Sussex County salvages series against New York
The Sussex County Miners defeat the New York Boulders 6-5 in Skylands Stadium, salvaging the three game series by snapping a four game losing skid.
The Miners offense exploded early on. Alex Barker was tested immediately with a Hunter D’Amato walk followed by a Gabriel Maciel RBI single to short, giving the Miners the early lead in a game that felt a must-win for their hopes of keeping up with the first place in the Eastern Division Boulders.
It was a hitting party in the second inning to blow the game wide open. The Miners loaded the bases quickly, setting the stage for a flurry of runs. Sandro Gaston’s line drive RBI single to left field kicked things off. Will Zimmerman followed up with an RBI single of his own.
The very next pitch Hunter D’Amato roped one to left field, bringing in two more before Berkey would complete the second inning with a sac-fly to bring Zimmerman home. 6-0 Miners before the Boulders could process a come-back plan.
Those six runs early on would prove to be pivotal, as the Boulders would do what they do best with their offense of riches. Jorge Garcia held firm but got roughed up in the top of the third by Jason Agresti, Aaron Simmons and Jimmy Keenan to half the deficit at 6-3.
Jason Agresti would cause more problems as he blooped an RBI single to center field in the fourth to make it 6-4. A Kyle Hess sac-fly to bring home John Schroeder in the fifth would make it 6-5. It seemed like it was only a matter of time.
But the Miners bullpen held firm. Billy Parsons did his part for two innings, which included an acrobatic double play by Dean Ferrara, John Perrozzi escaped a runner on first and second predicament, and finally Parmer Primeaux provided the save to secure the 6-5 victory for the Miners in Augusta, New Jersey.
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An off-day for the Miners on Monday before travelling to Ottawa to take on the Titans in a game three set before returning back to Skylands Stadium to face the Lake Erie Crushers. With August just around the corner, every game going forward could dictate playoffs come September. First pitch scheduled for 5:30pm EST.
Fans can watch live on the Frontier League Network via HTN or listen on Mixlr. Streaming links are available at scminers.com.
Written by Justin Haight
Above: Gabriel Maciel went 3-for-4 today (photo by Phil Hoops)