Great individual performances overshadowed by loss
The Sussex County Miners fell to the New York Boulders, 4-3, at Clover Stadium.
Coming off back-to-back victories in which Sussex County scored 10 or more runs, the Miners opened their first road trip of the season against a familiar Boulders squad they faced in preseason exhibition play.
Sussex County struck first in the top of the fourth inning. Center fielder Edwin Mateo delivered an RBI single to left field, scoring Mahki Backstrom to give the Miners a 1–0 lead. At that point, starting pitcher Billy Parsons was in complete control, carrying a no-hitter into the middle innings.
The Miners added to their advantage in the sixth. A wild pitch from New York starter Anthony Leak allowed third baseman Sean Roby Jr to race home from second base. Moments later, shortstop Evan Berkey lined an RBI double to right field, bringing in Kiko Romero and extending the lead to 3–0.
The game turned quickly in the bottom half of the inning.
After surrendering a solo home run to New York’s Fritz Genther, the Boulders rallied for three additional runs. A two-run homer by Dan Tauken tied the game, and a throwing error following a stolen base by Norris McClure allowed the go-ahead run to score, completing a four-run inning and giving New York a 4–3 lead.
The Miners’ offense, which collected seven hits through the first seven innings, was held hitless the rest of the way and struck out three times over the final two frames as New York secured the series-opening victory.
Despite the loss, several Miners turned in strong individual performances. Parsons was sharp on the mound, tossing 5.1 innings while allowing just two hits and striking out 11 batters. Batting leadoff, second baseman Hunter D’Amato finished 3-for-4 at the plate, while Berkey and Mateo each drove in runs for Sussex County.
The Miners and Boulders continue their three-game series Saturday evening. Watch all Miners games live on HomeTeam Network and listen to the live Miners Radio Network broadcast on Mixlr.
Written by Alex Remoll with Scott Davies