easy running possibilities for the opposing team. They also threw 66% of their pitches for strikes!
• Boomers leadoff hitter Alec Craig was kept off the bases for the first time this season, but still remains with a .486 OBP at the moment.

Washington news release:

Wild Things Take Home Opener After Great Start

WASHINGTON, Pa. (June 4) — Washington plated three in the first inning and ended up pulling away and winning 7–3 in the 2021 home opener. Keven Pimentel picked up his second win of the season.

Grant Heyman started the scoring with an RBI single in the first and the next batter, Hector Roa, tripled home two more to give the Wild Things a 3–0 lead early. David Glaude hit a two-run homer for Équipe Québec in the third inning to pull the visitors within one. Washington would respond however with a run in the bottom of the third on Roa’s second RBI hit of the night. The visitors scored again in the fifth against Pimentel before he got out of a jam and eventually earned the win.

The rest of the Washington runs came in a nail-in-the-coffin base hit by Joe Campagna on which three runs scored after an error. John Murphy, BJ Sabol, James Meeker and Zach Strecker combined to throw four scoreless to end the game.

Washington and Équipe Québec do battle again tomorrow at 7:05 p.m. The first 1,000 fans will receive an All Decade Team baseball card set upon entry and multiple members of that All-Decade team will be at the ballpark. Gates open at 6 p.m. and you can get tickets at wildthingstickets.com.

Frontier League Journal Notes:

• Équipe Québec SS Gift Ngoepe was back in the two-spot in the lineup after a very tough beginning to the season. He hit three singles and made a very nice defensive play on a grounder to his right.
• ÉQ reliever Frank Moscatiello was in complete control and kept his team in the game with 7 K in 2.2 IP. He mixed his great curve ball with high fastballs very well. Impressive display out there.
• Washington’s pitching was top notch allowing a few runners, but always shutting the door, leaving 11 men on the bases for the visitors.
• WT outfielders Grant Heyman (double, single) and Hector Roa (single, double, triple) continued to lead the charge on offense with five hit.

Gateway news release:

Late Axel Johnson HR Pushes Grizzlies Past Y’alls 5–2

SAUGET, Ill. — Gateway got late life from an 8th inning Axel Johnson home run en route to a 5–2 win over the West Division leading Florence Y’alls on Friday.

Florence had the first two runs of the game. In the top of the 3rd inning, Y’alls CF Mitch Piatnik brought home Taylor Bryant on an RBI single. Later on, in the top of the 5th, SS Luis Pintor would do the same to plate Jordan Brower and put Florence in front 2–0.

Gateway answered back immediately in the home half. Grizzlies SS Justin Jones cut the deficit in half after the team’s first triple of the season. Then, the very next batter Jay Prather tied it up with a sacrifice fly.

No more runs would come across until the Grizzlies half of the 8th. With Abdiel Diaz on second base and Dustin Woodcock on first, Johnson golfed a high three-run homer onto the berm in right-center field to give Gateway a 5–2 lead. It was his first longball of 2021 and put him in the team lead with six RBIs on the year.

RHP Jack Jett (1–0) tossed three innings of scoreless relief in his professional debut for Gateway to also earn his first professional win. RHP Geoff Bramblett came in to deliver a clean 9th inning and earn his first save of 2021. Y’alls RHP Alex Wagner (0–1) took the loss after surrendering the three Grizzlies runs on the 8th.

The Grizzlies and Y’alls play the second tilt of the three-game set Saturday night. First pitch at GCS Credit Union Ballpark is set for 6:45 p.m. and you can listen live on YO Radio or watch on Frontier League TV starting with the Budweiser Pregame Show at 6:30 p.m.

Frontier League Journal Notes:

• CF Mitch Piatnik has been a tremendous addition to the Florence lineup (.829 OPS) after they lost Connor Crane to the injured list. If he also begins to steal bases like we know he can, he’ll be unstoppable.
• The Y’alls pitching has been a great asset so far in 2021 and yesterday was no different. The Alex Wagner mistake that permitted the winning three-run homer was the only blemish. Starter Christian Tripp threw 70% of his pitches for strike and presented this pitching line: 6 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 1 BB and 9 K.
• The Grizzlies are now back to a .500 record and everybody in the lineup contributed at least one hit, except RF Nick Rottola, but he can be easily excused after having been so productive so far this season (his average still remains at .357).

