Titans Lose Late Lead, Fall to Capitales

OFFICIAL FRONTIER LEAGUE BOX SCORE

Ottawa, ON - The Ottawa Titans (32-22) lost a late lead, dropping a 5-4 contest to the division-leading Québec Capitales (36-20) on Saturday.

With yet another pitcher's duel taking place in the early going - Capitales lefty Gilberto Chu (ND, 1-0) found himself with a pair on against in each of the first two innings. With a chance to strike first, the Titans could not cash in with the great opportunity - seeing a scoreless tie through two frames.

For the second consecutive evening, the visitors struck first - seeing a two-out single from Kyle Crowl score a leadoff Tommy Seidl single in the third. 

The Titans found their way back into the game and pulled in front against Chu in the bottom half - with a walk and a single aboard, Lamar Briggs doubled to the corner in right to plate Brendan O'Donnell and Christian Ibarra. Two batters later with a pair on, Victor Cerny dropped in a single, scoring Briggs to put the Titans up 3-1.

Left-hander Grant Larson (loss, 4-3) had allowed just one baserunner prior to seeing the first run score in the third. After cruising through the fourth, Larson saw the Capitales pull within a run with a Justin Gideon double in the fifth cash in Francisco Hernandez.

Looking to get the run back, the Titans responded in support of their starter - as Lamar Briggs' two-out infield single ended up at third following a stolen base and a wild pitch. Facing former Blue Jays farmhand Sam Ryan (win 4-5), Aaron Casillas restored the two-run lead with an infield RBI single to make it 4-2.

Riding the momentum, things unraveled for the Titans in the sixth - as five hits contributed to three unanswered runs - seeing Larson knocked out of the game. A two-out RBI single from Francisco Hernandez plated Anthony Quirion to make it a one-run contest - before Justin Gideon delivered again with a game-tying single. Handing the ball off Matt Dallas with two on, Kyle Crowl cranked an RBI double to left, making it 5-4.

Larson's final line included five runs on ten hits over five and two-thirds. The lefty walked three and struck out two, suffering the loss.

The Titans had a glorious opportunity to tie the game in the eighth against Ryo Kohigashi, who walked the bases loaded. Following a pitching change, the Capitales turned to Frank Moscatiello (save, 8) who got a massive out with a pop-out off the bat of Jake Guenther before slamming the door in the ninth by striking out the side.

With the loss, the Titans dropped their third in a row and second home series overall in 2024.

Aaron Casillas registered a 3-for-3 night with a walk and an RBI - while Victor Cerny went 2-for-2 with an RBI - and Lamar Briggs picked up a pair of hits including a two-run double.

The Ottawa Titans end the first half, playing the finale of a three-game set against the Québec Capitales on Sunday afternoon at 1:00 p.m. from Ottawa Stadium. The 2024 All-Star Game goes on Wednesday night at 7:05 p.m. at Stade Canac in Québec City. Next Friday, the Titans open the second half with a three-game series against the Sussex County Miners. 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.