Sixth-inning homers power Titans to series-opening victory

Little Falls, NJ – The Ottawa Titans (21-7) extended their winning streak to three consecutive games, scoring a 6-5 road win over the New Jersey Jackals on Friday night.

Following a scoreless first, the Titans loaded the bases off Jackals starter Jorge Tavarez (ND, 3-2) and brought Jackie Urbaez to the plate with two outs. Urbaez legged out an infield single, scoring one, but second baseman Justin Wylie threw wide of the bag at first, scoring another run.

The Jackals tied the score with two runs on three hits in the bottom half of the inning, off lefty Chris Burica (win, 4-0) who was in tough early.

Alfredo Marte gave the Jackals the lead in the third with a sacrifice fly to left, scoring Santiago Chirino who led off the frame with a double.

Burica picked up the win in his fifth start of the season, going six complete, allowing three runs on a season-high 12 hits, and struck out three.

The Titans tied the game in the fourth with AJ Wright drawing a bases-loaded walk.

The momentum for the Jackals came to a halt in the fourth, as they tagged three more hits along. With two on, Chirino grounded a Burica offering into left, and Trevor Abrams got the wave around third. Jacob Talamante was able to nail the potential go-ahead run at the plate to keep the game tied.

As a 3-3 tie dragged on to the sixth, Urbaez stood aboard at first for Wright against Angelo Baez (loss, 0-1) with one out. Wright smacked a go-ahead two-run homer to the opposite field in right, giving the Titans the lead once again.

Two batters later, Jake Sanford smacked his team-leading ninth homer of the year off Baez over the fence in right-centre to extend the lead to three.

With a three-run lead in the eighth, Jack Alkire loaded the bases and gave way to the Titans closer Kevin Escorcia with two out. Escoria surrendered a Dalton Combs single to right to score two, making it a one-run game. Escoria settled in and got Marte to fly out to centre to end the inning, then retired the side in order in the ninth to cap off the win.

The Ottawa Titans are back in action tomorrow evening for the second game of a three-game series against the New Jersey Jackals at 6:05 p.m. from Yogi Berra Stadium in Little Falls, New Jersey. The club returns home for a six-game homestand beginning on Tuesday at 6:30 p.m., to face the Sussex County Miners.

For information on Ottawa Titans’ 2022 season tickets, group outings, and 8-game mini packs, visit the Titans’ official website at www.ottawatitans.com.

The post Sixth-inning homers power Titans to series-opening victory first appeared on Ottawa Titans Baseball Club.