@ Nashua, NH.  Time: 2:28  Attendance: 2,245

W: Ryan Mitchell (1-0) L: Nick Asselin (1-1) S: John Sullivan (5)

HR: WOR- Carlos Sosa (1); NH- Chris Kelly (4)

Starter Ryan Mitchell went seven strong innings surrendering just five hits and one earned run to help Worcester down the American Defenders of New Hampshire 3-1. Mitchell struck out five and walked just one on the way to his first win of the season.  RF Carlos Sosa belted a solo homer, his first of the year, and DH Nick Salotti finished 2-for-4 to pace the Tornadoes attack. New Hampshire’s Nick Asselin tossed six solid innings allowing two runs on six hits but fell to 1-1 with the loss.  Defenders 3B Chris Kelly hit his fourth homerun of the season in defeat.

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Quebec 4, Sussex 2

@ Quebec City, QC.   Time: 2:46  Attendance: 3,565

W: Derek McDaid (2-0) L: James Douglas (1-1) S: Jason Schutt (4)

HR: SUS- Jorge Moreno (2)

Quebec SS Ivan Naccarata’s triple in bottom of the eighth inning drove in two runs to give Quebec a 4-2 win over Sussex. Naccarata had two hits in the game and finished with three RBI for the Capitales.  Starter Michel Simard turned in another fine performance for Quebec as he went seven innings and struck out four before giving way to Derek McDaid who pitched a scoreless eighth inning for his second win.  Capitales closer Jason Schutt pitched a perfect ninth inning for his fourth save. Sussex DH Jorge Moreno homered and drove in two for the Skyhawks.

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New Jersey 7, Brockton 5

@ Brockton, MA.  Time: 2:48  Attendance: 4,320

W: Ted Serro (2-1) L: Craig Anderson (2-1) S: Rusty Tucker (3)

HR: NJ – Myron Leslie (5), Ryan Rogowski 2(2); BRO- Keith Brachold (4)

LF Ryan Rogowski homered twice, the first as part of a four-run third inning, to lead New Jersey past Brockton 7-5. 1B Myron Leslie also went deep for the Jackals in the sixth inning to give New Jersey some cushion for the late innings. He finished the game 2-for-4 with four RBI. Ted Serro went six innings for New Jersey and got the win and Rusty Tucker closed the game for his third save. Rox 1B Keith Brachold homered in the loss.

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FIRST HALF STANDINGS

W   L    GB

Worcester                         9   6    –

Sussex                            8   7   1.0

Brockton                          7   7   1.5

New Jersey                        7   8   2.0

Quebec                            7   8   2.0

New Hampshire                     6   8   2.5

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Tomorrow’s Schedule (All times are Eastern):

New Jersey at Brockton – 6:05 PM

Worcester at New Hampshire – 6:35 PM

Sussex at Quebec – 7:05 PM

Salotti batted .500 in seven games this past week with one home run, 10 RBI and five runs scored. He collected 14 hits, four of which were doubles, slugged .750 and had a.500 on-base percentage. In the 13-4 win over the American Defenders of New Hampshire this past Thursday, Salotti was 4-for-5 with a home run, two runs scored, two doubles and four runs batted in. Currently, the Palm Desert, CA resident is hitting .410 with one home run and 10 RBI.

The 25-year-old is playing in his third season of independent baseball. Salotti played the previous two seasons in the Frontier League. In 2007, Salotti played in Florence while last season he split time with Florence and Evansville.

Serro pitched seven solid innings in the 6-0 win over the Brockton Rox this past Thursday. He allowed one walk and three hits while striking out four Rox batters. He currently has a record of 1-1 with a 2.25 ERA in two starts.

The Brooklyn, NY native was selected by the Toronto Blue Jays in the 2006 MLB draft. He played the 2006 and 2007 seasons in the Blue Jays system before coming over to the Jackals in 2008. Last season with New Jersey, he was 5-4 with a 3.66 ERA in 93 1/3 innings pitched.
Teamline Direct was designed by TRZ Sports to provide quick and affordable access, for out-of-market and on-the-go sports fans, to their favorite team’s games. It fills the gap between radio broadcasts and internet streaming and takes advantage of the free cell phone minutes that most fans have available on nights and weekends. The cost to listen is $5.00 per game. Visit www.teamline.cc to connect to your team.

@ Little Falls, NJ. Time: 2:29 Attendance: 1,858

W: Ted Serro (1-1) L: Steve Delabar (0-2) S: None

HR: NJ-Myron Leslie (4)

New Jersey starting pitcher Ted Serro struck out four and allowed just three hits in seven shutout innings to lead the Jackals to a 6-0 win, earning his first win of the year in the process. Serro got plenty of help from the New Jersey offense, which plated two runs in the first to go ahead 2-0, and the Jackals never looked back from there. Equally as impressive as Serro was New Jersey 3B Myron Leslie who was 3-for-4 at the plate with a home run, two runs scored and five RBI to lead all hitters.

