TROY, NY - The Tri-City ValleyCats took both ends of Thursday's doubleheader with the Ottawa Titans at Joseph L. Bruno Stadium. The 'Cats utilized the homer to pick up the sweep, clearing the fences seven times across ten innings.

After rain on Wednesday forced the suspension of the game between the clubs with one out in the fourth, the 'Cats erased a 3-0 deficit to pick up a 6-3 victory in the opener.

Tri-City used the home run combined with some Titan miscues to earn the comeback win. Designated hitter Denis Phipps, the Frontier League leader in homers and RBI, and first baseman Brad Zunica went back-to-back during a three-run bottom of the fourth. The 'Cats took the lead with a two-run fifth, before adding an insurance run in the sixth. All three of those deciding runs were unearned.

Phipps finished the opener 2-for-2 with three RBI, while left fielder Jesus Lujano also had two hits.

Right-hander Austin Faith took over on the mound this afternoon, tossing 3.2 no-hit innings to garner the victory.

Both teams started quickly in the second game of the day. After Ottawa put two runs across in the first, the 'Cats batted around in the bottom half to take a 6-2 lead. Zunica and rightfielder Carson McCusker hit back-to-back homers, while second baseman Brantley Bell, the league-leader in hitting, had an RBI triple.

Tri-City again used the homer to add to its lead, when centerfielder Jace Mercer and catcher/infielder/outfielder Joe Campagna went back-to-back in the third.

After the Titans climbed back into the game with four runs in the fourth and two more in the sixth, McCusker blasted his second longball of the game to give the 'Cats some breathing room. Right-hander Trey Cochran-Gill tossed the final 1.1 innings to lockdown the 10-8 win.

Zunica, McCusker, Mercer, Campagna, and Bell, now on a 28-game hitting streak, each registered multiple hits in the triumph.

Tri-City, currently occupying the third and final playoff spot in the East Division, will play its next nine contests away from "The Joe". Tri-City, now 17-5 since July 22, continues its chase for a spot in the postseason with a weekend series at Trois-Rivieres. The ValleyCats return home on Tuesday, August 30 vs. the Sussex County Miners. The 6:30 pm contest, which kicks off a six-game homestand, marks the return of Bark in the Park. Purchase your tickets by calling (518) 629-2287, going online, or stopping by the box office.