GAME 5: GRAND SLAM LIFTS ALLENTOWN BY RUSSIANS

Northeast League Official Site: ALLENTOWN, Pa. -- Rightfielder Josh Wilke hit a grand slam in the bottom of the eighth inning to propel the Allentown Ambassadors to a 7-3 victory over the Russian National Team at Bicentennial Park Sunday afternoon.

Scoreboard R H E Team Russia 3 7 3 Ambassadors 7 10 1

The victory was the first of the exhibition season for the Ambassadors, while the Russians ended their five-game, four-day tour of Northeast League teams with an 0-5 record.
After two scoreless innings the Ambassadors took advantage of some sloppy fielding from the Russians. Greg Schmidt reached on an error and advanced to third with Jorge Diaz at first and one out.
Diaz attempted to steal second and the Russians had Schmidt off the bag at third, but catcher Andrei Selivanov's throw hit Schmidt in the back, allowing him to score. Ender Gonzalez then singled in Diaz to give the Ambassadors the 2-0 lead.
The Russians came back in the top of the fourth with two runs and took the lead in the top of the seventh inning after Maxim Yudaev followed an Andrei Bolotin double with an RBI single.
In the bottom of the eighth, Russian pitcher Artur Donetzky walked the bases loaded with one out. Wilke then hit a grand slam over the wall in left-center to give the Ambassadors the lead. Allentown tacked on an insurance run to make the score 7-3.
In all, Ambassador pitchers combined for 13 strikeouts. John Dillinger and Nolan Fry each pitched two scoreless innings for the Ambassadors, while Alexander Sisyuk pitched an impressive three scoreless innings in relief for the Russians, allowing two hits and striking out two.

GAMES 3 & 4: JACKALS SWEEP RUSSIAN NATIONAL TEAM

Northeast League Official Site: MONTCLAIR, N.J. -- Leftfielder Darren Blakely hit a sacrifice fly in the sixth inning to score Pete L'Italien with the winning run as the New Jersey Jackals won the second game of a doubleheader sweep from the Russian National Team 5-4 at Yogi Berra Stadium Saturday night.
New Jersey won the first game of the twin bill 3-0.

Scoreboard R H E Team Russia 0 2 2 Jackals 3 7 0 Team Russia 4 8 1 Jackals 5 4 2

Game two was a seesaw affair that saw the Jackals 3-0 and 4-3 leads evaporate. In the sixth, with the score tied at four, L'Italien and Keith Maxwell walked. After both runners moved up on a wild pitch, Cedrick Harris was walked intentionally. Blakely then lifted a fly ball into deep left field to score L'Italien.
Neither starting pitcher made it out of the first inning. Jackals starter John Sneed pulled a leg muscle after facing three batters and Russian starter Vladimir Petrov was lifted after walking the first three Jackal batters. All three would score to give New Jersey a 3-0 lead.
The first game featured former major leaguer Victor Cole on the mound for the Russian National team. Cole, who played for the Pittsburgh Pirates, fanned nine Jackals, but a pair of unearned runs by New Jersey in the first inning stood up.
New Jersey pitchers Aaron Myers, Jackson Crowther and Julio Perez combined on a two-hitter in the first game. Blakeley hit a two-run triple in the first inning and the Jackals added a run on a triple by Cedrick Harris in the second.

GAME 2: BERKSHIRE HAMMERS RUSSIANS, 15-3

Northeast League Official Site: PITTSFIELD, MASS. - The Berkshire Black Bears hammered the Russian National Team, 15-3, Friday at Wahconah Park.

Scoreboard R H E Team Russia 3 7 0 Black Bears 15 15 2

Andrei Kripochin gave the Russians a brief 1-0 lead in the first on a solo home run, but the Black Bears responded with an RBI single by Ryan Jones to tie the score in the bottom of the first inning.
The Black Bears scored twice in the fourth inning on a two-run homer by Manny Crespo, added four in the fifth, three in the sixth and five more in the seventh inning.
Berkshire RF Kevin Forbes went 2-for-5 with a three-run home run in the sixth inning and five RBIs. Jones went 4-for-5 with three RBIs.

GAME 1: BROCKTON BEATS RUSSIANS, 5-2

Northeast League Official Site: The Brockton Rox topped the Russian National Team, 5-2, Thursday in the first exhibition game of the five-game Russian tour of the Northeast League.

Scoreboard R H E Team Russia 2 3 4 Rox 5 7 0

The Rox went up 1-0 in the fourth inning on an RBI single by SS Saul Bostos. They added four more in the fifth inning on a two-out RBI single by RF Nestor Smith and a pinch-hit three-run home run by Mike Torres.
The Russians scored twice in the seventh inning on bases loaded walks by Brian Dorsey to SS Valery Platonov and CF Dmitri Likhin.
Tony Stutz received the win for throwing a scoreless fourth and fifth inning. Vladimir Petrov took the loss by allowing one run in four innings. Russian-born Victor Cole, a Memphis, Tenn., resident and former major leaguer with the Pittsburgh Pirates, is touring with the Russians and pitched a scoreless eighth inning for them.