POMONA, NY- In a battle of two of the top offenses in the Can-Am league, the Boulders’ late rallies fell short of catching up with the Quebec Capitales, dropping the opening game of the series and the doubleheader, 14-6. 
    Quebec (44-31) struck early in the first inning, tagging Boulders starter Mike Adams (4-5) for five runs. However, the Boulders would not be sold short. In the bottom of the first, two-run home runs by Junior Arrojo and Devin Harris pulled the Boulders within one, off of Quebec starting pitcher Martire Garcia. Harris’ blast to deep center, going past the 403 foot marker, showing power that hasn’t been seen since former Boulder Charlie Law. Mike Montville would follow that up with a double, but they couldn’t punctuate. 
    The Capitales continued to hit well in the second, adding three more runs in the top half of the inning, which saw Joey Ravert come in and relieve Adams. Ravert would fare better for the Boulders (39-36), especially after his team began to fight back for him in the bottom of the second, putting up another run, driven in by the newly acquired Leandro Castro. 
    The Boulders would score a run in each the third and the fifth inning, while Ravert only allowed a solo home run to Quebec first baseman Jordan Lennerton in the fourth. This allowed the Boulders to come within only two runs, and forced the Capitales to take Garcia out, and enter Jordan Lennerton (1-0) into the game. 
The 14-6 result was not indicative of just how close the game was to the last inning. Ravert began to struggle with his control in the seventh, forcing manager Jamie Keefe to call Pat Butler into the game. Butler would then give up a grand slam to pinch-hitter Lachlan Fontaine, which put the game out of reach for the Boulders. The game was shortened to only seven innings due to the doubleheader, which limited Rockland’s chances to mount a comeback. The Boulders offense was a balanced effort, with all but one of the starting nine reaching base safely in the game.    
    Harris’ home run in the first inning was his seventh of the year, while only playing 31 games with the Rockland Boulders. Since arriving at Palisades Credit Union Park, Harris has 33 hits, 31 RBI, and has scored 15 runs. Arrojo’s home run was his eighth of the year, which is now three more than his previous career high, which he set with Florence of the Frontier League in 2012. 
    The Boulders start at 9 PM for game two, to continue their regularly scheduled game. The first game was a makeup game after a rainout with Quebec on June 5th. The games are the first two of the four game weekend set.