ValleyCats fall to Yankees in final game before All-Star Break

STATEN ISLAND, NY - The Tri-City ValleyCats fell to the host Staten Island Yankees 6-3 on Sunday, dropping their final game before the 2014 New York Penn-League All-Star Break.

 

After only scoring three runs combined over the first two games of the series, the Yankees managed to score four times off of ValleyCats starter Luis Ordosgoitti in the bottom of the first inning, taking an early 4-0 lead.

 

Tri-City was held scoreless until the top of the fifth frame, when Jose Solano doubled to left field, then scored on a RBI single by first baseman Ariel Ovando.

The ValleyCats got on the board again in the sixth inning, when designated hitter Ricky Gingras drove home second baseman Juan Santana on a sacrifice fly. Two batters later, third baseman Nick Tanielu scored on a fielding error by the Yankees' shortstop Vicente Conde to get the ValleyCats within one run.

Unfortunately, that was as close as Tri-City would get. The Yankees scored once in the sixth, and once in the eighth, en route to snapping the ValleyCats' three-game winning streak.

Despite the defeat, Tri-City still holds the top record in the entire New York-Penn League at 42-21. Not only do the 'Cats have an eight-game lead over the Connecticut Tigers for first place in the Stedler Division, but their 42 victories sets a team-record for the most wins heading into the All-Star Break.

After a league-wide off day tomorrow, four ValleyCats players will represent the team on Tuesday in the New York Penn-League All-Star Game at MCU Park in Brooklyn. Those players will be infielder Nick Tanielu, catcher Jamie Ritchie, outfielder Derek Fisher, and relief pitcher Ryan Thompson. Outfielder Bobby Boyd was originally selected as an All-Star before he was promoted to the Single-A Quad Cities River Bandits, on August 10th.

After Tuesday's All-Star Game, the ValleyCats will return home to Joseph L. Bruno Stadium on Wednesday, August 20th to start a two-game set against the Vermont Lake Monsters.

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