Aberdeen Ironbirds Defeat Brooklyn Cyclones to Knot Series

From the desk: THE CONEY ISLAND NINE

SOUTH ATLANTIC LEAGUE

NORTH DIVISION PLAYOFF

Aberdeen IronBirds vs. Brooklyn Cyclones

I - BKN 8; ABD 1

II - ABD 6; BKN 1

Series Tied at One; Decisive Game Three on Friday

The IronBirds brought Brooklyn's momentum to an abrupt halt Thursday evening at Aberdeen.  Facing right-hander Dominic Hamel, the Birds scored early and often, knocking the Cyclone starter out of the box after the fourth.  Hamel allowed five earned runs on five hits and four walks, and the Bird's pitching made it stand.  The Clones were held to four hits and two walks.  Third baseman William Lugo spoiled the shutout with a solo home run in the fifth.  Aberdeen scored against Sammy Tavarez in the seventh inning for a 6-1 lead and the final margin of victory.  The season hangs in the balance for the respective teams, the loser goes home, and the winner advances to the SAL championship series.

Brooklyn Cyclones Win Third Straight at Winston-Salem

From the desk: THE CONEY ISLAND NINE

Brooklyn vs. Winston-Salem

I - BKN 6; WSD 2

II - BKN 5; WSD 2

III - BKN 6; WSD 0

Look What the Cyclones Did to the Dash, Again

Brooklyn opened with three runs in the first inning, and starter Dominic Hamel 

made it stand.  Designated hitter Carlos Rincon doubled home two runs and scored on Stanley Consuegra's single to left field.  Afterwhich, Hamel limited the Dash to four hits and one walk with eight strikeouts through the seventh.  

Hamel faced 25 batters, throwing 97 pitches with 64 (65.9%) going for strikes.  Making his eleventh start with Brooklyn, he improved to 5-1 with a 2.59 ERA.  

The Cyclones added late insurance.  Shortstop Shervyen Newton and Matt Rudick 

knocked home a run in the eighth, and Stanley Consuegra capped off the scoring with an RBI single in the ninth.  

Right-hander Sammy Tavarez yielded no hits and one walk with two strikeouts over the final two innings to preserve the shutout.

That makes three straight wins against Winston-Salem and 13 in their last 15 games.  Hudson Valley shut out the Blue Rocks at Wilmington to remain 1.5 games behind the Cyclones, who now own a magic number of two with three games left to play.  BOXSCORE

Brooklyn Cyclones Defeat Wilmington But Gain No Ground

From the desk: THE SURF AVENUE SLUGGERS

Wilmington vs. Brooklyn

I - BKN 2; WIL 1

II - WIL 11; BKN 7

III - BKN 9; WIL 1

IV - WIL 1; BKN 0

V - BKN 2; WIL 1

Cyclones Limit Wilmington to Three Hits; Keep Heat on Hudson Valley Renegades

Despite eleven hits, the Cyclones mustered only two runs, but the pitching made it stand.  Shortstop 

Shervyen Newton singled home a run in the second, and after Wilmington tied the game in the top of the fifth, JT Schwartz drove in the game's decisive run in the bottom of the frame.  Starter Jeffrey Colon was relieved after yielding the tying run.  He allowed two hits and one walk with five strikeouts in 4.2 innings.  Right-hander Sammy Tavarez followed with 2.1 scoreless innings for the win, and Daison Acosta closed the game with two scoreless innings of no-hit ball for his ninth save.  Up at Dutchess County Stadium, the Jersey Shore BlueClaws were drubbed by the Renegades, who get to spend another night with a half-game lead ahead of the Cyclones, with just seven games left in the season.  Boxscore

Chase for the SAL North Division 2nd half flag continues ... Brandon Nimmo bobblehead .. Coney Island .. Can You Dig It?! Let's Go Cyclones #LGM pic.twitter.com/e2YiC28pnG

