1-2 Punch

                                                                                                                                                                    
WAPPINGERS FALLS, NY-Two homeruns in a five-run seventh and another scintillating pitching performance by the staff propelled the Hudson Valley Renegades to a 5-0 victory over the Staten Island Yankees Monday night at Dutchess Stadium. The win was the second consecutive shutout for the Renegades as the Yankees saw their scoreless innings streak reach 19.
Another scoreless battle between the two teams ran through the first seven-and-a-half innings. The Yankees had a couple of opportunities to score early. In the second, leftfielder Canaan Smith started the inning with a triple to center. But Renegades starter Nick Padilla got back-to-back strikeouts and a popup to get out of the jam.
In the sixth, shortstop Eduardo Torrealba doubled to left-center and stood there with two out when catcher Josh Breaux roped a single to right. Torrealba tried to score, but was thrown out at the plate on a throw from rightfielder Jordan Qsar to catcher Chris Betts.
The game remained scoreless into the bottom-of-the-seventh when Hudson Valley put five runs on the board to put the game away. Two walks put runners at first and second with one away when Qsar, mired in a 3-34 slump, belted a three-run homer over the right-centerfield wall to give Hudson Valley a 3-0 lead. It was his second dinger of the season. After, second-baseman Jonathan Aranda followed with a single to center, leftfielder Bryce Brown eviscerated a two-run homerun to left to up the Renegades' lead to 5-0. It was Bryce's first round-tripper of the season.
That was more than enough for Renegades pitchers as Nick Padilla tossed six inning of shutout ball for Hudson Valley with six strikeouts. He was followed by reliever Justin Montgomery (1-0) who got the win by firing two hitless innings and striking out two. Relief pitcher Stephen Yancey came into the game in the ninth and allowed no runs in his lone inning of work to complete the shutout.
The loss went to Staten Island reliever Keegan Curtis (0-1) after he allowed five earned runs on three hits in only 0.1 innings of work.
There were only 11 hits between the two teams, and seven for extra-bases. The Renegades had six of the 11 with Betts going 2-4 with two doubles. Aranda finished 2-4 as well with two singles and a run scored. Of the five Yankees hits, two were from Smith who had a triple and double in three at-bats.    
 
Hudson Valley finishes its three-game series with Staten Island tomorrow night with a 7:05 start. The Renegades will trot out right-hander Joe Ryan (2-1, 4.31 ERA) to the mound against fellow-righty Harold Cortijo (1-2, 2.01 ERA) for the Yankees. Tickets can be purchased online at hvrenegades.com or by calling the ticket office at 845-838-0094.