Titans Shock Miners to Take Opener

OFFICIAL FRONTIER LEAGUE BOX SCORE

Augusta, NJ - In a tight series opener, a leadoff solo blast from Jake Sanford in the ninth inning propelled the Ottawa Titans (20-27) to a massive 4-3 win over the Sussex County Miners (31-17) on Friday, earning their sixth win in their last seven games.

The Titans threatened right out of the gate against rookie southpaw Jackson Balzan (ND, 3-3), courtesy of a four-pitch two-out walk to Jake Sanford. With the runner on, Tim Holyk smoked a double to the wall in right - with Sanford on his horse, the Miners turned a fantastic 9-4-2 relay to cut down Sanford at the plate to end the frame.

Shane Gray (ND, 1-4) took the bump for his team-leading tenth start of the year - only allowing two runs in the quality start. The Miners capitalized in the third with a leadoff solo homer from Dom Johnson before Sean Roby Jr. knocked in another on a single.

The rest of the way, Gray allowed just two baserunners for his fourth quality outing of the year. In total, the righty allowed two runs on seven hits, walking two, and striking out two. Gray left in line for the win.

Dylan Driver got the Titans on the board in the fifth inning with his fourth RBI of the trip to cut the deficit in half with a single to left. In the sixth, Nolan McCarthy towered his second homer of the year to put the Titans ahead 3-2 on the two-run blast.

Zach Cameron relieved Gray and gave the Titans an inning and a third of scoreless relief - handing the ball off to left-hander Kaleb Hill (win, 2-2) in the eighth. The lefty allowed a double, hit a batter, and walked the other to load the bases. After striking out Keenan O'Brien for the second out, Hill walked Alec Sayre to force home the tying run - as the Miners pulled level at three.

In the ninth, Jake Sanford hammered the first pitch of the frame from Tyler Luneke (loss, 1-1) deep over the right-centre field wall for his third homer in 12 games this season to put the Titans back ahead for good.

Erasmo Piñales (save, 4) worked a clean ninth, retiring the side in order and preserving the win.

Jake Sanford went 2-for-3 with a solo homer and a walk - while Dylan Driver and Nolan McCarthy also posted multi-hit games.

The Ottawa Titans continue their three-game series against the Sussex County Miners on Saturday night at 6:35 p.m. at Skylands Stadium in Augusta, New Jersey. The team will return home for its final homestand before the All-Star break on Tuesday, July 8, to battle the Tri-City ValleyCats, followed by three against the Québec Capitales. All the action can be heard on CKDJ 107.9 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.