— B'klynTrolleyBlogger (@BTB_MikeII) September 3, 2022

Brooklyn Cyclones Win Fifth Straight Against Jersey Shore

From the desk: THE CONEY ISLAND NINE

Brooklyn vs. Jersey Shore

I - BK 7; JS 0

II - BK 5; JS 4

III - BK 8; JS 5

IV - BK 7; JS 5

V - BK 8; JS 3

Cyclones Win Fifth Straight at Jersey Shore, But the Renegades Cede No Ground

Coney Island keeps stemming the tide at Jersey Shore, but for a fourth time in five games the Renegades defeated the Crawdads, while the Ironbirds took care of the Blue Rocks, and so all remains as it was, again.  The Cyclones trail Hudson Valley by one half game, and Aberdeen trails Brooklyn by one full game.  Sound familiar..?

The season grows shorter as three teams vy for the second-half North Division flag.  Coney Island on Saturday won their fifth straight against Jersey Shore, but the Renegades continue to do the same against the Hickory Crawdads.  

After tossing goose eggs through the fourth, starter Dominic Hamel walked a batter with the bases loaded, and an ensuing two-run single drew the BlueClaws within a run of tying the game at four.  But Jersey Shore would score no more.  Southpaw Daniel Juarez entered in the sixth and Sammy Tavarez followed.  Together, they hurled 2.2 scoreless innings of one-hit ball.  Afterwhich, Daison Acosta secured the final five outs to nail down his seventh save, with Juarez earning the victory, his first in three appearances for Brooklyn.  

Five Cyclones weilded two hits each as part of a 13-hit attack.  First baseman JT Schwartz went 2 for 4 with two runs batted in and second baseman Jose Peroza knocked in his team-leading 46th run batted in.  BOXSCORE

 

Hudson Valley Renegades Shut Out Brooklyn Cyclones

From the desk: THE SURF AVENUE SLUGGERS

Hudson Valley vs. Brooklyn

I - HVR 7; BKN 4

II - BKN 7; HVR 5

III - HVR 11; BKN 4

IV - BKN 3; HVR 2

V - HVR 5; BKN 0

Down Goes Brooklyn..!

A crowd of 5,050 suffered not one but two punches to the gut.  Saturday's starting pitchers, Richard Fitts and Brooklyn's Luis Moreno traded goose eggs through the fifth.  In the top of the sixth, Renegade catcher Carlos Navarez clubbed a three-run home run to left, knocking Moreno out of the game.  With one out and one runner on base in the eighth, right fielder Grant Richardson homered off Sammy Tavarez for a 5-0 Renegade lead.  Left fielder Matt Rudick scored on a double-play ball in the home eighth, but it went for naught.  

The pendulum now swings back in Hudson Valley's favor.  They take a half-game lead ahead of the Cyclones in the North Division standings.  These teams meet for the last time this regular season on Sunday.  Afterwhich, the Cyclones will have 18 games left to play.  Meanwhile, the Aberdeen Ironbirds end Saturday's action just 1.5 games out of first place.  BOXSCORE

Hudson Valley Pounds Brooklyn for Division Lead

From the desk: THE SURF AVENUE SLUGGERS

Hudson Valley vs. Brooklyn

I - HVR 7; BKN 4

II - BKN 7; HVR 5

III - HVR 11; BKN 4

Cyclones Get Beached on Coney Island

The North Division pendulum continues to swing.  Thursday, it went back in Hudson Valley's favor.

Brooklyn's Jose Peroza remains red hot and, in the opening frame, doubled home the game's first run.  He drove in two Cyclones' runs, with William Lugo and Alex Ramirez knocking in the others. 

Otherwise, game three was all Renegades, who scored early, often, and late en route to an 11-4 game three victory.

Brooklyn starter Tommy Hunter opened with two scoreless innings of one-hit ball.  Right-hander Junior Santos followed but had his offerings punished, allowing seven runs on nine hits and three walks in three innings pitched for the loss.  After Nathan Lavender hurled two scoreless innings, Justin Courtney was next to get punished for four runs on four hits, including two home runs. 

