Baseball Review // East Hartford Jets, 7 Record-Journal Expos, 8 at Ceppa Field, Meriden CT June 6th, 2024 (GHTBL)

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Official box score ::: https://ghtbl.org/event/expos-jets-5

Additional photos can be found here :::

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This was a tough game that was a literal walk off, but it is difficult to not only beat an undefeated team (as the Jets look for that elusive first win of the season) but to also defeat them twice within the same week.  While the Expos were up in this game, the Jets tried to come back and almost won it, but the Expos hung on.

Right away in the first inning, Javon Malone walked to start the game.  As Malone went to second on a wild pitch, Jon Remillard also drew a walk.  Kyle Hartenstein would single in Javon Malone as Jon Remillard would move to third base.  AJ Hendrickson was hit by pitch to load the bases with no outs, 1-0 and only one hit.  

Two strikeouts and then Evan Wilkinson was hit by pitch- in the head- and after so many pitches missing the mark and becoming dangerous you have to wonder when an umpire might throw out a pitcher in this league.  Sure, it's not intentional, but if your pitcher is struggling just to find the plate perhaps they need to pitch another day.  

Jonny Doyon singled to first as the Jets just made no play and the runners advanced for a 3-0 Expos lead.   AJ Hendrickson would go on to score on a wild pitch and it was now 4-0.  I must note it was wet outside- there was a brief downpour around 6pm when we got there- but still, if it's too wet to pitch then don't pitch.  The Expos weren't hitting the Jets hitters.

In the second inning, the Jets' Taj Vera Cruz leads off with a single.  A sac fly to right field sends Taj Vera Cruz to third.   Darrion Williams hits a triple to bring in Taj Vera Cruz and then Williams would go on to steal home, sort of, to give the Jets two runs in the second inning, cutting the Expos lead in half.

The bottom of the second and top of the third innings both went 1-2-3.   The next two half innings saw some action but no runs.   It wasn't until the bottom of the fourth that the Expos would put up three more runs.  Jon Remillard drove in Javon Malone with a deep shot to center field for a double to make it 5-2.   Kyle Hartenstein did it again, as he did just one week prior, and smashed a two run homerun to deep center field, giving the Expos a 7-2 lead.

A wild pitch with bases loaded brought Jeff Criscuolo across the plate in the fifth, to make it 7-3.  I said to my uncle at this time "They're trying, but they won't come back" and he agreed.   We were both wrong.   A grounder went up the middle in the sixth to give the Jets first and third.  On an error throw to first, Cody Segarra gets to second and it's 7-4.

A walk loads the bases and with a ground out to first base another run score, making it 7-5.   Jacob Tipton would single in another run with a shot to shallow left field and then a sac fly to left field for the second out of the game would drive in another run, making it all tied up 7-7.

AJ Hendrickson would make it to third base in the bottom of the sixth but couldn't score.   The Jets went down, almost in order, in the top of the seventh, with a strike out, pop up to first base, a single and then a strike out of Jeff Criscuolo to end the game for the Jets offensively.

Going into the bottom of the seventh, all tied up, this was it for the Expos.  It was either walk it off or extra innings.   Jonny Doyon started the inning with a lead off single, putting the Expos in a nice position.   Max Adams dropped it into shallow center field and it was now first and second with no outs.   Javon Malone bunted, perhaps just to advance the runners, but was safe at first as now it was bases loaded with no outs.

With bases loaded and no outs, you just knew the Expos had to walk this one off.  A deep shot to anywhere would've been enough for a sac fly to score Jonny Doyon from third base.  But, somehow, to the surprise of seemingly everyone, when Jon Remillard got up to the plate he drew... a walk.   After the umpire called the fourth "ball" everyone just kind of stood there for a moment.  The umpire had to restate "That was ball four" and it kind of sunk in.  

The Jets had walked in the final run of the game, putting them even lower in the standings and making it look even worse for the former champions.    The good news is that after the Jets (0-6) take on the Rainbow Graphics (3-1) on Monday night, they'll have a chance for redemption as they play the Bristol Greeners (0-5) on Wednesday night.   If the Jets still are without a win at that time, it will be a game where someone will have to secure that first win of the season (hopefully)

The now 3-1 Record-Journal Expos go on to face the Vernon Orioles at McCoy Field in Vernon on Monday night.   The Orioles are 4-0, so if the Expos win this game they will have the same record and be tied for first place with the Middletown Mets, who are also 4-1 right now but play the South Windsor Phillies on Monday.   Yes, this means the Mets could win and become 5-1, which would put them in first and have the Expos and Orioles tied for second, but that's far ahead thinking.

Looking forward into the week, the Record-Journal Expos also welcome the South Windsor Phillies to Ceppa Field on Tuesday and then M&T Bank comes there on Thursday.   It's a busy week for the Expos and by the end of it they will have played every team in the league except for the Rainbow Graphics.   Exciting times ahead for week 3!