Beyond the Box Score: IronBirds 5, Cyclones 2
The IronBirds have had their patience tested as of late. After enduring a six-game road trip that had them travel 1120 miles, the IronBirds returned to Ripken Stadium to take on the Brooklyn Cyclones for a two-game series, winning the opener.
Last night, the IronBirds, a bit more rested, looked for the series sweep of Brooklyn, but the fortunes weren't too kind to them. Aberdeen quickly fell behind in the top of the first, but regained the lead in the bottom with help from two fielding errors and RBI singles from Alex Murphy and Riley Palmer.
After the final out of the first inning, an ugly storm cloud hovering over Ripken Stadium moved in, bringing rain and large bolts of lightning with it, delaying the game for the next two hours and sixteen minutes.
Though the delay was an annoyance, IronBirds manager Matt Merullo said that it didn't affect their game plan.
"We just had to shut down [starting pitcher Pat] Connaughton and decided to go with Max [Schuh] and get him his first outing. It was just keeping the guys posted when we were going to start."
If the IronBirds were affected at all from the delays and travelling of the past few days, they certainly didn't show it. After the Cyclones scored on an RBI groundout, the IronBirds responded in the next inning with an RBI triple from Oswill Lartiguez. He would triple again in 7th inning to become the first Aberdeen player to record two triples in a single game since 2010.
The IronBirds did score five runs in the game, but the bullpen was the star, shutting down the Cyclones lineup right after Schuh departed the game. Nik Nowottnick entered the game in the fourth inning and Derrick Bleeker pitched the final two innings, earning his first save of the season. All in all, the combination of Nowottnick and Bleeker pitched six innings, allowed three hits, no runs, and struck out five.
With the help of the bullpen, the IronBirds secured a 5-2 victory over the Brooklyn Cyclones and a two game sweep over the Mets' affiliate.
With the win, the IronBirds complete the two-game sweep of the Brooklyn Cyclones, just after they were swept in consecutive series by Tri-City and Mahoning Valley. Merullo credits the comfortable home environment of Ripken Stadium and some previous success against Brooklyn for their two-game sweep over the Cyclones.
"It's always good to be home," Merullo said. "We just showed up and played that day, came in as late as possible, took batting practice off. The guys played with good energy last night [Tuesday] and it carried over into tonight [Wednesday]. I think maybe in their back of their minds they knew that we had success against Brooklyn as well, but that wasn't really discussed. The main thing is that they haven't gotten down. We got beat pretty bad in the 14-3 game, a 7-0 game. They were frustrated, but they weren't moping around. No one's feeling sorry for themselves. I'm real happy with the way these guys are coming together and not letting them feel sorry for themselves."
(Photo: Bob and Corey Rinker)