(LITTLE FALLS, NJ) – A rally in the bottom of the sixth inning helped the New Jersey Jackals earn a 4-2 win over the Rockland Boulders in Game Two of a doubleheader, earning a sweep on the day and in the series. The wins put New Jersey (43-25) four and a half games ahead of the Boulders (38-29) heading into the All-Star break.
New Jersey’s high-powered offense proved to be too much in the opener as they cruised to a 9-2 victory. Art Charles, the league leader in RBI, opened the scoring with a sacrifice fly in the first before Eddie Newton’s two-run triple in the second made it a 3-0 lead for the Jackals. They added another two runs in the fourth, including another RBI triple from Newton, before a grand slam from Cory Vaughn in the sixth put the game out of reach.
Marcus Nidiffer provided the only offense for the Boulders, homering twice in the contest. His first blast led off the fourth before hammering another solo shot in the sixth. Matt Loosen (7-3) picked up the win for the Jackals going five and two-thirds, scattering seven hits and striking out five. The loss went to rookie Joe Ravert (1-1) who allowed five runs in four and two-thirds innings of work.
The nightcap started out a little better for Rockland, jumping out to a 2-0 lead in the top of the first. With runners at second and third and one out, a passed ball, courtesy of Lee Sosa, allowed Pat McKenna to score before an error from catcher Richard Stock brought in another run. New Jersey responded with a solo homer from Art Charles in the home half of the inning off of rookie Mike Adams before tying it up in fourth on Rylan Sandoval’s RBI single.
With the game tied at two heading into the bottom of the sixth, Daniel Rockett led off with a double before being sacrificed over to third. Reliever Pat Butler then came on to try and hold the run there but was unable to as Michael O’Neill’s sacrifice fly put the Jackals ahead. An RBI double from Charles added another run, making it a 4-2 lead.
Adams (4-3) was charged with the loss, allowing three runs in five and a third innings while newly acquired Andres Santiago (3-6) got his first win with the Jackals by pitching two scoreless innings in relief.
Rockland will go on a brief three-day break for the American Association All-Star Game, which will be played on Tuesday, August 2nd at CHS Field in St. Paul, Minnesota. Junior Arrojo, as well as Marcus Nidiffer, and Jamie Keefe will join other members of the Can-Am League at the summer showcase while Nidiffer will compete in the Home Run Derby on Monday night. Fans can watch all the action online at www.AmericanAssociationBaseball.tv with the All-Star Game also being shown on Fox Sports North.
The Boulders return to action on Thursday, August 4th when they travel to Quebec for a four-game series with Les Capitales before coming home on Monday, August 8th against Trois-Rivieres. For complete scheduling information, and to purchase tickets, slide to www.RocklandBoulders.com.