Jackals Take Series Win Over Grizzlies

PATERSON, N.J. — Less than 24 hours after delivering the walk-off hit in Friday night's thrilling victory, Connor Maryniak stepped into a new role and helped lead the New Jersey Jackals to another win.

Making his first start of the season on the mound, Maryniak tossed five strong innings as the Jackals defeated the Gateway Grizzlies 8-3 Saturday night at Hinchliffe Stadium, extending their winning streak to four games.

Maryniak entered the contest having appeared exclusively out of the bullpen this season, but the right-hander looked comfortable from the opening inning. After Gateway put pressure on him early with a double and stolen base from shortstop Sawyer Smith, Maryniak responded by striking out third baseman Dale Thomas and first baseman Bryson Horne to strand the runner at third and keep the game scoreless.

The Jackals quickly gave their starter support in the bottom of the first.

Right fielder Gustavo Sosa reached on an error to open the inning and immediately put pressure on the Grizzlies defense. After advancing to second on a flyout, Sosa stole third and later scored on an RBI groundout from designated hitter Isaac Bellony to give New Jersey a 1-0 lead.

Gateway threatened again in the second inning, but Maryniak continued to work efficiently. A key double play erased a scoring opportunity before he struck out second baseman Davie Morgan to end the frame.

The game changed in the third inning when the Jackals offense broke through in a big way.

Shortstop Isaac Nunez worked a leadoff walk before Sosa legged out an infield single. Second baseman Alvaro Gonzalez followed with a walk to load the bases and put immediate pressure on Gateway starter Josh Dima.

Although Dima struck out Bellony for the first out, the Jackals capitalized on the opportunity.

Catcher Aneudis Mordan lined a two-run double past a diving Thomas to bring home the first two runs of the inning before third baseman Martin Figueroa followed with a two-run single to the gap. Left fielder Luis Encarnación kept the rally going with a base hit, and Nunez later added an RBI single as New Jersey plated five runs and took control of the game with a 6-1 lead.

Gateway attempted to rally in the fifth inning. Smith doubled for the second time and scored on an RBI groundout from Thomas before Horne launched a solo home run to right field to trim the deficit to 6-3.

Maryniak settled in after the home run and finished his outing strong, allowing three earned runs while striking out five and walking none across five innings of work.

The Jackals added another run in the bottom half of the inning. Mordan opened the frame with a single and eventually came around to score on a double-play ball from Encarnación, extending the lead to 7-3.

From there, the bullpen took over.

Dosie Drakeford entered in relief and delivered one of his strongest outings of the season, striking out five batters across two scoreless innings while allowing no hits.

"Just get in there and kind of piggybacking off of what he did," Drakeford said. "He gave us a great outing, gave us the win. Seeing him pound the zone with confidence, gave me the confidence to attack the zone with all pitches."

Drakeford struck out the side in the sixth inning and never allowed Gateway to generate any momentum.

"Honestly, it was one of those nights where everything was working well," Drakeford said. "Changeup was there, slider was there, fastball was there, so can't complain too much. Everything was going good."

The Jackals added their final run in the sixth inning. Sosa worked his way into scoring position after a balk and Gonzalez delivered an RBI single to center field, scoring Sosa and pushing the lead to 8-3.

Sosa continued to set the tone at the top of the lineup, reaching base and scoring three runs while creating problems for Gateway throughout the night with his speed.

The bullpen remained dominant the rest of the way. Leonardo Rodriguez tossed a perfect eighth inning, striking out Thomas as part of a three-up, three-down frame.

Closer Andrew Peters handled the ninth and put the finishing touches on the victory. Peters struck out the final Grizzlies hitters he faced to record three strikeouts in a perfect inning.

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In total, Jackals pitchers combined for 13 strikeouts and did not issue a single walk.

The victory secured New Jersey's fourth consecutive win and another series victory over Gateway. One night after a dramatic walk-off triumph, the Jackals followed it with a complete performance.

Mordan paced the offense with a two-run double, while Figueroa drove in two runs and Nunez added an RBI single during the decisive third inning. Gonzalez contributed an RBI single, and Bellony opened the scoring with a run-producing groundout.

For Maryniak, it was another memorable night. After being Friday's hero at the plate, he delivered on the mound Saturday, helping the Jackals continue their climb in the Frontier League standings.

New Jersey will look to complete the three-game sweep of the Grizzlies on Father's Day when the clubs meet in the series finale at Hinchliffe Stadium.

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Author: Matt Goldman