Afterwhich, Sammy Tavarez was needed to secure the last out in the ninth.  BOXSCORE

Brooklyn Cyclones Fizzle on the Fourth Against Aberdeen Ironbirds

From the desk: THE SURF AVENUE SLUGGERS

Aberdeen vs. Coney Island

I - ABD 3; BKN 1

No Fireworks From Cyclones Lineup

Plenty of hot dogs were served at Nathan's Original earlier in the afternoon but hardly a hit to be mustered just a few hundred feet away at the Surf Avenue ballpark.

Brooklyn starter Junior Santos allowed single runs in the first and seventh innings on five hits and two walks with four strikeouts in a tough-luck loss.  Aberdeen scored once more against reliever Brendan Hardy in the eighth, and Sammy Tavarez struck out the side in the ninth.

In the fourth inning, Nic Gaddis drew a one-out walk and eventually scored on a wild pitch.  Otherwise, the Cyclones managed just three hits by JT Schwartz, Matt O'Neill, and Jose Peroza.  They drew seven walks but left ten runners on base and were 0 for 7 with runners in scoring position.

Brooklyn Cyclones Claw Back at Hudson Valley Renegades

From the desk: THE CONEY ISLAND NINE

BROOKLYN vs. HUDSON VALLEY

I - HVR 5; BKN 2

II - HVR 8; BKN 5

III - BKN 6; HVR 1

Cyclone Twirlers Best Hudson Valley Hurlers

Hudson Valley right-hander Blas Castano retired 15 of his first 16 batters faced.  The only Cyclone to reach base through the first five innings was due to a hit-by-pitch.  Otherwise, Castano allowed no runs on no hits and no walks with four strikeouts.

Brooklyn southpaw Nick Zwack effectively matched his counterpart pitch for pitch.  Zwack likewise allowed no runs on just one hit and two walks with five strikeouts through the fifth.

Center fielder Jaylen Palmer led off the sixth inning against Blas Castano with a home run to left field.  After Castano issued a walk to Matt O'Neill and plunked Mike Rudick with a pitch, Shervyen Newton 

tripled home both runners, then scored himself on a JT Schwartz base hit to left, and just like that, the Cyclones owned a 4-0 lead.

The Renegades were recipients of Cyclone reliever Sammy Tavarez's generosity, who walked the bases loaded in the bottom of the eighth, then proceeded to walk his fourth batter to force home a run

and spoil the shutout.

With two more runs in the top of the ninth, the Cyclones clinched their first win of the series by a final score of six to one.

Right-hander Grant Hartwig closed out the game with a four-out save.  

Nick Zwack yielded no runs on one hit and three walks with six strikeouts in six innings for the win.  He improved to 2-1 with a 1.58 ERA through nine starts, and 40.0 innings pitched since his promotion from St. Lucie.

Meanwhile, Hudson Valley's Blas Castano, who started brilliantly, takes the loss.  Boxscore

Brooklyn Cyclones Outlast Jersey Shore Blue Claws

From the desk: THE SURF AVENUE SLUGGERS

BATTLE OF THE BEACHES

Jersey Shore vs. Coney Island

I - BK 4; JS 3

II - JS 5; BK 3

III - BK 3; JS 1

IV - BK 2; JS 1

Another Close Call at Coney Island

In yet another tightly contested affair, the Cyclones outlasted the Jersey Shore Blue Claws to seize a second straight victory and a 3-1 series lead.

Leading off the home third, catcher Jose Mena opened the scoring with a home run, his third this season.  Center fielder Jaylen Palmer then singled home Brooklyn's second run in the fourth.  The Cyclones were otherwise limited to five hits but once again made them count.

Brooklyn pitching took care of the rest.

