NY Sports Day

The Canadian American Association of Professional Baseball League’s Championships continued Wednesday at Yogi Berra Stadium in Little Falls, N.J., where the top seeded Sussex County Miners evened the best-of-five series with a 12-3 triumph over the third seeded New Jersey Jackals.

The Jackals sent Eduard Reyes on the mound, who was 9-4 in the regular season with a 3.71 ERA. The Miners countered with Tom Burns, who posted an 8-1 mark with a 3.28 ERA this season.

Reyes struggled in his first game of the playoffs. As a result, his ERA has swollen to 5.52. The first three batters he faced had three-ball counts, and each of them reached base. The Miners Audy Ciriaco was in a full count against Reyes, and grounded into a fielder’s choice to drive in the game’s first run. The Miners didn’t stop there, adding two more runs to make it a three-run first inning on four hits and two walks.

Alfredo Marte (credit: Jesse Liptzin)

Burns on the other hand was dealing all night. He went seven innings only giving up one run. That run came in the third inning when he walked Alfredo Marte with the bases loaded. Burns worked his way out of the jam, getting the Jackals’ David Harris to fly out, stranding three base runners.

Reyes pitched into the fourth, getting the first two batters out. He would walk the next batter and gave up a single to add a second base runner. Miner’s infielder Mikey Reynolds followed with a three-run homer and which broke the game wide-open at 6-1. Reynolds finished the game with two home runs and a total of five RBIs.

In the bottom of the fourth the Jackals’ Nelson Ward walked and then stole two bases to put himself in scoring position, but was left stranded as the next three batters all popped out.

Reyes would throw a scoreless fifth, but at the start of the sixth he walked the first two batters, bringing an end to his night. He left the game with five innings pitched and an ERA that swolled to over 8, with nine hits. This was Reyes’ fourth straight game in which he gave up four or more runs without getting the win.

Anthony Auletta came into the game and threw the next two innings, facing a combined 10 batters in that span, he left the game giving up two runs. The Jackals would use Jorge Perez to finish the final innings in a losing effort.

New Jersey had won the first game in dramatic fashion, 3-2, in 10 innings on Tuesday. Games three and four, and if necessary, game five, will be played at Sussex County Friday through Sunday.

New Jersey Jackals