Boulders Losing Streak Reaches Nine Games

(Photo by Double G Media)

Coming out of the all-star break the Rockland Boulders were looking to snap a six-game losing skid. The Boulders were in Quebec for a four-game set. In the first game of the series, Rockland led 2-1 in the eighth only to see the Capitales score three times in the bottom half of the frame to secure the victory.

Rain wreaked havoc in game two of the series forcing two rain delays. With the game tied at 4-4 in the top 10^th and bases loaded, Devin Harris lifted a fly ball to shallow left field and Junior Arrojo tagging up from third slid in safely for the go-ahead run. No lead was safe as Quebec placed runners on first and second with two outs in the bottom 10^th, Marcus Knecht RBI single tied the game up.

The back and forth affair continued in the 12^th with Junior Arrojo putting the Boulders back on top with a RBI single scoring Elvin Soto. Quebec responded again as Roel Santos crossed home plate on a wild pitch uncorked by Liarvis Breto. In the 13^th, Yiecork Calderson plated the game winner with an RBI single.

Quebec jumped out the gate early in game three on a two-run homer by Kalian Sams. In the second inning, Jared Schlehuber put the Boulders on the board cranking his sixth long ball of the season and team leading 46^th RBI. The home run surge continued in the fourth with Marcus Knecht walloping a two-run shot. Junior Arrojo answered with a two-run blast of his own in the fifth, Arrojo’s seventh long ball of the year but that as close as Rockland would get.

The Capitales wasted no time putting away the rubber match of the series scoring seven times in the first three innings off starter Mike Adams. In four innings on the mound, Adams was tagged for eight runs with six of them earned on ten hits. Elvin Soto drove in the lone with an RBI single in the ninth.

“Three great baseball games, Byers was awesome, Fischer pitched well enough to win and same goes for Rich’s performance,” Manager Jamie Keefe said. “We not only had the tying run but go ahead runs in three of the four games. A couple of times we got ahead but we just couldn’t shut the door. Every imaginable call went against us but we’re not complaining and blaming the umpires because we had plenty of chances to win.”

The Boulders will return to Palisades Credit Union Park on Monday for a four-game series against the Trois-Rivieres Aigles attempting to avoid matching their longest losing streak since 2011 that was 11 games in a row. This season Rockland has enjoyed immense success against the Aigles taking 9 out of 10 games including a perfect 7-0 record at home. Currently, Rockland(38-33) is five and half games behind the New Jersey Jackals for first place in the Can-Am League standings.

“At the end of the day we have to put this behind us and get back to our confines and get ready to go,” Keefe said. “We have to roll through this home stretch and see what we can do and come out of it on the plus side. Honestly it’s one game at a time to get out of this and get over that hump.”