Aigles Launch Four Home Runs to Down Miners 9-2
Following back-to-back wins for Sussex County Miners (14-20), starting pitcher Jackson Balzan couldn’t stay hot against the Trois-Rivières Aigles (9-23) on Tuesday. The southpaw’s five earned runs put the Miners in a hole that they couldn’t climb out of despite early offensive life.
All of the damage done to Balzan came in the first three innings. The Aigles started strong with a three-run opening frame and added two more in the third. Despite the rocky opening, Balzan remained in the game for another three innings, allowing no runs in that stretch. His night ended with six innings pitched, six hits, two walks, seven strikeouts, and five earned runs.
The Miners’ offense provided early, albeit insufficient, run support. Kiko Romero got Sussex County on the board in the first inning with a base hit to score Sean Roby Jr. The Miners’ next turn to bat saw leadoff hitter Hunter D’Amato drive in Gabriel Maciel with a single of his own. Those hits marked two of just four for Sussex County all night, however.
Trois-Rivières starter Noe Toribio was nearly flawless after the second inning. The right-hander shut out the Miners for the next five frames, walking five and allowing just one more hit. The outing was his longest this year and his second win in six starts.
Playing from behind, the Miners’ bullpen couldn’t help keep the game close. Hayden Givens-Craig replaced Balzan, marking his first appearance for Sussex County. The right-hander was welcomed to the Frontier League with a three-run seventh inning, pushing the Aigles’ lead to 8-2.
Trois-Rivières added another run in the ninth off Miners’ reliever Zack Austin, which marked the end of the night’s scoring. Aigles reliever Alexander Castro finished off the Miners, and Trois-Rivières left Skylands Stadium with a 9-2 win.
With the loss, the Miners are tied with the Down East Bird Dawgs for second place in the Atlantic East Division, sitting three and a half games behind the New York Boulders for first place.
Sussex County trails the series one game to zero with two contests remaining. The next matchup is tomorrow at 11:05 a.m. Watch all Miners games live on HomeTeam Network and listen to the live Miners Radio Network broadcast on Mixlr.
By Austin Raiche
Above: Miners second baseman Hunter D’Amato takes the field (photo by Phil Hoops)