ValleyCats Fall Victim to the Long Ball in Dietz's Debut
July 22, 2023 - Frontier League (FL)
Tri-City ValleyCats News Release
TROY, NY - The Tri-City ValleyCats (35-24) issued nine walks and fell 13-5 to the New York Boulders (34-23) on Saturday at Joseph L. Bruno Stadium.
Chris Kwitzer singled off Andrew Dietz in the third. Tucker Nathans doubled in a run to give New York a 1-0 lead.
Tri-City responded in the bottom of the third. Robbie Merced greeted Ryan Muñoz with a single, and went to third on an error from Thomas Walraven. Pavin Parks plated a run with a groundout. Cito Culver cranked his third homer in the last two days to pull the ValleyCats ahead, 2-1. Walraven launched a solo homer to tie the game 2-2 in the fourth.
Tri-City retook the lead in the fourth. Jaxon Hallmark doubled, and Lamar Briggs followed suit with an RBI single to pull the ValleyCats ahead, 3-2.
Muñoz was handed a no-decision. He pitched 3.1 innings, yielding two runs on four hits, walking none, striking out two.
The Boulders picked up four runs in the fifth. Giovanni Garbella worked a walk, and Kwitzer singled. Gabriel Garcia laid down a sac bunt. Tucker Nathans collected an RBI single. Wolraven clubbed his second long ball of the day to provide New York, 6-3.
The Boulders blew the game open in the sixth. Jimmy Costin walked, Garbella doubled, and Kwitzer was intentionally walked to load the bases. Garcia had a two-run single. Nathans brought in Kwitzer with a single. Pat Kivlehan then crushed a three-run jack. A couple batters later, David Vinsky and Matt McDermott walked. Costin concluded the frame with an RBI knock to make it a 13-3 game.
Tri-City showed some life in the seventh. Connor Bagnieski and Merced singled off Andy Hammond. Parks grounded into a double play, and Bagnieski advanced to third. Jakob Goldfarb drove in a run with a single to cut the deficit 13-4.
The ValleyCats tacked on another run in the eighth. Hallmark and Briggs singled before Merced knocked in a run with a single to make it a 13-5.
Hammond (4-0) earned the win. He went 5.2 innings, giving up three runs on 10 hits, walking four, and striking out five.
Dietz (0-1) received the loss. He tossed 4.2 innings, allowing five runs on six hits, walking two, and striking out three.
Tri City returns to Joe Bruno tomorrow, Sunday, July 23 for the conclusion for the three-game season against New York. First pitch is scheduled for 5:00 PM.
FINAL | NEW YORK 13 | TRI-CITY 5
W: A. Hammond (4-0)
L: Andrew Dietz (0-1)
Time of Game: 2:30
Attendance: 3,004
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