LET’S TALK ABOUT SIX: SURF, COX SHUT DOWN JACKALS, 2-0
July 16 Recap

Atlantic City, N.J. – Starter Adam Cox pitched eight shutout innings as the Atlantic City Surf blanked the New Jersey Jackals, 2-0, in a Can-Am League affair on Wednesday afternoon at Bernie Robbins Stadium. It marked the sixth consecutive victory for the Surf, who improve to 3-0 in the second half of the season.

New Jersey’s best opportunity to score came in the first inning, when the club had runners at second and third with one out, but Cox struck out the next two hitters to quell the uprising. Atlantic City then registered its first run in the bottom of the first on SS Anthony Granato’s (pictured) mammoth home run, which cleared all three levels of outfield signage in left field.

Both offenses stayed quiet until the eighth inning, when CF Lucas Taylor walked and moved to third on Granato’s single; LF Joe Burke then reached on a fielder’s choice, bringing home Taylor and making it a 2-0 game. Closer Walker Whitley entered the game in the ninth inning and retired the Jackals (0-3) in order, for his seventh save of the season.

Cox (6-2), who entered the game with a league-leading 76 strikeouts, fanned another eight hitters on the day. He has now allowed only five earned runs in his last five starts.

New Jersey starter Jorge Acosta (0-1), signed by the Jackals just before the start of the game, was the hard-luck losing pitcher, allowing two runs on five hits in seven and two-thirds innings, striking out nine.

Granato and Taylor both had two hits on the afternoon for Atlantic City, while LF Andrew Larsen went 2-for-3 for New Jersey. Granato’s first-inning blast was the only extra-base hit in the game for either team.

The Camp Day crowd of 4,202 was the club’s fifth crowd of over 4,000 this season.

The Surf travel north of the border for their next seven games, starting a four-game series at first-half champion Quebec on Thursday night. Rory Shortell (2-1) toes the slab for Atlantic City, while Orlando Trias (3-4) is the Capitales’ scheduled hurler.