Timely Hits Help 'Cats Sweep Cyclones

The Tri-City ValleyCats used several timely, two-out hits to scratch out a 7-6 win against the Brooklyn Cyclones on Wednesday night, completing their second three-game sweep of the season at Joseph L. Bruno Stadium.

Carlos Machado led the way for the ValleyCats offensively with three hits, while Drew Ferguson added two of his own.
It was Michael Wielansky's two-out, two-strike triple in the sixth inning that stood tall for the ValleyCats.
The triple was the first of Wielansky's professional career, scoring Nate Perry from second base to give Tri-City a 6-5 lead. 
Two pitches later Juan Pineda dunked a base hit into left field to bring home Wielansky with what ended up being the game's decisive run.
The ValleyCats had their work cut out for themselves at the very drop of the flag, when they trailed 3-0 before even coming to the plate. 
Matt Ruppenthal started the game, allowing three runs on four hits to give the Cyclones a 3-0 lead.
Tri-City then set the tone for the game, striking back with a two-run first inning.
Machado brought home Tri-City's first run, while Oscar Campos brought home the second.
The ValleyCats didn't take their first lead of the night until one inning later.
After Ferguson brought Wielansky home on a sacrifice fly to tie the game, Enmanuel Valdez went deep for his team-lead-tying seventh home run of the season.
Valdez had Ramiro Rodriguez on base at the time, giving the ValleyCats a 5-3 lead.
On the pitching end, Juan Pablo Lopez took control of the game for the ValleyCats when he came on in relief to start the second inning.
Lopez pitched a career-high-tying five innings in earning his third win of the season.
Felipe Tejada then came on in the seventh and shut the Cyclones down to earn his first save of the season.
Following their sweep of the Cyclones, the ValleyCats are now nine games above .500 with a record of 36-27.
Tri-City continues to lead Lowell by 2.5 games in the Stedler division with 12 games left to be played in the regular season.
The ValleyCats will now hit the road for a three-game series against the Hudson Valley Renegades, before returning home for their final regular season homestand vs. the Aberdeen Ironbirds, beginning on Sunday, August 26.