With a hurricane striking an hour to the east, the Cyclones took an early lead and held on for a 5-4 victory. Mike Kvasnicka's two-run, ninth-inning homer brought the tying run to the plate, but the 'Cats could not score again.

Brooklyn improves to a league-best 49-23, while the ValleyCats fall to 37-35. Tri-City drops to second place in the Stedler Division, a half-game behind Connecticut, which beat Aberdeen 7-6.

The hosts opened the scoring in the third inning. Catcher Juan Centeno led off with a line drive to center and advanced to second on a passed ball. James Schroeder advanced the runner to third with a sacrifice and ZeEricka McQueen drove him home, lofting a high popup that fell between three ValleyCats in the outfield for a bloop single.

The Cyclones did most of their damage in the fourth inning, tagging Doran for four more runs. Cory Vaughn led off the frame with a grounder down the left-field line for a double and Jeff Flagg was hit by a pitch. After a successful sacrifice bunt, Will Cherry plated Vaughn with a groundout.

Brooklyn was not done, however, continuing the rally with a pair of two-out hits. Centeno's grounder escaped the infield, scoring Flagg from third. James Schroeder delivered the final blow, his first homer of the year. His two-run blast easily cleared the left-field fence, giving the hosts a 5-0 lead.

The ValleyCats struck back for two in the bottom of the fifth inning off reliever Hamilton Bennett. Telvin Nash, making his first start with Tri-City, led off the frame with a double to the left-field wall, and Jacke Healey's one-out triple to center brought home the first run. Ben Orloff followed with a grounder through the right side, plating Healey and bringing the 'Cats within 5-2.

Bennett settled down, combining with fellow southpaw Adam Kolarek to retire eleven consecutive Tri-City hitters. Marcus Nidiffer broke that streak with a walk to lead off the ninth inning, and Kvasnicka followed with a blast over the left-field fence to cut the deficit to one run.

Kolarek retired lefty Adam Bailey on a weak ground ball, and closer Johan Figuereo sent down the final two batters for his eighth save of the season.

Center fielder Austin Wates continued to frustrate opponents with his speed, walking and stealing a pair of bases in the first inning. However, the Cyclones kept him in check after that, retiring him in his final three plate appearances. Wates hit a couple towering fly balls later in the game, but Vaughn ran both down in center field.

Neither team committed an error in the crisply-played contest. Tri-City relievers Brandt Walker and Jason Chowning combined on 3.2 scoreless innings to finish the game.

The ValleyCats return to Brooklyn for two more games this weekend, closing the regular season. They will need at least one and probably two victories to catch the Tigers, who have won four consecutive games.