Rockland entered tonight’s meeting with the Capitales 1 1/2 games back of the Can-Am League lead. They would narrow it down to ½ a game with a huge 3-2 victory in front of the home crowd.

Quebec got on the board in the first via a Jordan Lennerton RBI-groundout to score Yurisbel Gracial, but that 1-0 advantage didn’t last long.

Joe Maloney, the 2015 Baseball America’s Independent Player of the Year tied the CanAm league single season home run record with his 31st home run of the season. The home run ties the record currently held by former Quebec Capitale Eddie Lantigua, set in 2005. It also sets a new CanAm league team record for the most home runs by a team in a single season, with 108.  The previous record was set by the New Jersey Jackals with 107, back during the 2012 season.

In the third, the Capitales got after Boulders starter Richard Salazar again. Gracial went deep to put his team up 2-1. Both sides would go scoreless in the next four innings due in part to exceptional work from Salazar and Joseph Maher.

Maher went 6 1/3 innings and finished with six hits, one earned run and four strikeouts. Salazar completed seven and concluded with six hits, two earned runs, six strikeouts and two walks.

Rockland would come up huge in the eighth and tack on two runs to go up 3-2. Cody Regis singled home Dylan Tice and Jared McDonald drove in Maloney on one of his own.

Jon Velasquez came on in the ninth to record his 12th save of the season, after striking out Philippe Craig-St-Louis to end the game.

With the win, the Boulders improve to 59-32 and the Capitales drop to 59 – 31.  Mayckol Guaipe picked up the win in relief to improve to 3-0.  Miles Moller gets the loss dropping him to 3-3.

The Boulders will hit the field tomorrow at Palisades Credit Union Park for the middle game of the series and a chance to jump into first place. First pitch is set for 6:30 p.m.  Great seats are available by sliding over to Rocklandboulders.com.