Sussex County drops twin bill at Hinchliffe Stadium
The Sussex County Miners hit the road for a doubleheader against the New Jersey Jackals at Hinchliffe Stadium in Paterson, NJ. The Miners started their first game with John Rizzo Jr while the Jackals started Sonny Fauci. The first two innings were quick in action, with both pitchers swiftly ending each inning. The game would soon see sparks when third basemen Haiden Walters hit a home run to right-center field. This marked his third home run this season for the Miners and brought home catcher Keenan O’Brien. Walters’ homer helped the Miners gain a 2-0 lead.
The Jackals retaliated in the 4th inning to take the Miners by surprise. Jackals right fielder Gustavo Sosa delivered a home run to left field to bring the score to 2-1. Left fielder David Glancy followed up with an RBI single to bring home second baseman Alvaro Gonzalez for a 3-2 lead. The Jackals kept the momentum going as designated hitter Issac Bellony delivered another home run that same inning. Bellony’s homer brought home David Glancy to give the Jackals a 4-2 lead. The Miners continued to look for an opportunity to regain the lead, while switching pitchers to hold the line. Fortune leaned in their favor with an RBI double from first baseman Sandro Gaston to bring home right fielder Kiko Romero. The Miners followed up that same inning with a fielder’s choice by center fielder Edwin Mateo to bring Sandro Gaston home for an even 4-4 score. The two teams continued to play strong defense with Miners’ Billy Parsons against Jackals’ Brenden O’Donnell in extra innings. The game, however, did not favor the Miners, as a wild pitch from Parsons ended it with a 5-4 loss to the Jackals.
The next game followed suit with the Miners starting Tyler Thornton against the Jackals’ Ruben Ramirez. The Jackals swiftly took the lead with a sacrifice fly from second baseman Alvaro Gonzalez to bring home third baseman Martin Figueroa for a 1-0 lead. The Miners immediately followed up in the second inning with a home run from Kiko Romero. This marked Romero’s 16th home run this season to tie the game 1-1. The Jackals wanted a slice of home run pie as right fielder Noah Furcht landed a home run to bring the game 2-1 the same inning. The Jackals maintained their lead in the third inning with an RBI double from catcher Gustavo Sosa to bring home first baseman Felix Stevens for a 3-1 lead. This was quickly followed by Martin Figueroa walking home for a 4-1 lead in the fourth inning. The Miners were backed into a corner, and promptly switched to Zach Austin to bring the Jackals to a halt. However, the Miners were taken aback when center fielder DeAmez Ross hit an inside-the-park grand slam, bringing home David Glancy, shortstop Erick Almonte Jr, and Martin Figueroa for an 8-1 lead. The Miners tried to regain their lead but fell to the Jackals in a back-to-back loss.
The Sussex County Miners will return to play the Jackals again at Hinchliffe Stadium on Saturday, August 29th. First pitch is at 7:30 pm EST. Be sure to tune in on the Frontier League Network, powered by HTN.
By Paul Brignola