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Can-Am New Jersey Jackals

Tressler, Tucker, and Timely Hitting Earn Jackals Sweep Against Ottawa

August 3, 2008 - Canadian American League (Can-Am)
New Jersey Jackals News Release


Little Falls, NJ - Aaron Tressler hurled eight stellar innings and closer Rusty Tucker set yet another saves record as the New Jersey Jackals (7-13, 32-35) defeated the Ottawa Rapidz (7-13, 20-47) 5-4 on Sunday evening at Yogi Berra Stadium. With the win, the Jackals earned the sweep of the three-game series against the Rapidz.

Tressler (3-6) turned in his second straight dominant start, earning the win while allowing two runs on five hits in eight innings. The right-hander struck out three and walked one while his counterpart, Ottawa's Tanner Watson (2-5) allowed five runs on ten hits in 7 2/3 innings to pick up the loss. For New Jersey, Tucker recorded his 18th save of the season, breaking the previous team record of 17 (set by Mike Hartung in 1998). For Tucker, the save was also his eighth straight as the Gloucester, MA native hasn't surrendered a run since July 6th. Tucker has also gone the past 7 2/3 innings without surrendering a hit.

In what began as a pitchers' duel, Tressler and Watson combined to retire the game's first 12 batters before Ottawa LF Jereme Milons led off the top of the third inning with a double. Later in the inning, Milons scored on a fielder's choice off the bat of SS Juan Infante to give Ottawa an early 1-0 lead. However, the Jackals struck back immediately in the bottom of the third when an RBI single by 2B Marcus Sanders plated LF Andrew Larsen, who had singled earlier in the frame, to tie the score at 1-1. In the fifth inning, the Rapidz took a 2-1 lead on a Jared Lemieux RBI double, only to have the Jackals counter in the bottom of the sixth. In that inning, New Jersey CF Zack Smithlin led off with a bunt single and later scored on a double to left center by 1B Juan Tejeda to even the score at 2-2.

Later in the game, the Jackals began to pull away as Watson surrendered a run in the seventh on a Smithlin infield single to put New Jersey up 3-2. Then in the eighth, five consecutive two-out singles enabled the Jackals to add two more insurance runs and chase Watson from the game en route to the 5-2 victory. Offensively for New Jersey, Smithlin and Sanders knocked in one run each while going 2-3, while Lemieux collected two hits in three at bats for Ottawa.

The Jackals are off on Monday before returning to the field on Tuesday evening for a scheduled double header against the Nashua Pride. First pitch of game one is scheduled for 5:05 p.m. when right-hander Ted Serro takes the hill, followed by fellow righty Tom Atlee in game two. If you can't make it out to Yogi Berra Stadium, you can catch every inning via live webcast at www.jackals.com with the broadcast beginning ten minutes prior to first pitch.

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