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Sussex 8, Quebec 3

@ Augusta, NJ. Time: 2:54 Attendance: 715

W: Justin Knoff (2-0) L: Karl Gelinas (0-1) S: Alex Smith (1)

HR: QC-Pierre-Luc LaForest (3)

The Sussex Skyhawks pounded out 16 hits and rolled to their fifth win of the season by a score of 8-3 at home against Quebec. Skyhawks CF Ron Perodin and LF Ryan Crespi each were 2-for-4 with a run scored and a pair of RBI. Sussex C Raymond Serrano was 3-for-4 and scored two runs, and 2B Kyle Kmiecik was 3-for-4 with a run scored and a RBI in support of starting pitcher Justin Knoff. Knoff allowed three runs on five hits in 5 1/3 innings to improve to 2-0 on the season. Skyhawks reliever Alex Smith picked up his first save with 3 2/3 innings of scoreless relief.

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Worcester 13, New Hampshire 4

@ Worcester, MA. Time: 2:59 Attendance: 2,331

W: Alex Pena (2-0) L: Isaac Burkett (1-1) S: None

HR: NH-Clyde Williams (2); WT-Chris Colabello (1), Nick Salotti (1)

Things didn’t look good for Worcester after the first inning as New Hampshire touched up Tornadoes starter Alex Pena for three runs to go up 3-0 early. But Pena soon settled down and the Worcester offense soon heated up. The Tornadoes rallied for four runs in the second inning to take a 4-3 lead and would never trail again, en route to a 13-4 win. Tornadoes 3B Chris Colabello and DH Nick Salotti each homered and drove in four runs. Pena allowed just the three runs on four hits in six innings of work to improve to 2-0 on the year.

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FIRST HALF STANDINGS

W   L    GB

Sussex                            5   3    –

Worcester                         5   3    –

Brockton                          4   4   1.0

New Jersey                        4   4   1.0

Quebec                            4   4   1.0

New Hampshire                     2   6   3.0

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Tomorrow’s Schedule (All times are Eastern):

Quebec at Sussex – 6:35 PM

Brockton at New Jersey – 7:05 PM

New Hampshire at Worcester – 7:05 PM

Offensively, the Jackals got all they needed from the bat of third basemen Myron Leslie. The Can-Am League’s top hitter, Leslie went 3-for-4, with a home run and five RBIs. New Jersey got on Brockton starter Stevie Delabar early and often. Marcus Sanders led off the bottom of the first with a single and Mike DeJesus was promptly walked following him. After a sacrifice bunt by Quinn Stewart, Leslie singled home the first two runs of the ball game.

In the third DeJesus walked for the second time and advanced to second after a single by Stewart. Leslie stepped to the plate for his second at bat of the night and crushed a pitch to deep right field off the second level of billboards. The umpires initially ruled that the ball was in play, but after a quick deliberation, the hit was ruled a home run, the fourth of the year for Leslie. With the five runs batted in tonight, Leslie now has 11 RBIs on the year, tops in the Can-Am League.

The Jackals would add one more run in the seventh inning. After back-to-back singles by Leslie and Juan Tejeda, catcher Matt Lauderdale hit a hard ground ball that was booted by Brockton third baseman Phillip Cuadrado. Leslie came around and scored on the fielding error.

New Jersey relievers Mark Suchowiecki and Seth Overbey combined to throw two innings of shutout relief in the eighth and ninth innings, scattering three hits.

With the win the Jackals snap a two game skid and end Brockton’s four-game winning streak. The two teams will be back in action on Friday night with first pitch set for 7:05 p.m. Left-hander A.J. Wideman is set to take the mound for New Jersey, with righty Jeff Long getting the start for Brockton. Cody Chrusciel and Joey Whelan will be on the call for the live broadcast with the pregame show starting at 6:50 on jackals.com.

The New Jersey Jackals, proud members of the Canadian-American Association of Professional Baseball, play their home games at Yogi Berra Stadium located on the campus of Montclair State University in Little Falls, NJ. 2009 season tickets, mini-plans and group outings are available by calling 973-746-7434. Visit the Jackals online at www.jackals.com.

In game one, Defenders’ right-hander Isaac Burkett struck out nine batters and allowed two runs on five hits in six innings to earn the victory.

