Anderson, Kerrigan power N.J. past ‘Jacks

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LITTLE FALLS, N.J. – Saturday was fireworks night at Yogi Berra Stadium, but long before the first fuse was lit on the postgame aerial show, the New Jersey Jackals provided plenty of the offensive variety at the plate.

The visiting Lumberjacks extended their scoreless innings streak to 27 after being handed their third straight shutout, 9-0, by the Jackals, who kept their own streak going with a third straight victory.

Jackals leadoff man John Anderson helped lead the way with two singles and kept his hit streak alive, the second-longest in the Northeast League this season, at 18 games.

The 8-8 Jackals lit up Bangor pitching for 10 hits as Anderson, Joe Kerrigan and Darren Blakely had two apiece.

“I guess we kind of saved our hitting from the last road trip, because we weren’t doing so hot then, but we’ve put it together along with our pitching,” said Blakely.

Jersey starting pitcher Jackson Crowther notched his fifth win in six decisions after allowing six hits in six innings while striking out seven batters and walking two. He stranded seven Bangor baserunners, four of whom were in scoring position, and escaped a bases-loaded jam in the fifth.

“Maybe that’s where the offense helps our pitchers out. They can be a little more challenging when they’ve got a bigger lead,” Blakely said.

The Jackals drew first blood early as John Anderson led off the game with a bloop single and then stole second, went to third on a groundout and scored on Darren Blakely’s sacrifice fly to center field.

New Jersey added three more runs in the fourth after made an error while taking the throw from first baseman Donnie Ross on a one-out fielder’s choice grounder down the first-base line. Martinez lost the ball for a moment and it hit him, leaving runners at the corners for Keith Maxwell, who jumped on the first pitch from Vigue and scorched it down the left-field line for an RBI double. Vigue struck out the next batter, but No. 9 hitter Craig Conway belted a double to right center to bring in both Scott McKee and Maxwell.

The Jersey hits just kept on comin’ in the fifth as Kerrigan led off with a single, Blakely hit a double that hit the base of the right field corner wall, and Mike Glendenning scored them both with a single up the middle. Travis Bailey, who’d been hit in his two-previous at-bats, struck out, but McKee followed with the first walk off Vigue. After Maxwell lined out, Chris Rowan whacked his eighth home run of the season with a blast over the 30-foot scoreboard in left center for a 380-foot, three-run shot.

JACKALS 9, LUMBERJACKS 0

(Saturday night)

Bangor (8-8) New Jersey (8-8)

Player AB R H BI Player AB R H BI

Doakes, cf 4 0 3 0 Anderson, dh 5 1 0

O’Sullivan, ph 0 0 0 0 Kerrigan, 3b 5 0

Brock, 2b 4 0 0 0 Blakely, cf 4 1 1

Ross, 1b 3 0 1 0 Glendenning, lf 5 0 2

De la Cruz, rf 4 0 1 0 Bailey, rf 1 0

LeBron, lf 4 0 2 0 Law, rf 0 0 0 0

Burke, dh 3 0 1 0 McKee, c 2 2 0

Saunders, 3b 4 0 0 0 Vasquez, c 1 0 0

Dworken, c 4 0 0 0 Maxwell, 1b 3 2 1

Martinez, ss 4 0 1 0 Rowan, ss 4 1 3

Conway, 2b 4 0 1 2

Totals 34 0 9 0 Totals 34 9 10 9

Bangor 000 000 000 ? 0 9 1

New Jersey 100 350 00x ? 9 10 0

E?Martinez; LOB?Bangor 12, New Jersey 7; 2B?Doakes, Ross, Lebron; Blakely; HR?Rowan; DP?New Jersey 1, Conway to Rowan to Maxwell; SF?Blakely; SB?Doakes 2; Anderson

Bangor IP H R ER BB SO

Vigue (L, 4-4) 5 7 9 6 1 4

Scheuing 2 2 0 0 1 1

Woodwards 1 1 0 0 0 2

New Jersey IP H R ER BB SO

Crowther (W, 6-1) 6 6 0 0 2 7

Powell 2 3 0 0 1 0

Magri 1.0 0 0 0 1 2

HBP?Brock; Bailey, Maxwell; T?2:49; ATT?4,301