The Sussex County Miners faced off against the Québec Capitales on their home turf of Skylands Stadium. The two teams fought tooth and nail, with both sides revolving pitchers throughout the game. The Miners started pitcher John Rizzo Jr. as the Capitales played Luke Krkovski. Tonight marked John Rizzo Jr.’s debut as a Sussex County Miner. Rizzo Jr. pitched for four innings and held his own against the Capitales’ best, including striking out first baseman Torin Montgomery. Rizzo Jr. allowed only one run for Québec with an RBI single from their catcher Ruben Castro in the 1st inning. This put Québec up 1-0.
The Miners evened the score at the bottom of the first. With bases loaded for the Miners, right fielder Keenan Taylor’s RBI single brought home second baseman Hunter D’Amato. His advancement set Taylor up at first base with bases loaded once again. Taylor’s response to the Capitales tied the score 1-1. However, it was first basemen Kiko Romero who was the crown jewel of the Miners’ offense tonight. In the first inning, Romero’s RBI single brought home both designated hitter Mahki Backstrom and shortstop Dean Ferrara to give the Miners a 3-1 lead. Yet, Romero didn’t stop there. In the bottom of the 5th, Romero sent a homer flying through Skylands Stadium that brought home Keenan Taylor. This home run marked Romero’s 13th home run this season and brought the Miners further ahead 5-1.
Throughout the game, the Miners played phenomenal defense. One notable highlight of their coordination was when Dean Ferrara forced out the advancing Capitales before quickly passing to Hunter D’Amato for a barehanded catch. Their double play showed the Miners’ quick reaction and how they held their own throughout the game. Québec responded to the Miners’ chaos with an RBI single from their first baseman Torin Montgomery to bring home right fielder David Mendham. Québec brought the score to 5-2 to inch them closer to what was to come. The 7th inning was where the Capitales found their groove. Québec’s third Basemen T.J Schofield-Sam hit a grand slam, which put Québec further on board. Schofield-Sam’s homer brought home Torin Montgomery, designated hitter Chavez Young, and second baseman Yuta Hamada to give them a 6-5 lead. The Miners’ defense struggled to keep up with the Capitales after being dealt a powerful blow. Miners’ pitchers Jackson Balzan, Jacob Widener, and Billy Parsons struggled to hold the line, as the Capitales brought more runners home to give them the lead.
Parker Primeaux closed the game for the Miners while their offense was stopped by the Capitales’ defense. Québec took the win for tonight’s game with an 8-5 victory. The Miners failed to close the gap against Québec, marking their fifth loss to the Capitales in the series. The Sussex County Miners will host the Capitales once more for Family Fun Sunday at Skylands Stadium. First pitch is at 1:35 pm EST. Be sure to tune in on the Frontier League Network, powered by HTN.
By: Paul Brignola