28 Jun Jackals Offense Stymied by Larson in Middle-Bill
OTTAWA, O.N. – The New Jersey Jackals (14-27) fell to the Ottawa Titans (17-26).
The Jackals opened the scoring when Bryson Parks hit a leadoff solo shot to dead center in the first inning. Trailing 1-0 in the bottom half of the first, AJ Wright hit a sacrifice fly, driving in Jackie Urbaez to even the score at 1-1.
In the third inning, Victor Cerny gave Ottawa the lead for good with a two-RBI single. Leading 3-1 entering the fifth, Ottawa grew their lead with a Jake Sanford single. They added four more in the sixth on two home runs. Jackie Urbaez hit a two-run blast to extend the gap to 7-1. Later in the frame, Nolan McCarthy knocked his first professional hit, a two-run home run that ballooned the advantage to 9-1.
In the seventh, the Jackals cut into the margin when Patrick Sanchez scored on a Ryan Ford groundout. A few batters later, Jake DeLeo doubled in Parks, slicing the deficit to 9-3. The Titans answered with a run in the bottom of the seventh when Sanford scored on a passed ball.
In the ninth inning, the Jackals scored their final run when Sam Seeker got hit by a pitch with the bases loaded. The next hitter, Taylor Olmstead grounded out to end the game.
Grant Larson (W, 4-5) earned the win after tossing seven innings, allowing three runs with 13 strikeouts, matching his career best. Francis Ferguson (L, 1-3) took the loss, tossing five innings, conceding five runs with four strikeouts.
The Jackals try to salvage the split in tomorrow’s finale. First pitch is scheduled for 1:00 p.m. ET.