SKYHAWKS TO HOST PARKINSON'S DISEASE AWARENESS NIGHT
Augusta, N.J. - July 28, 2010 - The Sussex Skyhawks have joined forces with Team Fox - The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research to create a very special night at the ballpark this summer. Monday, August 16th's game versus the Worcester Tornadoes is now Parkinson's Disease Awareness Night.
The Skyhawks have been working hand-in-hand with Wantage resident Joseph Coscia to help plan the night. Coscia, who was diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease over a year ago, is looking forward to the upcoming event.
“I am very excited over the partnership the Skyhawks and myself have built to bring Parkinson's awareness to the forefront. It will be a great night of fun, baseball, and awareness.”
If you would like to order tickets for this great night, contact the Skyhawks at 973.300.1000. A New Jersey Herald story about Coscia and Parkinson's Awareness Night can be found here.
BIG THIRD INNING PROPELS SUSSEX TO WIN IN SERIES FINALE
Augusta, N.J. – July 28, 2010 – Joe Persichina and Vincent Blue each tripled and drove in three runs on fireworks night at CenturyLink Field at Skylands Park as the Skyhawks snapped a seven-game losing streak with a 12-2 win over the Worcester Tornadoes in the final game of a six-game homestand. Seven Skyhawks tallied a base hit and six recorded at least one RBI in the blowout victory.
Sussex found itself in an early hole as Alex Trezza's two-run double in the top of the first gave the visitors a 2-0 lead just four batters into the game. Tornadoes right-hander Chris Farley (5-6) retired the first six Skyhawks in order in the first and second innings, and it seemed at that point as though the Skyhawks might go winless on the homestand.
But in the bottom of the third, the long-silent Sussex bats awoke. Behind one walk and six base hits, including a bases-clearing, three-RBI triple to right field by Joe Persichina, the Skyhawks put up six runs to grab a 6-2 advantage.
Right-hander Mike Vicaro (4-2) allowed just two more baserunners and shutout the Tornadoes over the remainder of his six-inning, nine-strikeout performance. In the fifth, the home team added three runs in support of Vicaro thanks in part to a two-RBI triple by Vincent Blue. Blue notched both his first hit and his first RBI as a Skyhawk in the win.
The newest member of the Sussex squad, right-hander Ulysses Roque, struck out two batters and pitched a scoreless seventh inning in relief of Vicaro. In the bottom half, leadoff man Kraig Binick took right-handed Worcester reliever Matt Giusti deep to left field for his fourth homerun of the season to make it 11-2 Skyhawks.
Sussex right-hander Kevin Gunter took over for Roque in the eighth and hurled two scoreless frames with the help of two double plays, and Vincent Blue's RBI single in the bottom of the eighth capped the Skyhawks' best offensive game of the second half.
The Skyhawks (2-7 second half, 27-28 overall) take to the road after an off-day on Thursday to begin a four-game set with the Brockton Rox. The team returns home on Tuesday, August 3 for a home series against the New Jersey Jackals. Tuesday's schedule features a doubleheader; the first game will begin at 4:30 p.m. and will be followed by the regularly scheduled 7:05 p.m. start.
TORNADOES TAKE DOWN SKYHAWKS AGAIN
Augusta, N.J. – July 27, 2010 – Worcester's Chris Colabello was 4-for-5 and drove in two runs as the Tornadoes handed the Skyhawks their seventh straight loss Tuesday night at CenturyLink Field at Skylands Park. The 5-1 defeat marks the third consecutive game in which the Sussex offense has failed to score more than one run.
The Skyhawks grabbed an early lead in the bottom of the first on an RBI single by Caleb Stewart after right-hander Dan Berlind struck out the side in the top half, but the one-run advantage was short-lived. In the second, Worcester catcher Alex Trezza reached on a three-base error by Sussex right fielder Mike Megale and scored three pitches later on an RBI single by Danny Santiestiban to tie the score. Sussex put runners in scoring position in the third, but Megale was caught wandering too far from third base on a snap throw by Trezza and Stewart flew out to right field to end the rally.
Berlind (2-3) pitched well in his eleventh start of the season, striking out eight and scattering six hits and three walks while allowing just one run over six innings in a no-decision. In the seventh, however, left-handed reliever Jared Locke (5-2) surrendered three runs on four hits to give Worcester its first lead of the night. The Skyhawks looked ready to answer back in the bottom half when they loaded the bases with one out, but Chase Fontaine fouled out and Vincent Blue struck out swinging to end the inning.
The Tornadoes tacked on one insurance run in the eighth, and the Skyhawks managed only one baserunner over the final two innings against right-handed reliever Albert Ayala. Worcester starter Justin Knoff (2-0) gave up one run over six-plus innings in his second win, and Ayala pitched the final three frames without allowing a hit to notch his third save of the year.
Kris Sanchez was 2-for-4 with a double, and right-hander Duaner Sanchez pitched a scoreless ninth in the loss.
The Skyhawks (1-7 second half, 26-28 overall) and the Tornadoes (5-4, 24-32) conclude their three-game series Wednesday night at 6:35 p.m. on fireworks night at Skylands Park. Right-hander Mike Vicaro (3-2, 3.93) starts for Sussex against Worcester right-hander Chris Farley in the final game of a six-game homestand for the Skyhawks.
SKYHAWKS SIGN RHP ULYSSES ROQUE, RELEASE TWO OTHERS
Augusta, N.J. – July 27, 2010 – The Skyhawks shook up their roster on Tuesday, signing right-handed pitcher Ulysses Roque and releasing left-handed pitcher Tim Layden and outfielder Khyle Dimino.
