Oh Yeah, O'Neill!   Matt O'Neill's 9th Inning Homer Propel's Brooklyn to 6-5 Win on Sunday

BOX SCORE

Win – Daison Acosta (3-6)

Loss – Jose Ferrer (2-1)

Save – None

Home Run – BRK: Matt O’Neill (2) / WIL: None

*Time of Game – *2:35

Wilmington, DE (August 13, 2022) – Matt O’Neill’s two-run, pinch hit homer in the bottom of the ninth provided the winning margin as Brooklyn won a thriller over Wilmington on Sunday afternoon by the score of 6-5. With the win, the Cyclones salvaged a split of the six-game series against the Blue Rocks.

Brooklyn jumped in front in the top of the third when Gregory Guerrero singled and Matt Rudick doubled to put a pair of runners in scoring position with one out. After William Lugo popped out on the infield for out number two, Alex Ramirez singled on a ground ball into left field to score the pair and give Brooklyn a 2-0 edge.

But as was the case most of the series, the Blue Rocks answered right away, and in a big way. Cole Daily reached on an error to start the fame and later in the frame Ricardo Mendez walked to put runners on the corners with one out. Jose Sanchez then hit a grounder to third that William Lugo fielded and threw home, but Daily beat the throw home to give the Blue Rocks their first run. Luis Moreno, Brooklyn’s starter, then uncorked a wild pitch that moved runners up to second and third before Robert Hassell III walked to load the bases. Onix Vega singled to tie the game and keep the bags full. Yasel Antuna then hit what seemed to be an inning ending double play, but Gregory Guerrero couldn’t field it cleanly and had to settle for just one out which allowed the go-ahead run to score. Kevin Strohschein followed with an RBI single to give Wilmington a 4-2 lead before Oscar Rojas came out of the bullpen to record the final out of the frame.

Brooklyn kept the see-saw scoring going in the top of the fourth when Stanley Consuegra singled to start the frame and Jose Mena followed with a walk to put a pair of runners aboard with nobody out. Consuegra moved up to third on a long fly out from Joe Suozzi and came home to score on an RBI single from Jaylen Palmer. Gregory Guerrero then worked a walk to load the bases and Matt Rudick ripped a single into left field to plate Mena and knot the score at 4-4. But William Lugo followed by grounding into a double play to end the frame with the game still tied.

In the bottom of the frame, Wilmington took the lead on an RBI single from Ricardo Mendez that gave them a 5-4 edge.

That’s how things would stay until the ninth, as Brooklyn didn’t collect a hit between the fifth and the top of the ninth when Joe Suozzi led off the frame with a double to instantly put the tying runner in scoring position. After Jaylen Palmer struck out for out number one, Matt O’Neill pinch hit for Gregory Guerrero and connected on a 2-1 pitch and sent it deep over the center field wall for a go-ahead, 425 foot blast.

Daison Acosta then tossed a spotless bottom of the ninth to close out the thrilling, come-from-behind win for the Cyclones.

The Cyclones will now return to Coney Island to open a six-game series with the Hudson Valley Renegades (New York Yankees) with first place on the line.