Southern Illinois news release:

Miners Outlast Lake Erie In Home Run Derby

The Southern Illinois Miners rallied back from down 4–1 in the seventh inning to tie their game on Friday night against the Lake Erie Crushers at Rent One Park, then came back from down two runs in the tenth inning to force a home run derby to decide the game. In the end, Luke Mangieri and Nolan Earley combined to out-slug the visitors 4–2, clinching the win for the Miners in the series opener.

For the second time on the home stand, the Miners were able to take an early lead in the first inning. Mangieri walked with two outs, and Earley followed with a double, giving the Miners a 1–0 lead. That lead would not last long, as Lake Erie scored their first run in the second inning when Gunnar Kines hit Steve Passatempo with a pitch with the bases loaded, tying the game at 1–1.

The Crushers would take the lead in the middle innings thanks to Southern Illinois defensive miscues that led to three unearned runs. Two more hit batters in the fourth inning, along with two errors from the Miners defense, allowed two more runs to cross the plate for Lake Erie, making the score 3–1. In the sixth, after an error began the frame, an RBI infield single from Steven Kraft extended the Crushers’ lead to 4–1.

After starter Sean Johnson pitched the first six innings, allowing just one run while striking out eight, the Miners struck back against the Lake Erie bullpen. With the bases loaded on walks and one out in the bottom of the seventh, Anthony Brocato came up clutch with an RBI single to make it 4–2. Ian Walters would follow with an sacrifice fly to right field, scoring Mangieri and making the score 4–3.

Then, in the eighth, Marshall Rich walked to put the tying run on base, and with two outs, Yeltsin Gudiño doubled down the left field line, scoring Rich from first base and knotting the score at 4–4. Neither side would score in the ninth inning, as the Crushers’ Aaron Glickstein and the Miners’ Ryan Miller sent the game to extra innings. In the tenth, with the international tiebreaker in effect, Lake Erie was able to push across two runs on an RBI single by Brody Wofford and a sacrifice fly by Shawon Dunston, Jr., taking a 6–4 lead into the bottom of the frame.

But the Miners would come back yet again. Jared Mang drew a one-out, pinch-hit walk, and then was safe at second on a fielder’s choice by Jarrod Watkins, loading the bases. After a pop-out, and with the Miners down to their final strike, Mangieri drew a walk to make it 6–5 Lake Erie, and Earley followed with an RBI single that tied the game at 6–6. It nearly won the game as well, but Watkins was thrown out at home, sending the four-hour-plus contest to the home run derby, where Southern Illinois finally won the contest to kick off their weekend set against the Crushers.

The Miners will look to take the series from Lake Erie when the teams meet in the middle game of the series on Saturday, June 5, at 6:05 p.m. Chase Cunningham will pitch for the Miners against the Crushers’ Paul Hall, Jr., with the Miners retiring former all-star third baseman Steve Marino’s jersey number before the game.

Sussex County news release:

MINERS CRUISE PAST BOULDERS

FAST START PUSHES SUSSEX COUNTY WIN STREAK TO 5

June 4, Augusta, NJ — The Sussex County Miners (5–1) scored nine times in the first three innings and cruised on to defeat the New York Boulders (4–4) by a score of 12–2 on Friday night at Skylands Stadium.

Offensively, the 15-hit attack was led by Chuck Taylor, who went 5-for-6 on the evening with four RBIs and a pair of runs scored. Audy Ciriaco had three hits on the evening, and Martin Figueroa, Daniel Herrera, and Aaron Knapp each collected two hits. Trey Hair had two RBIs, as well as three stolen bases, as the Miners as a team swiped six bags and had six doubles on the evening.

The offense was more than enough for Miners starter Tyler Alexander (1–1), who followed up his opening night effort with 6 strong innings on the evening. The lefty ace went six innings allowing two runs — only one of those earned — on six hits. Alexander once again did not walk a batter while striking out seven. Tyler Luneke would then come on in the seventh and throw three scoreless innings to earn his first professional save, also not issuing a free pass while striking out seven batters of his own.

