Missed Opportunities Cost Titans in Sweep by Jackals

OFFICIAL FRONTIER LEAGUE BOX SCORE

Paterson, NJ - The Ottawa Titans (7-10) suffered their second series sweep of the season, falling 4-3 to the New Jersey Jackals (7-10) on Thursday night.

AJ Wright gave the Titans the start they were looking for in the first, taking rookie left-hander Francis Ferguson (win, 1-0) deep to right over the Maple Street Monster to open the scoring. The homer for Wright marked his second of the year, both of which against a southpaw.

The lead was short-lived, however, as Jackals responded against Shane Telfer (loss, 1-2) in the bottom of the first with two runs on three hits. With a leadoff Luis Acevedo single in scoring position, former big leaguer Miguel Gomez connected for his first of two RBI singles to tie the game at one. Two batters later, Trevor Sheehan gave the home side the lead with an RBI groundball, scoring Gomez to make it 2-1.

Sending eight to the plate in the bottom of the third, the Jackals answered with two more runs to extend the lead to 4-1. After the first two of the inning reached base, Miguel Gomez ripped his second RBI hit of the night. Later, Ryan Ford came across to score on a slow roller from Ryan Davis that was bobbled by Jackie Urbaez at second base, leading to a run on the E4.

In the fourth, the Titans answered with a bang, as Michael Fuhrman connected for a two-run home run to right centre off of Ferguson to make it a one-run contest. The homer for Fuhrman was his first of the year as the 24-year-old now has hits in five of his last seven.

Telfer's night came to a close after four innings - in which the lefty allowed four runs on six hits, walking two, and striking out five. The bullpen kept it close, combining for four scoreless innings. Dazon Cole, Jake Dixon, Zach Cameron, and Brett Garcia combined to strike out five and only allowed three base runners.

As for the offence, they once again placed themselves in many great positions to either tie or take the lead but were held in check by the Jackals' bullpen.

Over the final five innings, the Titans placed runners in scoring position in four of them. The best opportunity came in the bottom of the eighth with one out. After Anthony Leak got Aaron Casillas to fly out to shallow left, veteran lefty Joe Testa (save, 2) fanned Jackie Urbaez to escape the threat. In the ninth, the Titans put the tying run at second, when Testa got Lamar Briggs to rip a liner back to the mound to start the game-ending double play.

AJ Wright went 3-for-3 with a homer and two walks while Jackie Urbaez was hit by a pitch as the two extended their respective on-base streaks to 17 games to start the season. Michael Fuhrman also picked up a multi-hit night in the loss.

The Ottawa Titans continue the road trip with the first of a three-game series against the Tri-City ValleyCats on Friday night at 6:30 p.m. from Joseph L. Bruno Stadium in Troy, New York. Following the weekend series, the Titans start their second homestand of the year on Tuesday as they welcome the Brockton Rox, and then the Sussex County Miners over the weekend. All the action can be heard on CKDJ 107.9 and 94,5 Unique FM and live-streamed on Frontier League TV, powered by HomeTeam Network.

For information on Ottawa Titans’ 2025 Season Tickets, Group Outings, and Nine-Game Mini Packs, visit the Titans’ official website at www.ottawatitans.com.