Making his eighth start with Brooklyn, southpaw Nick Zwack yielded no runs on four hits and one walk with six strikeouts for the win.  He faced 19 batters over five innings, throwing 94 pitches with 63 (67%) for strikes.  

Making only his second appearance with Brooklyn, right-hander Nate Jones allowed one run (home run) on four hits and no walks in 2.2 innings pitched, and Sammy Tavarez notched a four-out save, his fifth this season.

Brooklyn Cyclones Take Second Straight from Hudson Valley Renegades

From the desk: THE SURF AVENUE SLUGGERS

Hudson Valley vs. Brooklyn

I - BKN 5; HVR 3

II - BKN 5; HVR 4

Coney Island Wins Two in a Row Against Bronx Affiliate

Coney Island defeated the Hudson Valley Renegades in a second straight game.  

Renegades starter Will Warren and Brooklyn's Oscar Rojas opened with three scoreless innings.  Warren issued a bases-loaded walk to force home the game's first run in the top of the fourth.  The Cyclones then erupted for five runs in the bottom half of the frame.  Right fielder Brandon McIlwain, Wilmer Reyes, and Branden Fryman drove in a run apiece, and Jaylen Palmer doubled home a pair.

Afterwhich, it was a matter of holding on.  Hudson Valley scored a single run in the sixth and two more in the eighth inning but would score no more.

In a no-decision effort, Oscar Rojas allowed one run on three hits and four walks with two strikeouts over 3.2 innings.  Right-hander Sammy Tavarez followed with 2.1 innings pitched for the win.  Rehabbing from injury and making his first-ever appearance with the Cyclones, Jordan Yamamoto 

allowed two runs on three hits and two walks with two strikeouts in 1.2 innings pitched, and Justin Courtney secured the last four outs for his fourth save this season.

• BOXSCORE

Brooklyn Cyclones Win Historic Home Opener at Coney Island

From the desk: THE SURF AVENUE SLUGGERS

HISTORY AT CONEY ISLAND

Tuesday, April 12, 2022, at Coney Island, marked the first professional baseball game played by a team representing Brooklyn since April 30, 1957, when the Dodgers defeated the visiting Chicago Cubs sixty-five years ago by a final score of 10-9 in ten innings at Ebbets Field.  In the ninth inning, Sandy Amaros hit a game-tying home run, and Don Zimmer hit a game-winning home run in the tenth.  Gil Hodges also homered in the game, and Roy Campanella hit two home runs.

Bedford & Sullivan Pre-Game: 

Sam and I Speak Live from Coney Island

thirteen minutes

OPENING DAY

Jersey Shore    2

Coney Island    5

FINAL

Cyclones Take Opening Battle of the Beaches

The Brooklyn Cyclones took an early 1-0 lead in the second.  With one out, the offensive star of the game JT Schwartz tripled to right, and with two outs, scored on right fielder Brandon McIlwain's double into the left/center field gap.

Starter Garrison Bryant yielded single runs in the third and fourth innings and exited on the losing side of a 2-1 game after surrendering five hits and one walk with six strikeouts through 3.2 innings pitched.

But Bryant's mates got him off the hook.  The Cyclones loaded the bases in the fifth inning, and with no outs, second baseman Wyatt Young singled home the tying run.  Afterwhich, the go-ahead run scored when third baseman Jose Peroza grounded into a 6-4-3 double play.  With two outs and Wilmer Reyes, the base runner at third, first baseman JT Schwartz lined a home run to right, giving the Cyclones a 5-2 lead and the final margin of victory.  Schwartz ended the night 3 for 4 with a pair of extra-base hits, two runs scored, and two runs batted in. 

Four Brooklyn relievers joined together for 5.1 scoreless innings pitched.  In relief of Bryant, right-hander Hunter Parsons allowed just one hit and one walk with five strikeouts over 2.1 innings to earn the victory.  Righty Sammy Tavarez struck out two batters during a scoreless ninth for the save.  

• Boxscore
• Brooklyn Cyclones
• Jersey Shore Blue Claws