ValleyCats Fall in Sudden Death
June 24, 2023 - Frontier League (FL)
Tri-City ValleyCats News Release
TROY, NY - The Tri-City ValleyCats (21-17) fell 7-6 in the 11th inning in sudden death to the Ottawa Titans (17-21) on Saturday at Joseph L. Bruno Stadium. Per the Frontier League rules, the home team can opt to hit or play defense. If the offensive team scores, they win, and if they do not push across a run, they lose. It was the first sudden death game ever played at "The Joe'', and out of the six sudden death occurrences this season in the Frontier League, the ValleyCats were the first team to decide to hit.
Ottawa opened the scoring for the second straight night in the first inning. Jackie Urbaez and Jason Dicochea led off with two singles off Gabriel Jaramillo. Sicnarf Loopstok and AJ Wright then had back-to-back RBI knocks to pull the Titans ahead, 2-0.
Tri-City cut the deficit to 2-1 in the third. Ian Walters singled off Zac Westcott. Cito Culver walked, and Trey Hair hit a grounder through the right side of the infield to bring in Walters.
Jaramillo received a no-decision in his ValleyCats debut. He made his first professional start after 46 games in relief within the Chicago Cubs farm system. Jaramillo tossed three innings, yielding two runs on six hits, walking none, hitting a batter, and striking out two.
Tri-City took the lead in the fifth. Walters walked, and Culver singled him to second. Jakob Goldfarb brought in a run with a single. Carson McCusker then came through with an RBI single to put the ValleyCats on top. 3-2.
Westcott was also handed a no-decision. He pitched five frames, allowing three runs on six hits, walking three, and striking out one.
Tri-City added an insurance run in the eighth. Jaxon Hallmark clubbed his fifth homer of the season off Chris Burica to extend the 'Cats lead to 4-2.
Ottawa battled back in the ninth. Reymin Guduan issued a walk to Brandon Bannon. Dicochea belted his second homer in as many days to tie the game, 4-4.
Hair ended Burica's night with a single. Robbie Merced came in as a pinch runner, and stole second. McCusker got ahead in a 3-1 count, and was intentionally walked by Augie Gallardo. The two baserunners stole second and third respectively. Gallardo then struck out the next two batters.
Guduan returned for the 10th. He struck out the first two batters he faced, but intentionally walked Manny Garcia. Jacob Talamante came in as a pinch-runner for Garcia. Kanta Kobayashi picked up an RBI single to bring in the "ghost runner" in Evan Berkey. Afterward, Bannon drove in Talamante with a single to pull Ottawa ahead, 6-4.
Trevor Clifton entered in the bottom of the 10th. He issued a walk to Pavin Parks. Hallmark reached on a fielder's choice, and Altherr, the "free runner", went to third. Hallmark then stole second. After striking out Walters, Clifton had Culver down to a 1-2 count. Culver poked one over the head of the third baseman AJ Wright to tie the game, 6-6.
Erasmo Piñelas came in the 11th. The Titans turned a strike-em-up, throw-em-out double play as Merced, the "ghost runner", was gunned out at second. Piñelas struck out Biermann to earn the win.
Piñelas (1-0) is the lone pitcher of record tonight, as there are no losing pitchers in the Frontier League Sudden Death rules. Additionally, Ottawa officially takes the game 7-6. The Titans receive their seventh run thanks to "Sudden Death Batter A" hitting a home run that is counted as an unearned run.
Tri-City concludes its three-game series against Ottawa tomorrow, Sunday, June 25. First pitch is scheduled for 5:00 PM.
FINAL (11) | OTTAWA 7 | TRI-CITY 6
W: Erasmo Piñelas (1-0)
Time of Game: 3:39
Attendance: 2,515
Frontier League Stories from June 24, 2023
- Boulders Fall to Jackals in Late Rally, 8-4 - New York Boulders
- ValleyCats Fall in Sudden Death - Tri-City ValleyCats
- Sullivan Dominates, Grizzlies Clinch Weekend Series - Gateway Grizzlies
- Titans Take Wild Sudden Death Contest, Defeat ValleyCats - Ottawa Titans
- Bolts Power by Capitales 4-2 - Windy City ThunderBolts
- Sullivan Dominates, Grizzlies Clinch Weekend Series - Gateway Grizzlies
- Gateway Gets Great Start, Scores Five in First to Take Middle Game - Washington Wild Things
- Close Call at Home - Lake Erie Crushers
- Y'alls Erupt Offensively in Series-Tying Blowout Victory - Florence Y'alls
- Dawson Posts Record Setting Performance as Boomers Dominate - Schaumburg Boomers
- Otters Drop Middle Game in Florence - Evansville Otters
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