Rockland County, NY (August 17, 2021) – Brad Zunica drove in three runs and Jose Cruz pitched seven strong innings to lead the Tri-City Valley Cats to an 8-3 win over the New York Boulders on Tuesday night at Joseph L. Bruno Stadium in Troy. 

The win came in the first of a three-game series between the top two teams in the Frontier League’s Atlantic Division and gave the Valley Cats a 3½ game cushion on the second place Boulders. 

Each of Zunica’s RBI came on singles – in the first inning to give Tri-City a 1-0, lead, the second in the third that extended the Valley Cats’ advantage to 4-1, and the third in the fifth inning which increased the Tri-City lead to 6-2. 

Meanwhile, Cruz went seven innings and allowed six hits and two runs, while walking no one and striking out five. 

Cruz picked up the win to even his season record at 1-1. 

The Boulders’ runs came via a single by Phil Caulfield in the second that tied the game at 1-1, a solo home run by Kevonte Mitchell, his ninth of the season, in the fourth that cut the New York deficit to 5-2 and a sacrifice fly off the bat of Ryan Ramiz in the eighth that brought the Boulders within 6-3. 

Oscar Campos, Denis Phipps and Carson McCusker had an RBI apiece for Tri-City. 

Dan Wirchansky started for New York and pitched six innings, allowing nine hits and six runs. He walked two and struck out six and was tagged with the loss that dropped him to 3-5 on the year. 

The Valley Cats added a pair of insurance runs in the eighth inning with a two-run home run by Connor Lien off of New York reliever Tanner Kiest. The home run was the second of the season for Lien. 

A complete New York Boulders’ 2021 schedule, as well as information regarding season tickets and packages for the 2021 season are available by calling 845-364-0009 or sliding to www.NYBoulders.com. Individual game tickets are on sale now. 

Debuting in 1993, the Frontier League is the largest and longest-running of the modern independent leagues and features teams stretching from the Atlantic Ocean to the Mississippi River and from the Ohio River to the St. Lawrence Seaway. In September of 2020, the Frontier League reached an agreement to become a “Partner League” with Major League Baseball. 

As a “Partner League,” the Frontier League and its teams will meet on a regular basis with MLB representatives to discuss joint marketing and promotional opportunities, as well as collaborate on initiatives to provide organized baseball to communities throughout the United States and Canada. 

More information can be found at www.frontierleague.com.