In the world of independent baseball, you never know where opportunities are going to come. All you know as a player is that wherever that opportunity does come, you need to be ready for it.
On Saturday morning, the Ottawa Titans made a trade official with the Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks. In exchange for a player to be named later, Ottawa had acquired right-handed-hitting outfielder, Will Zimmerman. After spending the 2021 season in the American Association, Zimmerman changed scenery coming off a decent season. In 48 games, Zimmerman hit for a .243 average with 21 RBIs, three home runs, and three stolen bases.
Now with the Titans, Zimmerman joined the team for their second of three games against the Joliet Slammers, just one night after they secured their first win in franchise history. Titans’ manager Bobby Brown didn’t hesitate to throw Zimmerman into important positions, playing both centre field, and hitting leadoff in his first game.
In a game where Ottawa pieced together a 6-2 win, Zimmerman quickly introduced himself to his teammates, cashing in a couple of runs in the game. In the second inning, the 23-year-old sent a sacrifice fly out to centre field, scoring Brandon Dadson, and giving the Titans an early 1-0 lead.
In the eighth inning, Zimmerman stepped up to the dish again, this time AJ Wright on base. A single into right field secured his first hit in the Frontier League, and Wright came around to score from third. Zimmerman finished the night with a pair of RBIs, pushing a third of the Titans’ runs across the plate.
It wasn’t just what he was doing with the bat in his hands, either. Although he was stranded both times he was on base, Zimmerman finished the night with a pair of stolen bases. Additionally, he showed good pate discipline by talking a walk, although it was offset by a strikeout.
Undoubtedly, Zimmerman enjoyed his first start as a member of the Titans, but he wasn’t the only one with a stellar performance. AJ Wright was Ottawa’s best player, going four-for-four at the dish, hitting a home run and a double, and driving in three runs.
On the mound, Tyler Jandron struck out eight batters in six innings of work, before Scott Gillespie, Kevin Escorcia, and Kyle Serrano came in to close out the game. Combined, Ottawa’s pitching staff struck out 13 Slammers, while walking just three.
The win clinches the Titans’ first-ever series win, and moves them to 2-0 on the young season.
Elsewhere in the Frontier League
Scores – May 14th, 2022
| Away | Score | Home |
| Trois-Rivières Aigles | 4-13 | Lake Erie Crushers |
| Schaumburg Boomers | 2-5 (6 innings) | Sussex County Miners |
| Tri-City ValleyCats | 14-13 | Florence Y’alls |
| New York Boulders | 8-4 | Washington Wild Things |
| Quebec Capitales | 4-3 (10 innings) | Windy City ThunderBolts |
| Ottawa Titans | 6-2 | Joliet Slammers |
| New Jersey Jackals | Suspended (Top 5) | Evansville Otters |
| Empire State Greys | 9-17 | Gateway Grizzlies |
Standings – May 14th, 2022
| West | East |
| Gateway Grizzlies (2-0) | Sussex County Miners (3-0) |
| Lake Erie Crushers (1-1) | Ottawa Titans (2-0) |
| Washington Wild Things (1-1) | Quebec Capitales (2-0) |
| Windy City ThunderBolts (1-2) | New Jersey Jackals (1-0) |
| Florence Y’alls (1-2) | Tri-City ValleyCats (2-1) |
| Evansville Otters (0-1) | Trois-Rivières Aigles (1-1) |
| Schaumburg Boomers (0-2) | New York Boulders (1-2) |
| Joliet Slammers (0-3) | Empire State Greys (0-2) |
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