ValleyCats Launch Two Homers in Win to Remain Perfect at Series at "The Joe"
July 6, 2023 - Frontier League (FL)
Tri-City ValleyCats News Release
TROY, NY - The Tri-City ValleyCats (29-19) improved to 9-0 in series at Joseph L. Bruno this season after defeating the Empire State Greys (10-37) 7-3 in the rubber game on Thursday.
Empire State opened the scoring in the second. Manny Garcia hit a solo home run off Garrison Bryant to provide the Greys with a 1-0 lead.
Tri-City countered in the bottom of the second. Garret Sutton issued a walk to Aaron Altherr. Jakob Goldfarb singled. Zach Biermann had an RBI single, and Lamar Briggs followed suit in his Frontier League debut with a sac fly to pull the ValleyCats ahead, 2-1.
Cito Culver ripped a solo homer in the third to give Tri-City a 3-1 advantage. It was Culver's seventh homer of the year.
Briggs, who played with Sutton on the Gastonia Honey Hunters of the independent Atlantic League this year, homered off his former teammate with a solo shot in the fourth. Ian Walters singled, and moved to third on a passed ball from Zach Whalin. Pavin Parks brought in Walters with a hit. Jaxon Hallmark reached on a bunt single to load the bases. Altherr singled in Parks, and Hallmark was thrown out at the plate 7-6-2 trying to score from second. Afterward, Goldfarb doubled in Altherr to put the ValleyCats on top, 7-1.
Josh Sears homered in the seventh to cut the deficit to 7-2. Empire State then tacked on another run in the eighth. Eric Jenkins doubled off Coleman Huntley. Jaylen Smith singled in Jenkins to make it a 7-3 game. Huntley recorded the final out of the eighth before Reymin Guduan pitched in the ninth. Guduan issued back-to-back singles to Sears and Garcia before inducing a lineout from Whalin. The ValleyCats turned a game-ending 6-4-3 double play highlighted by Parks sticking with a tough hop, and Biermann having a nice pick at first base.
Bryant (3-3) earned the win. He pitched more than six innings for the first time since May 28 in Washington against the Wild Things. Bryant is handed the victory in his second straight outing, tossing 6.1 innings, yielding two runs on two hits, walking one, and striking out five.
Sutton (0-2) received the loss. He threw 4.2 innings, allowing seven runs on nine hits, walking one, and striking out six.
Tri-City begins a three-game series against the Ottawa Titans, tomorrow, Friday, July 7. First pitch is scheduled for 6:30 PM at Ottawa Stadium in Canada.
FINAL | TRI-CITY 7 | EMPIRE STATE 3
W: Garrison Bryant (3-3)
L: Garret Sutton (0-2)
Time of Game: 2:39
Attendance: 3,054
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