The Defenders struck Jackals starter Ted Serro, who took the loss, for two runs in the first inning on an RBI double by right fielder Angel Molina and an RBI fielders’ choice off the bat of designated hitter Jabe Bergeron. After the Jackals plated a run in the top of the third on an RBI single by shortstop Mike DeJesus, a solo home run by New Hampshire first baseman Clyde Williams in the bottom of the third made it a 3-1 game. Center fielder Edward Ovalle RBI single in the fourth extended New Hampshire’s lead to 4-1.

The Jackals plated a run in the sixth, but Juan Padilla pitched a scoreless seventh to notch the save.

In game two, New Jersey jumped out to a 9-2 lead led by a two-run home run by Myron Leslie in the top of the fourth inning. However, a grand slam by Defenders shortstop Chris Weakley in the bottom of the fourth pulled New Hampshire within three at 9-6. The grand slam was Weakley’s first professional hit. The Jackals tacked on the game’s final run in the top of the sixth.

Right-hander Seth Overbey picked up the win in relief, tossing a scoreless sixth after starter A.J. Wideman went four innings and allowed six runs – five earned – on seven hits while striking out two and walking one. Jackals closer Rusty Tucker pitched a scoreless seventh in a non-save situation. The loss went to Defenders’ starter Brett Palanski, who allowed seven runs – six earned – on eight hits over three innings.

The Jackals and Defenders wrap up their current four-game series on Sunday, May 31 at 6:35 p.m. when New Jersey sends right-hander Mike Vicaro to the hill against New Hampshire righty Nick Asselin.

The Jackals return home on Monday, June 1 to host Les Capitales de Quebec at 7:05 p.m. The Jackals home opener is also Mortgage Monday, where one lucky fan will win two months of mortgage or rent payments.

The New Jersey Jackals, proud members of the Canadian-American Association of Professional Baseball, play their home games at Yogi Berra Stadium located on the campus of Montclair State University in Little Falls, NJ. 2009 season tickets, mini-plans and group outings are available by calling 973-746-7434. Visit the Jackals online at www.jackals.com.

@ Quebec City, QC.  Time: 2:09

W: Alex Pena (1-0) L: Orlando Trias (0-1) S: None

HR: QBC- Pierre-Luc LaForest (2), Eddie Lantigua (1)

In the first game of a doubleheader Worcester broke out to an early 5-1 lead in the first three innings and cruised to an 8-3 victory.  Tornadoes starter Alex Pena gave his team six solid innings by allowing just five hits and two earned runs to claim his first win of the year. Orlando Trias had a rough outing for the Capitales pitching just 3 1/3 innings and surrendering five earned runs. He dropped to 0-1.  Worcester C Alex Trezza had three hits and scored a run while Tornadoes 1B Mike MacMillan went 2-for-3 with a RBI and two runs scored.

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Quebec 6, Worcester 3 (Game 2 – 7 Innings)

@ Quebec City, QC.  Time: 2:15  Attendance: 2,258

W: Dan Sausville (1-0) L: Ryan Lobban (1-0) S: None

HR: QBC- Issael Gonzalez (1), Eddie Lantigua (2)

In game two, Quebec DH Eddie Lantigua homered again and LF Issael Gonzalez hit a three run bomb to power the Capitales to a 6-3 victory. Goef Tomlinson chipped in with a 2-for-4 night at the plate and starter Dan Sausville Lobban went four innings and picked up the win for Quebec. SS Omar Pena led the Tornadoes offense going 3-for-3 with two RBI.

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New Hampshire 4, New Jersey 2 (Game 1)

@ Nashua, NH.  Time: 1:58

W: Isaac Burkett (1-0) L: Ted Serro (0-1) S: Juan Padilla (1)

HR: NH- Clyde Williams (1)

1B Clyde Williams homered as part of a 2-for-3 performance to lead the American Defenders of New Hampshire past New Jersey 4-2 in the first game of a doubleheader. 2B Boomer Berry had two hits and scored a run to help the New Hampshire offense and starter Isaac Burkett struck out nine in six innings to move to 1-0 on the season. Ted Serro pitched five innings for the Jackals allowing three earned runs off eight hits and two walks to fall to 0-1.

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New Jersey 10, New Hampshire 6 (Game 2)

@ Nashua, NH.  Time: 2:36  Attendance: 1,312

W: AJ Wideman (1-0)  L: Brett Palanski (0-1)  S: Seth Overbey (1)

HR: NJ- Myron Leslie (1); NH- Chris Weakley (1)

In game two, the New Jersey offense came alive as the Jackals scored nine times in four innings to get the split by a final of 10-6. New Jersey starter AJ Wideman took advantage of the good run support and picked up the win to move to 1-0 on the year. Brett Palanski lasted just three innings for New Hampshire and gave up six earned runs to fall to 0-1. Seth Overbey pitched a scoreless inning to pick up the save. Jackals 3B Myron Leslie homered, drove in two, and scored twice.

