Heartbreak Followed by Joy

WAPPINGERS FALLS, NY-The Hudson Valley Renegades bounced back from a 3-2 defeat in game one to win a walk-off in game two 7-6 over the Brooklyn Cyclones Thursday evening at Dutchess Stadium in front of 3.385 fans.
In game one, Brooklyn got on the board in the third inning as designated hitter Antoine Duplantis led off with a triple to right, then scored on a groundout to short by catcher Jose Mena to give the Cyclones a 1-0 lead.
The Cyclones would use their speed to add another run in the fourth. First baseman Wilmer Reyes began the inning with a single, stole second, then went to third on an infield single to the pitcher by second baseman Luke Ritter. After a strikeout, Brooklyn had runners at the corners with one out when Ritter took off for second. The Renegades threw ahead, and Reyes broke for home. Both men were safe on the play as Hudson Valley could not make a throw to the plate, and Reyes was credited with a steal of home to make the score 2-0.
The Renegades would use the longball to come back in their half of the fourth. With one out, rightfielder Hill Alexander dunked a single into right. That set the stage for first baseman Jacson McGowan who lined a two-run homer to left to tie the game. It was the first homerun of the season for McGowan and the first homerun by Hudson Valley at Dutchess Stadium this season.
Later in the inning, the Renegades got runners to second and third with one out and were poised to take the lead. However, Cyclones reliever Brian Metoyer got strikeouts of third baseman Mason Mallard and second baseman Kevin Santiago to get out of the inning.
Things stayed that way until the seventh where with nobody on and one out, Mena lined a pitch from Hudson Valley reliever Joe LaSorsa over the leftfield wall for a solo homerun. It was Mena's first homer of the season and wound up being a game-winner as the Renegades went 1-2-3 in the bottom of the seventh.
Getting the win for Brooklyn was Metoyer (2-1) who was sensational, striking out six of the eight men he faced in 2.2 hitless innings. The loss fell to LaSorsa (3-1). He allowed the homer in 1.1 frames. Reliever P.J. Conlon pitched the seventh inning for Brooklyn and struck out one for his first save of the season. The teams combined for nine hits with the Cyclones picking up five of them. Mena registered two RBI while McGowan led the attack for the Renegades by going 2-3 with a homer, run and two RBI.
In game two, the Renegades raced out to an early lead thanks to a three-run second. With one out, catcher Luis Trevino singled and second baseman Cristhian Pedroza grounded into a fielder's choice that was dropped by Brooklyn second sacker Luke Ritter to put runners at first and second.   Designated hitter Pedro Diaz came up next and roped a two-run triple to right centerfield. On the relay to the plate, Ritter airmailed the throw home, which allowed Diaz to score and give the Renegades a 3-0 lead.
But Brooklyn would respond by sending 12 men to the plate in the third and scoring six runs. Two walks and a single loaded the bases with one out before Duplantis lined a single to get Brooklyn on the board. After a pop out, the bases were still loaded with two away when Ritter drilled a bases-clearing double to right center to give Brooklyn a 4-3 lead. First baseman Joe Genord followed with an RBI double to left to make the score 5-3. After another walk put runners at first and second, third baseman Nic Gaddis singled in another run on a lined shot to left to finish the scoring.
Hudson Valley tried to come back as they plated single runs in the fourth and fifth. Diaz started the inning by reaching second on a dropped popup by Gaddis. After he went to third on a groundout, Diaz scored on a sacrifice fly to center from centerfielder Garrett Hiott to pull Hudson Valley to within two. In the sixth, with two out, third baseman Luis Arcendo reached on an infield single. After Hiott drew a walk to move Arcendo to second, shortstop Nick Sogard lined looped a single to left to bring in Arcendo and make the score 6-5.
The home team would then get the win with two in the ninth. McGowan drew a leadoff walk and was lifted for pinch-runner K.V. Edwards. Leftfielder Beau Brundage would reach on a groundball that was kicked by Genord and put runners at first and second. Trevino stood in next and slapped a ball past third, into leftfield to score Edwards and tie the game. After a wild pitch moved runners to second and third with no one out, the Cyclones intentionally walked Pedroza to load the bases before Mallard came on as a pinch hitter and lined a ball off the glove of Brooklyn reliever Hunter Parsons. The ball trickled away, Parsons picked it up and tried to throw home to get the fielder's choice on Brundage coming from third. However, the fleet footed Brundage beat the throw home and the Gades won 7-6.
The Renegades had eight hits for game two, including two apiece from Trevino, Sogard and Arcendo. Trevino scored once and drove in a run, Sogard singled twice and picked up an RBI, and Arcendo singled twice and scored a run. The Cyclones, meanwhile, registered seven hits. Duplantis went 2-4 with a run scored and RBI.
Getting the win for the Renegades was reliever Shay Smiddy (1-0) who retired the Cyclones in order with a strikeout. The loss fell to Parsons (0-1) after he gave up two runs, one earned, on a hit without recording an out. He also walked two hitters. Right-handed reliever Jose Roca kept the Renegades close as he tossed 3.1 scoreless innings after Hudson Valley fell behind in the third.
The Renegades and Cyclones will finish their series tomorrow in a 7:05 start. There will be fireworks following the game. Hudson Valley will throw right-hander Evan McKendry (2-0, 0.00 ERA) against Cyclones righty Alec Kisena (0-0, 3.52 ERA). Tickets are on sale and can be purchased online at hvrenegades.com, in person at the Dutchess Stadium ticket window, or by calling the ticket office at 845-838-0094.