Grills shines in Titans' nail-biting victory over Greys
Left-hander Evan Grills (Whitby, Ont.) started and retired 13 of the first 15 he faced for the Ottawa Titans on Sunday. In total, he pitched eight innings, allowing just one run, while striking out 12. Photo: Ottawa Titans (file photo)
July 10, 2022
Official Ottawa Titans News Release
Ottawa, ON - On a beautiful Sunday afternoon in Canada's Capital, the Ottawa Titans (33-18) squeaked out a 2-1 walk-off victory in extras over the Empire State Greys.
The series finale saw a pitchers’ duel with Titans' lefty Evan Grills (Whitby, Ont.) and Greys righty Andres Rodriguez through six.
Grills retired 13 of the first 15 he faced through four innings of play, surrendering two hits while fanning seven.
On the flip side, the Titans' offence left a combined eight runners on through the first four. With a great chance in the first, Clay Fisher struck out on a breaking ball down and away to leave the bases juiced. Then in the third, Fisher came up with the bases loaded and one out, where John Benevolent started a double play by tagging third base on a ground ball, then started a 5-2-5-1 putout to end the frame.
As the contest cruised on, Grills allowed a leadoff double off the bat of Jose Mercado in the eighth, then a single from Liam McCarthur. With runners on the corners with no one out, McCarthur took off for second and got himself into scoring position with a stolen base. Grills locked in and retired the next three in order with strikeouts to keep the game scoreless.
Jason Dicochea broke the goose egg in the bottom of the seventh, hammering an Alberto Rodriguez offering onto Coventry Road to give the Titans a 1-0 lead.
With the lead, Grills came on for the ninth looking for the complete game but hit the first batter he faced. Kevin Escorcia came out of the bullpen for the final three outs, when a fielder's choice and an E1 setup back to back strikeouts. Down to their final out, Escorcia plunked Mercado to load the bases. As the lineup turned over for McCarthur, the two went toe-to-toe for a nine-pitch at-bat, where on 3-2, Escorcia walked in the tying run.
The ninth-inning run brought the end of the line for Grills, who took the no-decision on Sunday. The lefty went eight innings, allowing one run, none earned, on five hits, walking one, and striking out twelve.
After the Titans failed to score in the ninth, it brought on extra innings for the second time in the series. Grant Larson allowed a pair of bunt singles as the bases loaded up with only one out. Larson got a pair of massive outs as Paul Mondesi lined out to second before Marcos Estevez went down looking to end the inning.
With the courtesy runner in Jason Dicochea at second to begin the bottom of the tenth, Jake Sanford (Cole Harbour, N.S.) put the potential winning run 90 feet away with a ground out to second. Taylor Wright (Vancouver, B.C.) ended the ballgame with a first-pitch base hit to right, cashing in Dicochea from third for the walk-off win.
The Titans struck out a season-high sixteen batters in the victory, to take three of four, and five of seven on the homestand.
Following an off-day on Monday, the Ottawa Titans are on the road to start a four-game series at Stade Quillorama in Trois-Rivières, with a doubleheader on Tuesday night. Following the road trip, the club returns home for the final series of the first half hosting the Quebec Capitales.