Florence, KY – The Ottawa Titans (5-3) used three early home runs to power themselves to a 6-5 win over the Florence Y’alls on Saturday night.

After Will Zimmerman led off the game with a single, AJ Wright took Y’alls starter Edgar Martinez (loss, 1-1) deep to left to open the scoring. Jacob Sanford wasted little time and blasted the next pitch over the wall in right-centre to make it 3-0 for the visiting Titans.

Chris Burica (win, 1-0) took to the hill in the bottom half of the first with the lead, when the Y’alls got the first two batters aboard. Harrison DiNicola stepped to the plate and singled up the middle when the ball hopped over the glove of centre-fielder Will Zimmerman. As two runs crossed the plate, DiNichola chugged around the bases and was thrown out at the home on a great relay from Clay Fisher.  The Y’alls settled for a pair and trailed 3-2 after one.

In the second, the long ball came into play again as Zimmerman picked up his second hit of the game with a two-run homer over the left-field wall.

Martinez settled in following the Zimmerman home run and retired six of the next seven batters on strikes.
The Y’alls right-hander finished the night going 6.2 innings, allowing six runs (five earned) on six hits, fanning nine.

As Burica found his groove in the middle innings, the Anaheim native picked up his first win of the season tossing five complete, allowing two runs (one earned) on six hits, and striking out five.

After the Y’alls cut the lead to two in the sixth, Kent Klyman inherited a runner on third in the top of the seventh. The first pitch the left-hander threw ended up back to the screen, allowing the eventual winning run to score.

Grant Larson and Gavin Sonnier combined for three innings of three run (two earned) ball, on four hits to keep the lead intact.

Kevin Escorcia shut the door in the bottom on the ninth, striking out the side in order. The Colombian now has recorded nine strikeouts through 3.2 innings of work this season.

Offensively for the Titans in the win, Jacob Sanford finished the game going 3-for-4 with a solo home run, double, and a triple.
The Titans end their three-game series with the Florence Y’alls on Sunday afternoon with right-hander Zac Westcott taking the bump. First pitch is scheduled for 1:07 p.m.

The Ottawa Titans open the home portion of the 2022 season on Tuesday, against the Evansville Otters at Ottawa Stadium.  First pitch for the inaugural home opener is at 6:30 p.m.

For information on Ottawa Titans’ 2022 season tickets, group outings, and 8-game mini packs, visit the Titans’ official website at  www.ottawatitans.com.

The post Early homers power Titans past Y’alls to even series first appeared on Ottawa Titans Baseball Club.