Americans’ Offense Thrives on School Day in St. Catharines

ST. CATHARINES, Ontario — The Niagara Falls Americans crossed the border and defeated the Niagara Ironbacks on Tuesday in an 11:00 a.m. game at George Taylor Field. With no scoring through the first two frames, Xander Clark laced an RBI double in the third to get the Americans on the board. Later in the inning, David Harris scored Clark with a double of his own. In the following inning, Miguel Salcedo and Adam Weiss hit back-to-back singles to make it a 4- 0 game. Weiss has now reached base safely at least twice in each of the six games he has played this season. Salcedo’s hit was his first in an Americans uniform. The Ironbacks responded in the bottom of the fourth with two runs, forcing Colin Price out of the game. Price tossed four innings, giving up two earned runs on three hits, with two walks and two strikeouts. In the top of the fifth, Anthony Savino and David Harris reached base to start the inning. Evan Shank then laid down a bunt, and after an errant throw, both Americans runners scored while Shank advanced to third. Dominick Zangardi later singled to score Shank, increasing the Americans’ lead to five. After two and a half scoreless innings from both clubs, Miguel Salcedo drilled a double to drive in a run. After a fly out, Ryotaro Munakata followed with a base hit to score Salcedo. Jackson Learner came on in relief of Price, pitching three and a third innings. He surrendered two unearned runs on two hits, with one walk and five strikeouts. Learner’s five strikeouts were the most by any Americans pitcher in an outing this year. The Ironbacks pushed one across in the ninth after an error and three consecutive walks by Loagan Stickler. The Americans’ defense struggled, committing four errors in the game. Stickler recorded the final out via a strikeout, securing the Americans’ first win since Saturday’s 13-3 victory over Newark. Stickler went one and one-third innings, surrendering one unearned run on one hit with three, walks and one strikeout. Miguel Salcedo finished 3-for-4 with two runs, two RBIs, and two stolen bases. David Harris also went 2-for-4 with an RBI and a run. Dominick Zangardi reached base four times and stole three bases as well. With the win, the Americans evened the season series at two with the Ironbacks and improved to 4-7, while the Ironbacks fell to 3-7. The Americans will play the Ironbacks again tomorrow night at Sal Maglie Stadium. First pitch is scheduled for 6:30 p.m., and it’s $1 Hot Dog Night. For single-game or season tickets, call (716) 215-6161 or visit www.niagarafallsamericans.com. Season tickets start as low as $99. For sponsorship opportunities or to organize a group outing, contact General Manager Marc Witt at mwitt.canusa@gmail.com.

By Tom Rook

June 16, 2026