Early Lead Vanishes, Titans Drop Opener in Sauget

OFFICIAL FRONTIER LEAGUE BOX SCORE

Sauget, IL - Holding an early 5-0 lead, the Ottawa Titans (46-35) could not finish it off, falling 8-6 to the Gateway Grizzlies (37-45) on Friday night.

It all started well for the visitors, as Taylor Wright crushed his team-leading 15^th homer of the year with one out in the top of the first off right-hander Gage Vailes (ND, 4-4), putting the Titans ahead.

In the third, Michael Fuhrman drew a one-out walk - setting up a two-run long ball from Jackie Urbaez to make it 3-0.

Putting two on in the fourth, Hunter Stokely ripped a two-run single to right, putting the Titans up 5-0. Stokely has now driven in eight over his last three games.

Dominic Puccetti (ND, 4-4) looked dominant through three clean innings to let the early lead stand up - until things came crashing down in the middle frames.

Jose Alvarez got the Grizzlies on the board with an infield RBI single before posting a five-spot in the fifth. Dale Thomas, Bryson Horne, Darryl Lee, and Alvarez all drove in runs with hits - while Abdiel Diaz brought one home with a groundout.

Knocked out of the game after four-plus innings, Puccetti allowed four runs on four hits, walking four, hitting one, and striking out three.

The Titans had some late life in the seventh, tying the game at six as Myles Smith legged out a double-play ball to score an Urbaez walk.

Yohanse Morel (loss, 3- 2) allowed two inherited runners to score, while also allowing three of his own over two innings out of the bullpen.

The Grizzlies added one more big inning in the bottom of the seventh, as Liu Fuenmayor allowed one inherited runner to score, while surrendering one of his own to put the game out of reach.

Offensively, the Titans went down quietly with the bats, registering just one hit from the sixth inning onward.

Hunter Stokely continued a great stretch, extending his on-base streak to 13 games by going 2-for-4 with a double and two RBI. Jackie Urbaez homered and drove in two. Heitor Tokar shined in the eighth with a clean 1-2-3 frame.

The Ottawa Titans continue a six-game Midwest Conference road trip with the second of a three-game series against the Gateway Grizzlies on Saturday night at 7:30 p.m. ET at Arsenal BG Ballpark in Sauget, Illinois. The Titans return home on Tuesday for a six-game series against the Mississippi Mud Monsters. All the action can be heard on the Ottawa Titans Radio Network and 94.5 Unique FM, and live-streamed on Frontier League TV powered by HomeTeam Network.

For information on Ottawa Titans’ 2026 Single-Game Tickets, the All-In Playoff Package, and Group Outings, visit the Titans’ official website at www.ottawatitans.com.