Home Runs and Stellar Bullpen Effort Lift Brooklyn Cyclones to Series Opening Win Over Aberdeen Ironbirds

From the desk: THE SURF AVENUE SLUGGERS

ABERDEEN @ BROOKLYN

I - BRK 9; ABD 6

Cyclones Twice Overcome Deficits; Bullpen Tosses 5.1 Scoreless Innings 

Back home at Coney Island facing a familiar foe in the Aberdeen Ironbirds, the Cyclones overcome a four-run first-inning deficit with two runs in the bottom of the frame and three runs in the third for a 5-4 advantage.  The Ironbirds reclaim the high ground with two in the fourth.  But Brooklyn answers with another four-run outburst in the home seventh.  The score then remains unchanged through the ninth.

Making his 17th start for Brooklyn, right-hander Jaison Vilera is hit hard, allowing six runs on eight hits, including a home run and one walk over 3.1 innings pitched but still escapes with a no-decision.  Enter Josh Hejka with four strikeouts over 2.2 scoreless innings.  In one of baseball's odd instances when less is more, Evy Rubial wins for tossing a scoreless seventh.  Right-hander Willy Taveras then twirls a scoreless eighth and ninth innings to preserve Brooklyn's 9-6 series-opening victory over Aberdeen.

Center fielder Antoine Duplantis walks leading off the home first and scores on Ronny Mauricio's triple.  Mauricio then crosses home on Francisco Alvarez's fielder's choice to short.

With two runners on base in the third, Ronny Mauricio launches his 17th home run this season over the right field wall, i.e., into the breeze coming off the beach ... so there!

Brooklyn loads the bases in the seventh.  With one out, a Jeremy Vasquez sacrifice fly to left field plates Jaylen Palmer from third.  Then with two outs, third baseman Jose Peroza connects for a home run over the left field wall.

Ronny Mauricio finishes the game 3 for 3 with a walk, triple, home run, three runs scored, four runs batted in, and Jose Peroza doubles and homers in four trips.  For Francisco Alvarez, his 48th run batted in wearing a Cyclone uniform.  BOXSCORE