PL Grand Junction Jackalopes

Cruce, Fisher Power Jackalopes to 13-11 Walkoff Win

Published on August 24, 2023 under Pioneer League (PL)
Grand Junction Jackalopes News Release


Lavoisier Fisher was the story early, Jake Cruce was the story late, and the Jackalopes beat the Owlz 12-11.

Jackalopes starter Trey Morrell ran into some trouble in the second, allowing three straight singles and a run, but he cut his losses by striking out the final three batters of the inning.

The Owlz wouldn't have that lead for long. Lavoisier Fisher launched his first professional home run in the bottom half to give the Jackalopes a 2-1 advantage.

The Owlz manufactured four runs in the third and added another in the fourth. It could have been more, but another outfield assist from Jake "The Arm" Cruce got the Jackalopes out of the inning.

The offense kicked into gear for the Jackalopes in the fourth, opening the inning with three straight hits, including back-to-back RBI doubles from Fisher and Drew Williams, cutting the lead to 6-4.

Later in the inning, with the score 6-5, a bases-loaded hit by pitch to Cruce tied the game at six and chased Jose Diaz from the ballgame. Carter Linton cleaned things up and retired the side with no further damage.

Trey Morrill was pulled after loading the bases in the top of the 5th. Other than an error that allowed a run to score, Keenan Bartlett houdinied out of the inning with just a run across to give the Owlz a 7-6 lead.

Stop me if you've heard this before, but the lead wouldn't last long. Fisher hammered his second home run of the night in the bottom half to tie the game at seven.

The Jackalopes took a three-run lead in the 8th with an Andrew Meggs single and two bases-loaded walks.

Again, you can stop me anytime if you've heard this before. The lead would not last. Calvin Marley gave up four runs in the top of the 9th, all with two outs, and the Owlz took the lead 11-10.

Seriously, please stop me if you've heard this before. Really, it's ok... The Owlz lead wouldn't last long. Joe Johnson took Corey Wills to dead center to tie the game at 11.

With two outs and two strikes, Jake Cruce hit a drive that snuck over the left field wall to walk the game off. At last, there was no chance for that lead to disappear, and the Jackalopes won 12-11.

Series Summary

Jackalopes win the series 2-1 and ensure a season series victory over the Owlz 17-12 with three games left between the two.

Player of the Series

Anthony Ray, who has been hitting the ball hard for the last couple of weeks, finally got some luck on his side, going 7/12 with seven RBI and two HRs in the series.

So Now What?

The Jackalopes are - games out with 15 left to play. The team will head to Windsor for three games against the Owlz before making the long trip out to Boise for a six-game date with the Hawks.

The Jakes will capitalize on their success in Windsor (5-4) and against the Hawks (5-4) and chip into the division lead before playing the season's final six games against the first-place Rocky Mountain Vibes.

Check out the Grand Junction Jackalopes Statistics

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Pioneer League Stories from August 24, 2023


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