JACKALS WALK OFF VICTORIOUS AGAINST WILD SKYHAWKS IN EXHIBITION
GROSE DELIVERS OFF THE BENCH AS SUSSEX WALKS 16 BATTERS

Little Falls, NJ – Outfielder Jeff Grose’s bases-loaded single with one out in the bottom of the ninth inning plated the game-winning run as the New Jersey Jackals walked off with a 7-6 win over the Sussex Skyhawks in Saturday night’s exhibition contest at Yogi Berra Stadium.

With Duaner Sanchez on the hill and the score knotted at six in the ninth, New Jersey’s Matt Stiffler led off with a single. Center fielder Mike Consolmagno followed by beating out a well-placed bunt up the first base line before Jovan Rosa walked to load the bases. Two batters later, Grose’s flare to right fell just in front of Skyhawks’ right fielder Kade Keowen. Stiffler, Consolmagno, and Grose all began the contest on the bench and entered in the top of the sixth inning.

As the Skyhawks’ pitching staff struggled with its command, walking 16 batters in the contest, New Jersey jumped out to an early 6-0 lead against starter Jeff Icenogle. A pair of bases-loaded walks in the first inning by left fielder Jacob Butler and designated hitter Enrique Cruz gave the Jackals an early 2-0 advantage. In the second, a triple by right fielder Quentin Davis and another bases-loaded walk by Butler made it 4-0. Later in the inning, an RBI groundout off the bat of shortstop Mike DeJesus and a wild pitch from Sussex’s Matt Gianini helped New Jersey extend its lead to 6-0.

New Jersey starter A.J. Wideman, the reigning Can-Am League Pitcher of the Year, fired two perfect innings as the Skyhawks never got the ball out of the infield.

But Sussex would claw back. With right-hander Dan Griffin on the mound in the top of the second, Sussex plated three runs to cut the deficit in half. Third baseman Todd Gossage’s two-run home run onto the hill in right field got the Skyhawks on the board before an RBI groundout by center fielder Carl Loadenthal made the score 6-3. The Skyhawks plated a run in the fifth on designated hitter Caleb Stewart’s RBI single before tying the game at six in the seventh inning on a two-run single by shortstop Joe Persichina. A leadoff triple by Loadenthal keyed the seventh-inning rally.

Jackals’ right-hander Mike Pontius allowed three base runners in the eighth, but got out of the jam unscathed before Romas Hicks entered in the top of the ninth and retired the Skyhawks in order to set up Grose’s heroics. Hicks earned the win while Sanchez took the loss after surrendering the game-winning run in the ninth.

Saturday’s game marked New Jersey’s first and only exhibition contest this spring. The Jackals open the regular season on Thursday, May 27 at 7:05 p.m. against the Skyhawks in Augusta, NJ.

Jackal Bites: The Jackals collected just five hits in the contest, three of which came in the bottom of the ninth… Butler drew three walks and narrowly missed a first-inning grand slam when his deep drive down the left field line hooked foul… Ed Ott, who spent the past three seasons as the Jackals’ hitting and third base coach, returned to Yogi Berra Stadium as the Skyhawks’ manager… New Jersey’s starting lineup consisted of Davis in right field, Argenis Reyes at second base, Abraham Nunez at third base, Butler in left field, DeJesus at shortstop, Cruz at designated hitter, Kevin Clark in center field, Rosa at first base, and Scott Knazek at catcher with Wideman on the hill... After the winning run scored, both teams remained on the field as Sanchez retired the final two batters to complete his work… Evan Teague, Seth Overbey, and Edward Rodriguez each pitched an inning of relief for New Jersey as the Jackals and Skyhawks each used seven pitches in the affair.

The New Jersey Jackals, proud members of the Canadian-American Association of Professional Baseball, play their home games at Yogi Berra Stadium located on the campus of Montclair State University in Little Falls, NJ. 2010 season tickets, mini-plans and group outings are available by calling 973-746-7434. Visit the Jackals online at www.jackals.com.