Late Comeback Ends in Heartbreak, Titans Swept by Capitales

OFFICIAL FRONTIER LEAGUE BOX SCORE

Québec City, QC - Storming back from 4-0 down late, the Ottawa Titans (40-31) were walked off in the bottom of the ninth in a 5-4 loss to the Québec Capitales (48-24) on Sunday.

Taylor Wright (ND, 0-0) made his second start of the year as the Ohtani rule was in effect for the Titans in the finale - as the right-hander surrendered his first earned runs of the season in the first. Justin Gideon's ground ball and a single from Tommy Seidl had the home side up by a pair through one.

After a scoreless second, Taylor Wright was taken out of the game - allowing just the two runs on two hits, walking one, hitting one, and striking out two.

With the offence going silent against Abdiel Saldana (ND, 6-2), who faced the minimum through four - the Capitales got to left-hander Matt Voelker in the third, adding a pair on a Kyle Crowl two-run homer to make it 4-0.

After Voelker managed to get one out, the Titans turned things over to their high-leverage arms - who were fantastic in the finale. Inheriting the bases loaded and one out, McLain Harris recorded two massive strikeouts of Mathieu Sirois and Tyler Blaum to end the threat.

Harris gave the Titans an inning and two-thirds of scoreless relief - and Matt Dallas shifted momentum in the Titans' favour with two scoreless frames - seeing himself get out of a bases-loaded scenario in the fifth, keeping the visitors in the game.

In the sixth, the Titans finally cracked Saldana - plating two runs on doubles from Jamey Smart and Taylor Wright to pull within a pair.

The Titans got to Franklin Parra in the seventh, seeing Jamey Smart's single to centre with the bases loaded tie the score. However, the rally ended as AJ Wright over slid the third base bag trying to go first to third on the hit to finish the frame.

Erasmo Piñales was tasked with recording more than three outs for the first time this season, seeing the all-star closer punch out two and getting all six he faced to keep the game tied.

Called upon to make his first relief appearance of the season, Tyler Jandron (loss, 6-5) allowed a lead-off solo homer to Marc-Antoine Lebreux to walk off the contest.

Jamey Smart went 3-for-4 with a double and a trio knocked in - finishing the series in Québec 7-for-10 and has extended his hit streak to 13 games in a row,

After an off day on Monday, the Ottawa Titans return home to start a six-game homestand with the first of three against the New England Knockouts on Tuesday night at 6:30 p.m. After three with the expansion Knockouts, the Titans will welcome the Sussex County Miners for the first time this season over the weekend. All the action can be heard on CKDJ 107.9 and 94,5 Unique FM and live-streamed on Flo Baseball.

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