Can-Am New Jersey Jackals

Late Homers Lift Jackals Past Rox in 11 Innings

August 17, 2010 - Canadian American League (Can-Am)
New Jersey Jackals News Release


Little Falls, NJ - After Jabe Bergeron's two-run homer in the ninth sent the game into extra innings, the New Jersey Jackals plated four more runs in the top of the 11th behind the strength of catcher Angel Flores' first home run of the season en route to a 9-6 win over the Brockton Rox in Tuesday night's series opener at Campanelli Stadium. The teams combined for 33 hits in the contest.

With New Jersey trailing 5-3 in the top of the ninth, Bergeron launched a two-run homer to left center after a leadoff single by Mike DeJesus to even the score at five. Two innings later, the Jackals took their first lead of the contest in the top of the 11th when Bergeron roped a one-out double off the top of the left field wall and Carlos Sosa singled before Bergeron scored on a throwing error by Brockton catcher Chris Grossman to make it 6-5. Later in the frame, Flores completed his four-hit night with a three-run blast to left field to extend New Jersey's lead to 9-6.

Brockton tacked on a run in the bottom of the 11th on back-to-back extra-base hits by Dominic Ramos and Derek Kinzler to begin the frame, but New Jersey closer Romas Hicks retired the next three batters in order to secure the three-run victory in a non-save situation. Mike Pontius and Edward Rodriguez (5-3) also chipped in with three shutout innings of relief for New Jersey, with Rodriguez earning the win after fanning four batters over two frames.

Offensively, Bergeron went 3-for-5 with four runs scored while Sosa went 4-for-6. Center fielder Adam Godwin and DeJesus each added two hits as the Jackals defeated the Rox for the 10th time in 15 meetings this season.

With Brockton starter Mike Smith looking for his league-leading 11th victory, the Rox jumped out to a 1-0 lead against New Jersey's Ryan Lobban on a second-inning RBI single by Kinzler. A Travis Jones sacrifice fly in the top of the fourth knotted the contest at 1-1.

Brockton re-gained the lead on a Ramos single in the fourth, but the Jackals battled back to level the score at 2-2 on a run-scoring base hit from Jones in the sixth.

The Rox plated two runs in the bottom of the sixth when Grossman connected on his eighth homer of the season to make it 4-2. An inning later, an RBI double off the bat of first baseman Melvin Falu helped the Rox open up their largest lead of the contest at 5-2.

But the Jackals countered once again in the eighth when Sosa singled before scoring on a Flores double to cut the deficit to 5-3 and set up Bergeron's game-tying homer an inning later.

The Rox exhausted their entire bullpen in the contest, with Buster Lussier (1-5) absorbing the loss. Lussier left the contest with an injury in the 11th and Francisco Ortiz surrendered the homer to Flores. Lobban scattered 13 hits over seven innings, but he allowed just four earned runs while striking out five batters without surrendering a walk. Smith started and yielded two runs (one earned) with six strikeouts in six innings.

The Jackals (32-42 overall, 13-15 second half) and Rox (43-31, 16-11) play the middle contest of their three-game series on Tuesday at 7:05 p.m. when New Jersey sends left-hander Justin Jones (0-1, 7.36) to the mound for his third start with the team against Brockton southpaw Mike Wlodarczyk (9-3, 3.43). Cody Chrusciel has the live call on the Jackals webcast beginning 10 minutes prior to first pitch at www.jackals.com

The New Jersey Jackals, proud members of the Canadian-American Association of Professional Baseball, play their home games at Yogi Berra Stadium located on the campus of Montclair State University in Little Falls, NJ. 2010 season tickets, mini-plans and group outings are available by calling 973-746-7434. Visit the Jackals online at www.jackals.com.

Game Notes:

The Jackals have won all three contests against Brockton that have gone into extra innings this season... Prior to Tuesday, the Rox had won nine of their last 10 contests while the Jackals had dropped four of five... Sosa now has eight hits in his last 10 at-bats, raising his average from .211 to .299 in just two games. Brockton's Hunter Davis blew his first save of the season in 12 chances... Jackals' third baseman Abraham Nunez, who had missed New Jersey's previous three games, left the game in the bottom of the fourth inning with a re-aggravated back injury. Dan Betteridge replaced him before Jeff Grose pinch hit for Betteridge in the ninth inning and Jovan Rosa entered at third base in the bottom of the frame. Rosa, who was released on August 6, re-signed with the Jackals earlier in the day.

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