Jackals halt Lumberjacks’ streak at 5

LITTLE FALLS, N.J. – Bangor and New Jersey each hit a pair of two-run home runs, but it was Zack Smithlin’s second-inning RBI single that proved to be the difference as the Jackals’ 5-4 victory Friday night snapped the Lumberjacks’ five-game winning streak.

The loss dropped Bangor (25-12) one game behind Northeast League Northern Division leader Quebec, which halted a three-game losing streak and improved to 26-11 in the second half. Both teams are 50-33 overall.

Mark Burke gave Bangor an early 2-0 lead with a two-run home run – his 15th of the season – in the second, but New Jersey answered with a Scott Goodman two-run shot in the bottom half of the inning. Smithlin hit his RBI single later in the inning to put New Jersey up for good.

Goodman did it again in his second at-bat with another two-run shot, this time in the fourth.

Bangor’s Kazuhiro Kohno belted a two-run shot in the sixth to make it 5-4, but that was as close as the ‘Jacks would get as Jackals relievers threw 2 1/3 innings of scoreless, one-hit relief. Fabricio Benitez got the final two outs in the ninth for his 14th save.

Bangor starter Matt Scheuing (10-4) allowed seven hits over eight innings and took the loss.