Titans score nine unanswered in victory over Jackals

Little Falls, NJ – The Ottawa Titans (26-12) put the sour defeat of Tuesday’s opener behind them, thumping the New Jersey Jackals 10-5 on Wednesday to even the series at a game a piece.

Jackie Urbaez hit his first of three-homers of the night, taking Jackals starter Leo Rodriguez over the wall in left to lead off the game.

The Urbaez first-inning blast marks the first time in franchise history that the first Titans hitter of the game has launched a homer.

Before throwing a pitch, Chris Burica (ND, 4-1) had an early lead, but the lefty surrendered the tying run in the bottom of the first on a Justin Wylie RBI single, scoring Dalton Combs from second.

The Jackals busted the game open in the third, with a Santiago Chirino two-out double being cashed in by a Combs RBI knock. Alfredo Marte followed things up by blasting his second homer in as many days, taking Burica over the wall in left to make it a 4-1 game.

Josh Rehwaldt gave the home side a four-run advantage, taking Burica over the batter’s eye in centre for the solo homer in the fourth. The Jackals’ right fielder entered play as the reigning Frontier League player of the week, where he’s also recorded six homers in his last eight games.

The Titans cued the comeback with the first of nine unanswered runs, as Urbaez clobbered a Rodriguez offering to lead off the fifth inning. The no-doubt solo blast made it a 5-2 game, heading to the late innings.

In the sixth, AJ Wright started the two-out rally with a single the opposite way. As the outing came to a close, Rodriguez allowed a base hit to Rodrigo Orozco, then walked Will Zimmerman to load the bases.

The Jackals went to the bullpen for right-hander Angelo Baez, who allowed a broken-bat single to left from Urbaez, that scored a pair. Matt Feinstein followed up with a single to right, scoring the tying run.

With the offence tying the game in the top of the sixth, Burica came on for the bottom half and walked Wylie, who later advanced to third with two outs. The Titans went to the bullpen for Gavin Sonnier (win, 4-0), who got Trevor Abrams to ground out to finish the frame.

Burica left with the no-decision after going five and two-thirds, allowing five runs on six hits, walking two, while striking out six.

After tying the game in the sixth, the Titans continued the offensive rampage by taking the lead in the eighth. As Urbaez reached on a one-out walk against right-hander Jefry Valdez (loss, 0-1), Feinstein laced a double to the gap in right-centre to plate the eventual winning run. With Feinstein at second, Taylor Wright erased an 0-4 by hammering a Valdez offering over the fence in right, making it 8-5.

In the ninth, the Titans added two more for good measure with Orozco and Urbaez adding solo shots off righty Troy Cruz.

Orozco finished the game going 4-for-5, while Urbaez also went 4-for-5 with a franchise-record three homers in the game, and also added five RBI.

The Ottawa Titans continue their eight-game road trip with the series finale against the New Jersey Jackals on Thursday at 7:05 p.m. from Yogi Berra Stadium in Little Falls, New Jersey.

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

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