Little Falls, NJ -- It was an overcast evening, with light drizzles coming in and out on the 21st of June, as the New Jersey Jackals warmed up to play their first of three games against Empire State. With the Greys coming into the stadium with an 0-31 record, both the Jackals fans and players were confident that they could pick up a win tonight, breaking the record for the most consecutive losses in professional baseball in the process. 

The Jackals came into the game with a record of 12-18, but the offense exploded like that of an undefeated club. Due to various rain
delays, the game didn’t begin until 9:10pm. After the sun had already set, the stands cleared, and hours of waiting, the game finally began.
Leonardo Rodriguez started for the Jackals, unfortunately walking his first three batters, and tossing away a little tapper in front of the plate for a two run error. But with the bases loaded, he managed to close out the inning, allowing no more hits and striking out all three batters.

The momentum grew exponentially for the Jackals, to an almost absurd extent. Rodriguez struck out two more batters and allowed no hits in the top of the second inning, allowing the Jackals safe passage into the bottom of the second. From here, the Jackals began to play out of their minds. Trevor Abrams began by batting in Marte in the bottom of the second, getting the Jackals on the board. That was only the tip of the iceberg however, with Josh Rehwaldt slamming a three run homer shortly after, batting in both Abrams and Wylie. Dalton Combs, not to be bested, hit a grand slam not one out later, batting in Chirino, Simone, and Isaacs. The Greys swapped pitching duties to Ernesto Huizar, however it was to no avail.

Rehwaldt managed to bat in both Marte and Wylie almost instantly after the swap, getting to 10 runs in the inning. Jason Agresti clubbed a three run homer, batting in Rehwaldt and Abrams. Todd Isaacs, clearly wanting to leave his mark on the inning, hit yet another home run, with no runners on base. Understandably, Ernesto Huizar was hustled off the mound with the replacement being Johsson Arias. The inning was finally, mercifully, closed out, with a score of 14-2.

The game continued to go in the Jackals favor, with Justin Wylie batting a solo home run in the bottom of the third. The Greys struck back however, with Jose Mercado batting in John Benevolent, scoring them their third run of the game, and taking the score to 15-3. After 4 impressive innings, Rodriguez was finally swapped out for Angelo Baez. This immediately proved to be a great decision, with Baez securing all three outs in the top of the fifth with strikeouts.

The game quietly moved along, with no runs being scored from the top of the fifth to the top of the sixth. At the bottom of the sixth however, Todd Isaacs managed to bat in Rehwalt, scoring the Jackals their 16th run of the game, and further securing their lead. Dillon Peiffer then stepped in for Baez, relieving him after two innings. Even with a fresh pitcher however, the Greys refused to go down without a fight. Holloman-Scott ran in both Decker and Woosley in the top of the 7th, taking the score to 16-5.

Zach Ghettys came in to replace the Grey’s pitcher, Johsson Arias, in the bottom of the 7th. While the Jackals managed to get 2 hits, no runs were scored. He also achieved 2 strikeouts. Meanwhile, the Jackals brought in Juan Perez to relieve Dillon Peiffer at the top of the 8th. Despite this, Christian Naccari managed to bat in Liam McArthur all the way from first. Shortly after, Woosley batted in Naccari, followed by Tyler Hill batting in Will Decker, and Holloman-Scott making a sacrifice play to bat in Trey Woosley, bringing the score to 16-9.

Trying to keep the momentum going into the top of the 9th, the Greys brought in number 9, Andres Rodriguez, to pitch. He allowed one hit, but also had one strikeout. Countering, the Jackals brought in Hanzel Rodriguez to close out the game. He managed to allow zero hits, and finish the game with a final score of 16-9. He also managed to secure a historic win, with the Greys now in the midst of the longest losing streak in the history of professional baseball, with an 0-32 record.

The Greys return to Yogi Berra Stadium tomorrow, June 22nd, to face off against the Jackals in the 2nd of their three game series! Make sure to go to Jackals.com to get your tickets, and we hope to see you there!

PHOTO CREDIT: Phil Hoops

REPORTING BY: Cole Finnecy, Press Box and Media Relations Intern