Brooklyn Cyclones Pound Valley Cats in Rubber Game

From the desk of:  THE SURF AVENUE SLUGGERS

Cyclones defeat Tri-City Valley Cats 2-1

I - TRI 4; BRK 1

II - BRK 9; TRI 2

III - BRK 9; TRI 4

Brooklyn offers Valley Cats starter Edgardo Sandoval no quarter.  He fails to make it out of the first inning in Thursday's rubber game at Coney, facing ten batters and yielding four earned runs on two hits and three walks.  In the second, Brooklyn greets reliever Daniel Cody with another five runs, three earned, on four hits, for a 9-0 Cyclones lead.  After which the Valley Cats manage just four scattered runs the rest of the way.  It marks the second straight game the Cyclones put up a nine spot against the Valley Cats.  Left fielder Antoine Duplantis goes 1 for 4 with three RBI; first baseman Joe Genord is 1 for 3 with a walk, double, a run batted in, and two runs scored.  Starter Matt Cleveland allows three runs, two earned, on three hits, no walks, with four strikeouts through 5.1 innings to earn his third victory against three losses and a 3.89 ERA.  A trio of relievers join to allow one run on one hit and three walks with three strikeouts over the final 3.2 innings.

Aberdeen loses to Lowell, while the Hudson Valley Renegades defeat Vermont.  Net result is Brooklyn and Hudson Valley are now tied for second just one game behind the Ironbirds.  Next up, the Cyclones open a series against the Lake Monsters at Vermont.