S.I. Yankees: Pizza Rats Win Seventh in a Row

From the desk of:  THE RICHMOND COUNTY RATS NINE

Slide Past Brooklyn Cyclones Into Second Place.

Staten Island Yankees: Richmond County Rats Gnawing Through Competition.

Don't look now, but the Pizza Rats are winners of seven in a row, and nine of their last ten games.  They've not only found their way out of the McNamara Division cellar, but have gnawed their way into second place just 1.5 games behind the first place Hudson Valley Renegades.

On Monday, they completed a three-game sweep over the West Virginia Black Bears at the Ballpark at St. George.  Yankees reliever Drew Finley finished what Roansy Contreras started.  Contreras faced 23 batters through seven full innings of work, throwing an economic 86 pitches with 57 (66%) going for strikes.  He allowed one unearned run on just three hits and a walk, while fanning eight.  For all his efforts, though, he walked off to a participatory no-decision.  Drew Finley was easily the luckier of the two, earning his second victory of the season despite surrendering two earned runs over the final two frames.

Finley's mates came to his rescue with a five run outburst in the eighth inning.  After trading runs in the fourth, the Bears and Baby Bombers remained tied through seven.  Leading off the home eighth, Staten Island third baseman Andres Chaparo greeted incoming reliever Conner Leoprich with a home run to left.  Three doubles, a base hit, a walk, a passed ball , one one wild pitch later, and the Yankees owned a 6-1 lead, an route to a 6-3 final.  Second baseman Jesus Bastidas went 2 for 4, with a double, runs scored, and two RBI.

The Rats now take their show on the road where they haven't fared very well.  They'll be looking to improve upon their 5-7 record away from the pizza shop starting with a series against the Lake Monsters up in Burlington, Vermont.

Brooklyn Cyclones: Thor Drops Hammer on Pizza Rats

From the desk of:  THE SURF AVENUE SLUGGERS

VERRAZZANO NARROWS 

SHOWDOWN

BATTLE OF THE BOROUGHS

Season Series Tied 4-4

SUNDAY

Yankees    1

Cyclones   2

FINAL

Brooklyn Cyclones: Thor Giveth, and Thor Taketh Away.

We all know New York City rodents aren't skittish around people anymore.  But those Pizza Rats from Staten Island may have come off just a little too damn cocky during their most recent visit to Coney Island.

I'm sure Noah Syndergaard isn't too pleased with himself, either.

Making a rehab assignment start for the Cyclones, Syndergaard issues a walk to the first batter of the game, who then disrespectfully steals second base.  With one out, a solid base hit by Staten Island backstop Josh Breaux puts runners on the corners.  Syndergaard fans the next batter, but then unleashes a wild pitch allowing Pizza Rat Alex Junior to scurry home.

After which, Thor drops his hammer.  He allows the Rats just one more hit in the fourth, and fans six through his final four innings of work.  All told, Syndergaard pitches five innings, allows one earned run on just two hits, walks one, and strikes out seven.  He faces nineteen Pizza Rats, throwing 71 pitches with 46 (65%) going for strikes.

It's a good thing too, because the Cyclones were limited to a pair of runs on just five hits by Staten Island starter Roansy Contreras and reliever Shawn Semple.

JOSE MIGUEL MEDINA IS BIG MAN ON CAMPUSS

BUT SMALL BALL WINS THE DAY

• Brooklyn ties the game at one in the third.  Third baseman Brian Sharp draws a lead-off walk, and is advanced on a sacrifice bunt by Manny Rodriguez.  Sharp then scores on Jose Miguel Medina's double to left.

The game remains locked at one through the seventh.

• Catcher Nick Meyer leads off the bottom of the eighth with a single back up the middle.  Brian Sharp's sacrifice bunt successfully moves Meyer to second base.  After Manny Rodriguez looks at strike three, Jose Miguel Medina singles home Meyer with the go-ahead run.

Reliever Kevin Smith faces ten batters pitching the final three innings for Brooklyn.  He earns his second victory of the season after limiting Staten Island to no walks, just one hit, and striking out four.

With only their second victory in their last seven games, the Cyclones snap a five game losing streak, and avoid falling below par, instead improving to 12-11 on the season.  Although they remain three games back of the Hudson Valley Renegades, Brooklyn slides back into second place past Aberdeen.

Brooklyn also evens the season series against Staten Island at four games apiece.

The Staten Island Yankee Baby Bomber Pizza Rats Baseball Club fall to 10-13 on the season.

The teams head back to Richmond County and the St. George Rat Den for Monday's series finale.