Brooklyn Cyclones: Coney Island Plants Their Flag at Greenville

From the desk: THE CONEY ISLAND NINE

20th

Anniversary Season

2001 ~ 2021

TUESDAY

Cyclones   6

GREENVILLE 1

Fluor Field

FINAL

Josh Walker Impressive Again; Home Runs For Mauricio and Genord

For the first time in their now 20-year history, the Brooklyn Cyclones arrive in South Carolina for a regular-season game against the nearly 30-year old Greenville Drive.  The Cyclones entered Tuesday's action, having dropped three of five games against the Asheville Tourists.

• 5/11/2021: BOXSCORE: Game #6

Leading off the game, left fielder Antoine Duplantis singles and right fielder Matt Winaker lines a double to center field.  Next in, third sacker Brett Baty doubles home both base runners for a prompt 2-0 Brooklyn lead.  First baseman Joe Genord leading off the second connects on his second home run this season, and second baseman Luke Ritter doubles home Baty in the top of the third, giving the Cyclones a 4-0 lead.  Starter Josh Walker surrenders the lone run of his appearance in the home half of the third, but Ronny Mauricio's two-run blast in the top of the fourth gives dem Boardwalk Bums a 6-1 advantage.  Right-hander Dan Goggin pitches two scoreless innings in relief of Walker with four strikeouts.  Manager Blankmeyer then hands the ball to righty Nick MacDonald for the eighth, who faces the minimum with a strikeout.  Despite an error by Mauricio, Nick MacDonald effectively closes out the ninth just as well.  Making his second start, Josh Walker puts forth another commendable effort, yielding one run on four hits and one walk with seven strikeouts through six innings pitched.  Ritter finishes up 3 for 4 with a run batted in, and Mauricio and Baty each drive in two runs apiece.  Brooklyn achieves par with a 3-3 record.

QUICK OBSERVATION: Through six High-A level games, there have been far more home runs hit by both Brooklyn and the opposition than former New York-Penn League fans are accustomed to.  A true test awaits when games arrive at spacious MCU Park at Coney Island and hitting into the stiff Spring ocean breeze.

Brooklyn Cyclones: Early Losses Take Back Seat to Historical Context

From the desk: THE CONEY ISLAND NINE

20th ANNIVERSARY SEASON

COUNTDOWN TO OPENING DAY

10

Look What Asheville Did to Coney Island's Nine, Again!

The first few games of the season are leaving no room for debate.  The respective winners are going about their business with conviction.  After Brooklyn's decisive season-opening victory on Tuesday, Asheville has since more than doubled Coney Island's output, outscoring them by a 30-12 margin.  Two more weekend games remain against the Tourists.

Josh Walker pitched a gem to open the season, yielding no runs, no hits, with one walk and eight strikeouts.  However, over the next three games, Brooklyn starting pitchers have joined together for an unsightly 20.25 earned run average, allowing 18 runs on 17 hits and eight walks with eleven strikeouts over a mere 9.0 innings pitched.

• GM2: Jose Butto - 3.2 innings, three hits, four runs, three walks, five strikeouts.
• GM3: Oscar Rojas - 2.1 innings, five hits, seven runs, two walks, three strikeouts, two HR.
• GM4: Jason Vilera - 3.0 innings, nine hits, seven runs, three walks, three strikeouts, two HR.

But we must keep in mind these kids haven't played regularly in about twenty months.  That being said, welcome to an elevated level of play (for some, not all).

Asheville leads Cyclones; 3-1

I - BKN 8; ASH 2

II - ASH 6; BKN 1

III - ASH 11; BKN 4 

IV - ASH 13; BKN 7

On Friday, Asheville scored early and often.  They owned a 7-1 lead after two and a 10-3 lead after four.  By the sixth, they had amassed all 13 runs.  Brooklyn finally made things somewhat interesting with a run in the seventh and three in the eighth to no avail.

• SS - Ronny Mauricio: 3 for 5 with two doubles, home run, four runs batted in.
• 3B - Brett Baty: 2 for 4, two runs batted in.
• 1B - Joe Genord: 2 for 4, third Cyclone with multiple hits.
• LF - Matt Winaker: three runs scored.

Depending on your personal level of intensity, these are nonetheless historical games.  In ten more days, the Cyclones will become the first team to play professional baseball during May in Brooklyn since the Dodgers last played in 1957 at Ebbets Field.  Regardless of the outcomes (for now ...), embrace the return of Spring baseball in Brooklyn.  In the meantime, as we await their arrival back in Coney Island, historic McCormick Field is a very nice and rather appropriate place to start this new narrative.

Brooklyn Cyclones Drop Second Straight at Asheville

From the desk: THE CONEY ISLAND NINE

THE DEFENDING 2019 NYPL CHAMPIONS

Asheville leads Brooklyn; 2-1

I - BKN 8; ASH 2

II - ASH 6; BKN 1

III - ASH 11; BKN 4

Long Ball: Advantage Tourists

Brooklyn pitchers receive no quarter, as the Asheville Tourists score early and often en route to a commanding 11-4 victory in game three of their season-opening series at historic McCormick Field.  Starter Oscar Rojas is knocked out of the box in the third upon yielding seven earned runs on five hits and two walks.  Tourists' second baseman Luis Santana homers off Rojas in the first and again in the third.  In relief of Rojas, right-hander Nick McDonald surrenders another three runs, two earned, on five hits over two innings.  Brooklyn's returning left fielder Antoine Duplantis connected on Brooklyn's third home run in as many games.  In the role of the designated hitter, Brett Baty goes 2 for 3 with a double and run batted in.  First baseman Joe Genord and right fielder Matt Winaker each drive in a run apiece.

• BOXSCORE: Brooklyn 4; ASHEVILLE 11