The 26-year-old Roque attended Bellevue University and led the 2008 Bruins with a 12-2 record, a 2.20 ERA and 80 strikeouts, earning first team all-MCAC honors and the 2008 MCAC Pitcher of the Year award. The 6-foot, 220-pound hurler from Miami, Fla. began his professional career later that year, splitting time between the Southern Illinois Miners of the Frontier League and the Pensacola Pelicans of the American Association. In a full 2009 season with Pensacola, Roque was 4-5 with a 4.09 ERA and 31 strikeouts in 50.2 innings pitched.
Sussex is Roque's fourth different stop of the 2010 season. He spent spring training with Pensacola before moving on to the Winnipeg Goldeyes of the Northern League and then the Traverse City Beach Bums of the Frontier League.
Tim Layden and Khyle Dimino played in two and eight games, respectively, for the Skyhawks. Layden allowed six earned runs in 1.2 innings pitched, and Dimino batted .296 with two doubles and one RBI in 27 at-bats.
SKYHAWKS STYMIED BY TORNADOES, LOSE SIXTH IN A ROW
Augusta, N.J. – July 26, 2010 – After a rainout on Sunday, the Skyhawks hoped to end a five-game losing streak on Monday night at CenturyLink Field at Skylands Park against the Worcester Tornadoes. The Sussex offense was dormant again, however, as the Skyhawks dropped a 5-1 decision at home and lost for the sixth consecutive time.
The Skyhawks fell behind early as left-handed starter Jeff Icenogle (4-3) surrendered back-to-back singles to Mark Minicozzi and Stantrel Smith with one out in the second inning before Can-Am League Player of the Week Danny Santiestiban launched a three-run homerun to left field. The Tornadoes added another run in the third on an RBI double by Nick Salotti to make it 4-0 in favor of the visitors.
The home team was quieted at the plate by Worcester starter John Kelly (7-2) for most of the contest, but Kris Sanchez touched the right-hander for his 11th homerun of the season in the fifth on a solo shot to right-center field. Sussex threatened again in the bottom of the sixth when Mike Megale's leadoff double and Kraig Binick's follow-up single forced Worcester manager Rich Gedman to go to his bullpen, but Tornadoes left-hander Shawn Gilblair escaped without allowing either inherited runner to score. For the second straight game, no Skyhawk finished the game with more than one hit.
Worcester tallied an unearned run in the top of the ninth on a safety squeeze bunt by Omar Pena to make it 5-1, and Sussex went 1-2-3 in the bottom half. Tornadoes relievers retired the final nine Skyhawks in order and preserved the win for Kelly. Icenogle took the loss for Sussex.
The Skyhawks (1-6 second half, 26-27 overall) and Tornadoes (4-4, 23-32) continue their series at Skylands Park Tuesday night at 7:05 p.m. Sussex right-hander Dan Berlind (2-3, 5.26) is scheduled to take on Worcester right-hander Justin Knoff (1-0, 1.50) in the middle game of the three-game set.
SUSSEX DROPS THIRD IN A ROW TO NEW JERSEY, FIFTH OVERALL
Augusta, N.J. – July 24, 2010 – The Skyhawks' offense faltered again on Saturday afternoon at CenturyLink Field at Skylands Park as the team fell in the third game of a four-game series with the New Jersey Jackals, 3-1. Sussex managed just four hits in the loss and has now come up short in five consecutive games.
The Jackals led the game from beginning to end, plating three against Skyhawks starter Jusef Frias (1-3) in the top of the first. Adam Godwin and Abraham Nunez notched back-to-back singles with one out, and Shawn Riggans singled home Godwin two batters later. Travis Jones followed Riggans with a two-run double off the wall in straightaway center field to give the visitors a 3-0 advantage.
Frias settled down and allowed just five baserunners in the remainder of his seven-inning quality start, but the early run support from the Jackals offense was more than New Jersey starter Jayson Miller (1-0) needed to win. The 24-year-old left-hander kept a perfect game through four and two-thirds innings and struck out six batters in his second start of the season for New Jersey.
In an interesting fifth-inning development, Sussex manager Ed Ott was ejected for arguing a controversial catch on the edge of the right field wall by New Jersey's Kevin Clark. Kris Sanchez's long fly ball appeared to ricochet off the wall before landing in Clark's glove, but first base umpire Jim Grillo ruled it a clean catch. Grillo upheld the decision after consulting with the other two umpires, inciting Ott. After his ejection, the 1979 World Series champion tossed several baseballs into the outfield from the Skyhawks' bullpen and hurled one ball against the wall in the right field corner to demonstrate the sound he claimed to have heard on the disputed play.
The Skyhawks' frustration continued until the bottom of the eighth when Nick Giarraputo launched a solo homerun to left field off of Miller. Mike Megale's single on the next pitch knocked the southpaw out of the game, but right-handed reliever Edward Rodriguez entered and induced a pop out from leadoff man Kraig Binick to end the eighth. In the ninth, left-hander Edgar Estanga pitched a perfect inning and earned his first save of the year.
Five Skyhawks went hitless in the defeat, but relievers Donald Jordat and Jared Locke each hurled scoreless frames out of the bullpen in the eighth and ninth innings, respectively.
Sussex (1-5 second half, 26-26 overall) and New Jersey (3-3, 22-30) conclude their four-game series Sunday at 2:05 p.m. at CenturyLink Field at Skylands Park. The Skyhawks will turn to left-handed starter Jeff Icenogle (4-2, 5.34) to prevent a Jackals sweep; New Jersey has not yet announced its probable starter.