For New York, Tucker Nathans, Ryan Remiz and Jack Sundberg each collected two hits, with Ramiz and Sundberg collecting RBIs.

The Miners and Boulders will play the second game of this three game series on Fireworks Night at Skylands Stadium. First pitch for Saturday night is set for 6:05 pm

Joliet news release:

SLAMMERS RALLY TO BEAT THUNDERBOLTS

JOLIET, IL — After a defeat in the last series, the Slammers were eager to kick off this three game series against the Thunderbolts with a win. Slammers lefty Tyler Jandron took charge on the mound to start the game.

Brian Parreira hit a 2 run bomb out to right field to put the Slammers on top early on in the game as Jandron and Co. kept the Thunderbolts at a standstill with some solid defense.

For the first four, Jandron held the Thunderbolts to no runs, racking up 5 strikeouts in the process. During the fifth, the Slammers saw the first pitching change of the night bringing in Brad VanAsdlen, later giving up the two runs needed by the Thunderbolts to tie up the game.

The sixth saw another pitching change for the Slammers, as Gerald Bautista took the mound to relieve VanAsdlen. Braxton Davidson hit a towering home run out to dead center to tie the game back up to 3 a piece later in that inning.

In the top of the eighth, Bautista gave up a run to the Thunderbolts via a single by Zac Taylor, who scored Jack Strunc from 2nd to bring the Thunderbolts’ tally up to four runs for the game.

The bottom half of the eighth inning was nothing short of energetic. The Slammers put up 4 runs to take the lead from the Thunderbolts. An RBI single by Patrick Causa drove in two runs giving the Slammers the lead, and a fielder’s choice and two errors brought in two more runs to extend the Slammers lead to 7–4.

Slammers closer Trevor Charpie came into the game in the top of the ninth, shutting the Thunderbolts down and earning his fourth save of the season.

The battle of the bats kept the abundance of fans who turned out for the game on the edge of their seats the entire time tonight. The Slammers came out on top with a 7–4 final score putting them one game up in the three game series and lifting their record to 4–4 on the season. The next game takes place Saturday June 4th at 6:05 p.m.

Tri-City news release:

June 4, 2021: ValleyCats Tamed in Home Opener

TROY, NY — For the first time in 641 days, professional baseball was played in the Capital Region Friday evening, as the Tri-City ValleyCats (1–6) made their return to home play following a six-game road trip to start the 2021 season. The ‘Cats fell victim to the New Jersey Jackals (4–3), 17–2, to kick off a three-game weekend series and a six-game home stand.

The game began with a competitive pitcher’s duel between starters Angelo Baez and Carlos Sano, with the playing into the sixth inning with a 2–2 tie. Sano took home a six-inning no-decision with four strikeouts and a pair of runs on six hits, while Baez allowed the same with one strikeout in five and two-thirds innings.

Ending a two-game losing skid, New Jersey hopped out to a two-run lead with an RBI single in the third and a sacrifice fly in the top of the fifth. Tri-City’s Avery Tuck began a multi-hit night with an RBI double to get the ‘Cats on the board in the home half of the fifth, following Daniel Angulo, who doubled to kick off the inning. A solo home run from Juan Silverio in the bottom of the sixth knotted the game at two, with the ‘Cats in search of an end to their five-game losing skid.

Reprieve did not come once the starters left the game, however, with the Jackals taking a 4–2 lead off ValleyCats reliever Ryan McKay (0–1) with a 2-RBI single to right field. The ‘Cats bullpen then unraveled at the hands of the Jackals’ offense, with nine runs coming home in the eighth inning and another four in the ninth to give the game its final score. Brock Knoten (1–0) took home the win for the visitors in one and one-third innings, tossing one strikeout in the process. Despite the lopsided outcome on the scoreboard, Silverio extended his on-base streak to seven games, while Angulo went 3–4 from the plate.

The Tri-City ValleyCats will continue its six-game home stand to kick off play at Joseph L. Bruno Stadium on Saturday, June 5, 2021 at 7:00 PM, with gates set to open an hour early. The ‘Cats will celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Oregon Trail video game.