Sussex County wins first series in Troy since 2023
The Sussex County Miners (8-14) defeated their Atlantic North rivals, the Tri-City ValleyCats (7-15), 9-8 on Thursday afternoon at Joseph L. Bruno Stadium in Troy, New York.
After a scoreless top of the first, Miners starting pitcher Jackson Balzan (1-1) retired all three ValleyCats he faced. Sussex County quickly gave Balzan two runs of support with an RBI double from third baseman Dean Ferrara and an RBI single from right fielder Gabriel Maciel in the second inning.
First baseman Kiko Romero hit a solo homer to put the Miners up 3-0 in the third, but that lead wasn’t safe for long. Tri-City designated hitter RJ Stinson knocked in his squad’s first run of the game in the bottom half of the inning. Second baseman Amani Larry drove in a second run with a single, then right fielder Brayden Jobert leveled the score at three with a sacrifice fly.
By the fifth inning, each starting pitcher had given up three earned runs. ValleyCats starter Luke Delongchamp (0-1) would not stay in control much longer, though. Two-run home runs from left fielder Keenan Taylor and Ferrara put the Miners up 7-3 and chased Delongchamp with two outs in the fifth.
Sussex County padded its lead in the sixth frame thanks to base hits from players who had already gone yard. A Romero double and a Taylor single made it a 9-3 advantage for the visitors. Right-hander Chad Gartland relieved Balzan and delivered his first of two clean innings to keep the Miners in front.
Tri-City made things uncomfortable for Sussex County in the later innings. Reliever Miles Langhorne loaded the bases in the bottom of the eighth and then surrendered a grand slam to catcher Ranko Stevanovic. Clinging to a 9-7 edge with no outs, the Miners brought in right-hander Parker Primeaux, who retired the next three batters to end the threat.
In the bottom of the ninth, the ValleyCats pulled within a run after first baseman Jake Reinisch deposited Primeaux’s first pitch over the center field wall. Primeaux got third baseman Ian Walters to pop out, but Jobert singled to bring the winning run to the plate. On a 3-2 count to second baseman Kai Moody, catcher Keenan O’Brien threw out Jobert attempting to steal second base. Primeaux locked up the win by striking out Moody on the very next pitch.
The Miners’ offense was powered by multi-hit efforts from Romero, Taylor, Ferrara, and designated hitter Sean Roby Jr. Taylor has scored two runs in a game for the third time in his first five appearances for Sussex County. Romero is now tied with Roby Jr. for the team lead in home runs with eight. Gartland did not allow a baserunner in his two innings in relief without the help of a strikeout.
Balzan notched his first win of the season, and Delongchamp took the loss. Primeaux earned his first save of the season.
An 8-14 record keeps the Miners at fourth place in the Atlantic East Division. Sussex County is now 4-2 against Tri-City this season. The series win is their first at “The Joe” since 2023. The Miners now have a 6-2 record in day games this year.
The Miners return home for a three-game set against their in-state rivals, the New Jersey Jackals. Game one is scheduled for Friday, June 5, at 7:05 PM. Buy tickets at tickets.sussexcountyminers.com, watch games live on HomeTeam Network, and listen to the live Miners Radio Network broadcast on Mixlr.
By Alex Remoll with Sean Bretherick
Above: Joseph L. Bruno Stadium, home of the Tri-City ValleyCats.