Error, Fog Combine To Hurt Boulders

The Rockland Boulders are 1-and-1 after their first two home games at
the new Provident Bank Park in Pomona.

Friday night's 7-3 loss to the New Jersey Jackals will go into the record books as the Boulders first ever home loss, but it was certainly not a loss that should discourage the Boulders. Trailing 5-3 after 7 innings, a thick fog rolled into the ball park and led to the game being called i the 8th.

Rockland came out to a smoldering start. The first two Boulders batters reached base and the third, Vic Butler ripped a bomb down the right field line for a 3-run home run and the Boulders were rolling.

Boulders shortstop Jermel Lomack had a possible double play ball skip
through his legs allowing the inning to continue. The Jackals went on
to score three runs in the second and the game was even at 3-3 going
into the third.

“In the uniform I’ve got to have a short memory, It’s as simple as
that,” said Boulders starting pitcher Roger Lincoln. “Lomack’s
wonderful. The first thing he said to me is ‘I’m going to get you
somewhere. I’m going to pick you up.’”

The Jackals were able to tack on a few more runs and led 5-3 going
into the eighth. The fog had become so dense, so slowly, it was almost
as if the umpires failed to realize how low the visibility actually
was. In the top of the eighth with two runners on and two out, New
Jersey’s Mike DeJesus skied a popup that Boulders outfielder Vic Butler
never saw.

With two outs, the runners were in motion and when the ball
landed just feet from Butler, one run had already scored and another
was racing around third.

Two runs scored on the play and Boulders clean-up hitter and center
fielder Sean Smith came racing into the infield with his arms out at
his sides and delivered a look of bewilderment to the umpires. The men
in blue ended up calling for a delay, which lasted 47 minutes and play
was never resumed, giving the Jackals a questionable 7-5 victory but a
victory nonetheless.

“I’ll be the first one to say and I expect my teammates would say the
same thing. We were going to win that game,” said Lincoln. “That was a
routine fly ball for the third out and the innings over. We still have
a couple innings to get runs.”

The loss may have come as a result of a shortened contest and a pair
of suspect runs but Boulders manager Dave LaPoint was not looking make
excuses after this one.

“It’s a loss, I don’t care about the stats,” said LaPoint. “We’ve
probably got eight losses on our season because of errors. It’s a one
hop double play ball, we’re out of the inning, we probably have some
momentum; we probably score right after that. But we make the error,
we get on our heels and we don’t swing the bat the same way. It’s
another loss. It’s going to change and it’s going to change tonight.”

The Boulders have two more games against the Jackals (12-9) this weekend and
after the way this one ended it seems like the Jackals are going have
an angry group of Boulders rolling their way.

Game two of this Can-Am League series between the Rockland Boulders (6-12) and New Jersey Jackals will take place this evening at Provident Bank Park.  First pitch is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. on Flip Over Commemorative Coin Night presented by Clarkstown Coin and Jewelry.  The first 1,500 fans in attendance will be presented a special edition coin, celebrating the Boulders’ inaugural season.

Taking the hill for the Rockland Boulders will be Jonathan Velasquez (1-2), while New Jersey sends Chris Vasami (1-2) to the bump.