Wright Leads Charge, Titans Put Up Nine in Eighth to Secure Series Win

OFFICIAL FRONTIER LEAGUE BOX SCORE

Augusta, NJ - AJ Wright drove in four, while the Ottawa Titans (21-27) erupted for nine runs in the eighth inning to defeat the Sussex County Miners (31-18) by a 12-2 final on Saturday, earning their fourth consecutive series victory and seventh win in their last eight games.

It was the Miners' offence that struck first for a second-straight night, taking advantage of an error committed by right-hander Alfredo Villa (win, 4-2) in the bottom of the first, plating the opening run on an RBI single from Gabriel Maciel. Villa ended up hitting the next two batters following the single to load the bases, limiting the damage to just one run.

Held off the board through the first four innings by left-hander Mike Reagan (loss, 4-3), the Titans put two walks aboard in the fifth - setting up a three-run home run from AJ Wright to put the visitors on top 3-1. Wright pulled into a tie for the most homers on the team with his fourth of the campaign.

Villa cruised his way to the victory with six innings of one-run ball, earning his third quality start of the season. Overall, the righty allowed one unearned run on four hits, walking two, hitting two, and striking out eight for his fourth win in his last five outings.

With Billy Duby on in relief, the Miners got one across on four consecutive one-out singles in the bottom of the seventh to make it close at 3-2.

In the eighth, the Titans sent 15 to the plate against three different Miners' arms to blow the game open. Jake Sanford recorded a two-run double, Victor Cerny and Justin Fogel each drove in two with base hits, while two walks and a hit batter plated three additional runs. Miners' pitching combined to plunk five in the inning and seven total in the game. The Titans also matched a franchise record for runs in an inning with nine, tying the total scored in a frame on May 12, 2023, against Empire State, and June 26, 2024, against New England.

Brandon Marklund completed the lopsided victory on the mound for the Titans, striking out a pair over two scoreless innings.

AJ Wright led the offence by going 3-for-5 with a double, homer, and four RBI in the victory - while Jake Sanford, Justin Fogel, and Victor Cerny each had two hits and a pair of runs driven in.

The Ottawa Titans complete their three-game series against the Sussex County Miners on Sunday afternoon at 2:05 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, 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.