Cyclones Drop a Pair on Sunday Afternoon

Box Score

Win – Cate (2-1)

Loss – Vargas (2-1)

Save – Brzycky (4)

Home Run – None

Time of Game – 2:15 (3:09 Delays)

Brooklyn, NY (May 15, 2022) – The Cyclones dropped Game One of Sunday’s makeshift doubleheader by the score of 3-2. The game began on Saturday evening and Wilmington took a 2-1 lead before play was suspended. J.T. Schwartz went 2-for-4 with an RBI to pace the Brooklyn bats.

After a lengthy delay on Saturday afternoon, the game eventually got underway shortly after 6:30 on Saturday evening. Darren Baker doubled to start the game and came around to score on an RBI single from Ricardo Mendez and Brooklyn quickly found themselves in a 1-0 hole just four pitches into the game. Yasel Antuna followed with another single to put a pair of runners aboard with nobody out against Cyclones starter Oscar Rojas. But the Brooklyn righthander was able to record a pair of strikeouts before facing Drew Mendoza. The Blue Rocks slugger roped a single into centerfield to push another run across and give Wilmington a 2-0 advantage.

In the bottom of the inning, Brooklyn got things started just as quickly when Wilmer Reyes drilled the first pitch he saw into the left field corner and immediately put a runner in scoring position for the ‘Clones. After a pair of strikeouts, JT Schwartz rolled a single into centerfield for an RBI single that trimmed the Brooklyn deficit to 2-1.

The teams traded zeroes in the second, but that’s when the fog rolled in and play was suspended heading into the top of the third.

When play resumed on Sunday afternoon, RHP Junior Santos was on the mound for Brooklyn and the righthander tossed 4.2 solid innings in his modified start. He did not allow a run while scattering just a pair of hits and striking out six.

With Santos dealing on the mound, Brooklyn was able to pull even in the bottom of the fifth. Warren Saunders led off the bottom of the fifth with a single and, after Wilmer Reyes struck out, Shervyen Newton singled to put a pair of runners aboard for Matt O’Neill. The Brooklyn backstop took advantage of the scoring chance with an RBI single to get things back even at 2-2.

In the bottom of the 7th, Saunders led off with a triple over the centerfielder’s head and Brooklyn was in prime position to take the lead. But Jaylen Palmer grounded out, Shervyn Newton lined out to shallow right field and O’Neill grounded out to second to end the threat without Saunders able to advance from third.

That would prove to be a turning point in the game, as Wilmington plated the go-ahead run in the top of the ninth on a two-out RBI double off the bat of Israel Pineda to put Wilmington back in front 3-2, which is how the game would end.

BOX SCORE

Win – Willingham (2-1)

Loss – Ruibal (0-1)

Save – None

Home Run – None

Time of Game – 2:39

Brooklyn, NY (May 15, 2022) – The Wilmington Blue Rocks completed the doubleheader sweep of the Cyclones with a 4-1 win in Game Two on Sunday afternoon. Wilmington scored three runs off Brooklyn reliever Evy Ruibal (0-1) in the top of the 9th to take the victory. The Cyclones went 2-for-12 with runners in scoring position in Game Two and 4-for-23 overall in the doubleheader.

Daison Acosta made the start for the Cyclones and sparkled over his 5.0 shutout innings on the mound. He allowed just one hit and a pair of walks while striking out four. Just as effective was Wilmington Blue Rocks starter Seth Shuman who scattered four hits and two walks while striking out four in 5.0 shutout frames.

But when both starters departed in the sixth inning, the offense finally got started. In the top of the sixth, Sammy Tavarez came out of the pen for the Cyclones and issued a one-out walk to Yasel Antuna who promptly stole second and advanced to third on a throwing error. Omar Meregildo then reached on a fielder’s choice when Branden Fryman gunned down an Antuna at the plate for the second out of the inning. But Meregildo stole second and then advanced to third on a passed ball before Kevin Strohchein singled to plate the game’s first run.

In the bottom half of the inning the Cyclones got even after Nic Gaddis and Brandon McIlwain had back-to-back singles to start the frame before Wilmer Reyes laid down a sacrifice bunt to move the pair into scoring position. Jaylen Palmer took advantage of the scoring chance, knocking a single through the drawn-in infield to plate Gaddis with the game-tying run, but McIlwain was thrown out at the plate to keep things knotted at 1-1.

After a scoreless seventh inning, the game headed to extra innings and Justin Courtney was able to keep the Blue Rocks off the scoreboard in the top of the eighth, giving Brooklyn a golden opportunity to walk it off in the bottom of the frame. Shervyen Newton started the frame at second as the automatic runner and JT Schwartz led off with a line-drive single to center field, but Newton was held at third, putting runners on the corners with nobody out. But Nic Gaddis flew out, McIlwain struck out and Wilmer Reyes grounded out to keep things tied.

In the top of the ninth, Evy Ruibal came on for the Cyclones and quickly found himself in trouble after issuing a pair of singles to start the frame – which led to a run – and followed that with a walk and another single from Jose Sanchez that plated a pair and extended Wilmington’s lead to 4-1.

That’s how the game would end as the Cyclones went 1-2-3 in the bottom of the ninth to close things out.