Jackals strike first in divisional showdown

PATERSON -- The Jackals entered their Frontier League East showdown against the Sussex County Miners on Monday night tied for first place. The Tri-City Wildcats were a game back of first after sweeping the Jackals this past weekend, the New York Boulders were two games out and Quebec Capitales were four games out.

The Jackals lost four of five to start the series.

Was the opener a must-win game for the Jackals?

“Every game is important,” manager P.J. Phillips said of not trying to make too much out of this opener but understanding what this opener meant. “We want to win every game. We treat every game the same on the schedule.”

The score exemplified the point of how much this opener meant. It was the Jackals that took the first match with a 10-2 victory over the Miners (27-17) at Hinchliffe Stadium.

With the Jackals (28-16) holding on to a 2-1 lead, they put the game away with a seven-run sixth inning.

Phillip Ervin started the inning with a single to center field, and Josh Rehwaldt walked. This set the stage for Frontier League All-Star catcher Rusber Estrada to hit an RBI single, giving the Jackals their third run of the game.

Alfredo Marte followed it up by hitting a three-run home run, extending the Jackals’ lead to 6-1.

James Nelson’s RBI double gave the Jackals a 7-1 lead after Austin White beat out a throw to first base for an infield hit.

Keon Barnum put the finishing touches of that inning by hitting a two-run home run that landed in center field at Maple Street.

“He did not throw strikes,” Phillips answered on how the Jackals figured out Miners starter Griffin Baker in the sixth inning. “We were patient at the plate. We had a good eye.”

Estrada homered in the seventh inning, making this a 10-1 blowout for the home team.

“He’s an All-Star for a reason,” Phillips said of his catcher’s two-hit, three-RBI performance. “He calls a great game. He knows what pitches are out there to hit. He knows what he’s doing.”

Estrada keeps it simple in knowing how to hit in important situations.

“I breathe and stick to my approach by looking at pitches,” he said. “The preparing in studying matchups helps me get clutch hits.”

This hasn’t been easy for the All-Star catcher. He started the season hitting .100.

“It’s good to see my work be recognized and my work be rewarded,” Estrada said of making the All-Star game. “I thank my manager for sticking with me.”

The Jackals started the game with a 2-0 lead in the first inning. Ervin hit an RBI double after Nelson got on base on a fielder’s choice that had Ti’Quan Forbes out at second and Barnum walked. With the bases loaded that came with Barnum at third, Ervin at second and Rehwaldt at first on a walk, Estrada hit a RBI fly-out that gave the home team their second run of the game.

Not to be outdone, Vin Mazzaro pitched six good innings to give the Jackals a chance to win the game. He allowed a run in two hits with six strikeouts to complete his start. He finished the game retiring seven in a row, and then he gave way to Yuichi Shiota and Cody Whitten to finish the game out.

The Jackals ace survive a close call when Will Zimmerman had the distance of hitting the ball out of the ballpark in the fourth inning. It could have given the Miners a 3-2 lead with Gavin Stupienski and Juan Santana on base, but instead, it turned into a flyout that ended the inning.

Mazzaro received help from his infielders in the fifth inning. Nilo Rijo robbed Willie Escala of a base hit, and Barnum managed to hold onto a ball on a great grab to get Kyle Richards out.

“Keon’s a great defensive player,” said Phillips of first baseman’s play. “He works on his game at first.”

In a game of this magnitude, Phillips mentioned why Mazzaro was the right for this spot.

“Any time you lose three in a row, Vin is the right guy to be the stopper,” he said. “ He attacked early and often. He used his slider to get guys out. Once Vin sees more of the same hitters in the game, he has the advantage. He uses his brain and experience to get guys out.”

In Estrada’s view, Mazzaro knows what to do.

“Vin is a smart pitcher and he sticks with his plan by staying ahead and finishing the hitters out,” he said of batterymate. “When you have a guy like him starting, it made my job easy that he knows what he’s doing when he’s hitting his spots and making good pitches consistently.”

The Miners scored their two runs on solo home runs. Oraj Anu hit a home run off Mazzaro in the second inning, and Stupienski hit a home run off Whitten in the ninth inning.

Estrada was asked if this team was on a slump, and he had a response for that.
“No,” he said. “We are fine. It’s part of a long season. Teams in our division are good.”

On the 4th of July, the Jackals are in first place with a one-game lead.

Notes:

Keon Barnum, James Nelson, Ti’Quan Forbes, Matt Vogel and Josh Rehwaldt will join Rusber Estrada in the All-Star Game on Wednesday July 12 at Ozinga Field (home of the Windy City Thunderbolts) in Crestwood, Illinois. They were selected on Monday prior to the game.

The Jackals continue their Frontier League East showdown against the Miners by going to Augusta on the 4th of July, and they will go back to Hinchliffe Stadium on Wednesday to complete the series. They will head to Trois-Rivieres in Quebec to play the Trois-Rivieres Aigles this weekend before they start the All-Star break.

The Jackals homered three times to lead the Frontier League with 82 home runs.

Monday’s 10-2 victory over the Miners was the 14th double-digit run scored by the Jackals this season