Brooklyn Cyclones Win Pressure-Packed Thriller at Wilmington

From the desk: THE CONEY ISLAND NINE

FRAWLEY STADIUM

Brooklyn vs. Wilmington

I - WIL 9; BKN 3

II - BKN 8; WIL 1

III - BKN 7; WIL 6*

IV - WIL 7; BKN 1

V - WIL 4; BKN 2

VI - BKN 6; WIL 5

Cyclones Stage Ninth-Inning Comeback; Retake First Place

The Brooklyn Cyclones kicked up their playoff chase another notch.  Trailing 4-5 entering the top of the ninth at Frawley Stadium, right fielder Matt Rudick picked an excellent time to hit his second home run this season - a two-run home run to straightaway center field.  Right-hander Daison Acosta hurled a scoreless eighth and ninth inning to close the victory and earn his third win.  After two scoreless frames, Brooklyn opened the scoring.  With two outs in the top of the third, center fielder Alex Ramirez singled home two runs.  In the home half, however, Gregory Guerrero's second-base error jump-started a four-run rally, all unearned.  The Cyclones were quick to answer with two in the fourth on hits by Jaylen Palmer and Rudick.  But Wilmington again seized the lead with a run in the fifth.  Afterwhich, the score remained unchanged until Matt Rudick stepped to the plate in the ninth.  Relievers Oscar Rojas, Nolan Clenney, and Acosta held the Blue Rocks scoreless through the final five innings.  Brooklyn salvages a series split with Wilmington.  Moreover, they lead the SAL North division by one-half game over the Hudson Valley Renegades, who lost Sunday against the Aberdeen Ironbirds.  BOXSCORE

Brooklyn Cyclones Take Third Straight Contest From Winston-Salem Dash

From the desk: THE SURF AVENUE SLUGGERS

Winston-Salem vs. Brooklyn

I - WSD 4; BKN 2

II - WSD 8; BKN 0

III - BKN 5; WSD 1

IV - BKN 2; WSD 0

V - BKN 3; WSD 1

Cyclones Now Hold 1.5 Game Lead Over Hudson Valley and Aberdeen 

Make that three in a row ...

After yielding twelve runs in the first two games to Winston-Salem, Brooklyn's pitching has since limited the Dash to just a pair of runs over the last 27 innings.

Saturday's mound matchup featured Cristian Mena for the visitors pitted against Junior Santos for the Coney Islanders.  

The teams traded runs in the opening frame.  Shortstop Colson Montgomery tripled and scored in the top half, and in Brooklyn's turn, designated hitter Nic Gaddis singled home the tying run.

In the home second, with one out and base runner Shervyen Newton poised at first base, recent graduate 

Gregory Guerrero connected on a two-run home run - his first in four games since arriving from the Port St. Lucie Mets.

The score remained unchanged over the final six and a half innings of play.  Making his 19th start, right-hander Junior Santos allowed one run on six hits and no walks with four strikeouts to earn his sixth win.  Right-hander Daison Acosta closed the game with two scoreless innings to earn his fifth save.

Brooklyn now owns a 3-2 series edge in their first-ever contests against Winston-Salem, with the finale slated for Sunday.  Afterwhich the Cyclones will have exactly thirty games left on their schedule.  The final series of the season is against the Dash at Winston-Salem.

Hudson Valley lost both games of a doubleheader against Jersey Shore, giving the first-place Cyclones a 1.5-game lead over Hudson Valley and Aberdeen in the South Atlantic League North Division.