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Sussex 7, Brockton 2

@ Brockton, MA.  Time: 2:55  Attendance: 2,712

W: Justin Knoff (1-0) L: Steve Delabar (0-1) S: None

HR: None

Three was the number of the night for Sussex as they moved to 3-0 thanks to triples from three different players. Skyhawks CF Ron Perodin, 2B Mark Pappas, and C Ray Serrano, each collected a three-bagger. Serrano’s did the most damage as it plated two runs in a four run fourth inning.  Justin Knoff pitched well for Sussex and earned the win as he allowed just two runs on three hits in six innings. Steve Delabar took the loss for Brockton to fall to 0-1.

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FIRST HALF STANDINGS

W   L   GB

Sussex                     3   0   –

New Jersey                 2   1   1.0

Quebec                     2   1   1.0

New Hampshire              1   2   2.0

Worcester                  1   2   2.0

Brockton                   0   3   3.0

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Tomorrow’s Schedule (All times are Eastern):

Worcester at Quebec – 1:05 PM

Sussex at Brockton – 1:05 PM

New Jersey at New Hampshire – 5:05 PM

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With New Jersey already leading 1-0 after a second inning groundout by left fielder Ryan Rogowski, an RBI double by first baseman Juan Tejeda in the top of the third inning made it 2-0. Stewart’s blast followed by a Rogowski sacrifice fly extended the Jackals advantage to 6-0.

That score held until the eighth inning, when a pair of wild pitches by Defenders reliever Chad Bentz made it an 8-0 game. Then in the top of the ninth, a bases-loaded walk by Rogowski and an RBI single by second baseman Marcus Sanders capped the scoring at 10-0.

Pavlik (1-0) allowed three hits while striking out five batters without allowing a walk to earn the win. The loss went to New Hampshire starter Mark Romanczuk, who allowed six runs – five earned – on seven hits in four innings. Jackals relievers Dave Qualben and Giuseppe Granitto combined to hurl three scoreless frames.

Offensively, Stewart led the charge for New Jersey going 3-for-5 at the dish. For the Defenders, center fielder Edward Ovalle and third baseman Chris Kelly each contributed a double in the losing effort.

The Jackals and Defenders will play a doubleheader at 4 p.m. on Saturday before rounding out the four-game series on Sunday at 5:05 p.m. On Saturday, righty Ted Serro will take the ball for the Jackals in game one with southpaw A.J. Wideman heading to the hill in the nightcap. New Jersey returns home on June 1 to host Les Capitales de Quebec.

The New Jersey Jackals, proud members of the Canadian-American Association of Professional Baseball, play their home games at Yogi Berra Stadium located on the campus of Montclair State University in Little Falls, NJ. 2009 season tickets, mini-plans and group outings are available by calling 973-746-7434. Visit the Jackals online at www.jackals.com.

Ruwe is in his second season with the Skyhawks. The Sunrise, FL resident went 12-5 last year with a 4.67 ERA in 129 innings pitched. Lundgren was 11-3 with Brockton last season with a 3.28 ERA in 20 starts. He struck out 85 batters while walking only 25 in 137 1/3 innings pitched.

The rest of the opening weekend schedule has the Worcester Tornadoes taking on the Quebec Capitales while the American Defenders of New Hampshire play host to the New Jersey Jackals.

Opening Weekend Schedule:

Thursday, May 28
New Jersey (Isaac Pavlik) at New Hampshire (Mark Romanczuk) – 6:35 PM
Worcester (Matt Weagle) at Quebec (Michel Simard) – 7:05 PM
Sussex (Kyle Ruwe) at Brockton (Wayne Lundgren) – 7:05 PM

Friday, May 29
New Jersey (Ted Serro) at New Hampshire (Isaac Burkett) – 6:35 PM
Worcester (Alex Pena) at Quebec (Orlando Trias) – 7:05 PM
Sussex (Roger Lincoln) at Brockton (Stevie Delabar) – 7:05 PM

Saturday, May 30
Sussex (Justin Knoff) at Brockton (John Kelly) – 6:05 PM
New Jersey (AJ Wideman) at New Hampshire (Brett Palanski) – 6:35 PM
Worcester (Ryan Lobban) at Quebec (Karl Gelinas) – 7:05 PM

Sunday, May 31
Sussex (TJ Stanton) at Brockton (Jeff Long) – 1:05 PM
Worcester (Ryan Mitchell) at Quebec (Chris Allen) – 1:05 PM
New Jersey (Michael Vicaro) at New Hampshire (Nick Asselin) – 5:05 PM