Phipps and Company Defeat Ottawa on Independence Day
July 4, 2022 - Frontier League (FL)
Tri-City ValleyCats News Release
Denis Phipps of the Tri-City ValleyCats
(Tri-City ValleyCats)
TROY, NY - A packed house at Joseph L. Bruno Stadium as the Tri-City ValleyCats and Ottawa Titans battled in a special one-game mini series.
Joey Gonzalez would take the ball for the ValleyCats, looking for his second consecutive victory, earning a win last week on the road in Troís-Riviéres. Ottawa would send out southpaw Chris Burica.
The first inning would go pretty smoothly for the right hander. Jackie Urbaez would reach on an error by Brad Zunica at first base, but would set down just a few pitches later after Gonzalez induced a double play ball from Rodrigo Orozco. Jacob Sanford would fly out to end the inning.
The ValleyCats offense would get going early, scoring four runs in the first inning. Brantley Bell would walk, and Jesus Lujano would launch a double into left center field, sending Bell to third. Denis Phipps would launch a towering three-run blast into left field, to give Tri-City a 3-0 lead. Phipps has now homered three times in the last four days.
Following a Zunica strike out, third baseman Juan Silverio would hit a solo shot of his own, an opposite field shot that cleared the wall in right center. Gonzalez would head out for the top of the second inning with a 4-0 cushion.
The Titans would get one back in the top of the second inning, when Jason Dicochea would drive home Taylor Wright from second, after Wright walked and stole second base.
The top of the order would continue their success at the plate, when Brantley Bell ripped an RBI single into left field to plate Carson McCusker, who led off the inning with a walk. Jesus Lujano would earn an RBI when a ground out to second base brought home Pavin Parks, who singled earlier in the inning.
Gonzalez would retire the Titans in order in both the third and fourth innings, striking out four of the six Ottawa hitters he faced. The offense for the 'Cats in those innings would go dormant as well, only having Brad Zunica and Jace Mercer reach base, Zunica was walked and Mercer got hit by a Chris Bruica fastball.
Ottawa would inch back into the game in the road half of the fifth inning, when Tyrus Greene launched his first home run of the season, a solo homer on a Gonzalez fastball making it a 6-2 ballgame.
The ValleyCats would get the run back in the bottom of the fifth inning on a bases loaded Jace Mercer RBI fielder's choice. However the 'Cats would leave the bases loaded to end the inning when Jonah Girand grounded out.
The long ball came out to hurt Joey Gonzalez again in the sixth, when he surrendered his second solo home run of the game, this time off the bat of left fielder Rodrigo Orozco.
The 'Cats offense would go quietly the remainder of the game. Their biggest threat to the Ottawa bullpen was in the bottom of the seventh inning, when they'd strand two runners on base.
Adam Hofacket would come out of the bullpen to work the eighth inning, the only mark on his inning was a one out single from Jackie Urbaez, he would strand the shortstop at first by getting Rodrigo Orozco to fly out to Lujano in center and a ground out from Jacob Sanford to end the inning.
Brac Warren would come on to start the ninth inning, and would walk Taylor Wright to lead the inning off. AJ Wright would follow with a double, plating White. Tyrus Greene would draw a walk, bringing ValleyCats manager Pete Incaviglia out to bring Trey Cochran-Gill into the game. Jason Dicochea would rip a ground rule double plating AJ White, leaving Greene at third base. Following a Jacob Talamante strike out Matt Feinstein would roll a ground ball over to Pavin Parks at shortstop, plating the third run of the inning.
With two outs and a base open, the 'Cats would elect to walk the recently named Frontier League Player of the Week Jackie Urbaez, bringing Rodrigo Orozco to the dish. The left fielder would ground out to Mercer at second base, stranding the tying run just 90 feet away.
FINAL | (25-20) TRI-CITY 7 (28-16) OTTAWA 6
W: JOEY GONZALEZ (4-0)
L: CHRIS BURCIA (4-2)
SV: TREY COCHRAN-GILL (7)
ATTENDANCE: 5211
The Tri-City ValleyCats and first place Quebec Capitales face off Tuesday night for the first game of their mid-week series! Tomorrow night is also 90's night. First pitch is scheduled for 6:30 PM. Get your tickets today by calling 518-629-CATS, visiting the team's box office, or logging on to tcvalleycats.com.
Images from this story
 Tri-City ValleyCats at bat |
 Denis Phipps of the Tri-City ValleyCats |
Frontier League Stories from July 4, 2022
- Callil Homers Twice as Otters Sweep Gateway - Evansville Otters
- Wild Things Provide Fireworks on & off Field on Fourth of July - Washington Wild Things
- Early Runs Burn Titans, Drop One-Run Affair to ValleyCats - Ottawa Titans
- Grizzlies Swept at Home - Gateway Grizzlies
- Boomers Sweep Y'alls to Conclude Winless Road Trip - Florence Y'alls
- Phipps and Company Defeat Ottawa on Independence Day - Tri-City ValleyCats
- Hart and Pitching Lead Boomers to Seventh Straight - Schaumburg Boomers
- Miners Take Down Boulders - New York Boulders
- Watland Named Frontier League Pitcher of the Week - Evansville Otters
- Urbaez Named Player of the Week - Ottawa Titans
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