Staten Island 5, Brooklyn 3
The Baby Bombers lived up to their name, as a pair of home runs gave Staten Island a 5-3 win over the Cyclones on Wednedsay night. This season, the Cyclones pitching staff has allowed 15 home runs through 61 games, with six of them coming at the hands of the Staten Island Yankees. James Roche went 3-for-4 in a losing effort and extended his hitting streak to nine games.
After being shutout on Tuesday night, the Staten Island Yankees wasted no time getting on the board tonight. After retiring the first two batters he faced, Brooklyn starterDawrin Frias quickly found himself in trouble when back-to-back doubles from Eric Jagielo and Mike Ford resulted in the first run of the game, as Staten Island took a 1-0 advantage after the first.
The teams matched zeroes in the second before the Cyclones would get on the board in the top of the third. Tomas Nido reached on an error to start the frame and anAnthony Chavez walk and Eris Peguero loaded the bases with nobody out. Ismael Tijerina took advantage of the scoring chance with a sacrifice fly that scored Nido and moved Chavez to third. Gavin Cecchini, who went 0-for-4 on the night and is now 1-for-28 against the Baby Bombers this season, was next up and hustled his way down the first base line on what could have been an inning ending double day, allowing Chavez to score to give Brooklyn a 2-1 edge. After Jared King walked to move Cecchini into scoring position, James Roche laced a liner into left field to push across the third run of the frame as Brooklyn’s lead swelled to 3-1.
But that is all the offense the Brooklyn bats would muster on the night, while for the Yankees, they were just getting started. In the bottom of the fourth Mike Ford started the frame with a solo blast to slice the Brooklyn advantage in half at 3-2. After a scoreless fifth, the Baby Bombers would live up their name in the sixth, unceremoniously putting an end to Dawrin Frias’s night. Ford walked to start the frame, and Yeicok Calderon followed with a single to put a pair of runners aboard for Brandon Thomas. The Yankeess slugger connected on his sixth home run of the season, a three-run blast, that gave Staten Island the 5-3 advantage – a lead they would never relinquish.
A bright spot for the Cyclones on the night was RHP Cameron Griffin who tossed 3.0 shutout frames in his Cyclones debut to close out the game.
The Cyclones and Yankees will close out this five-game series tomorrow night at MCU Park when RHP John Gant toes the rubber for Brooklyn.
Key Stats
James Roche: 3-for-4, 1 RBI, 1 SB
Ismael Tijerina: 1-for-4, 1 RBI
Darwin Frias: 5.0 IP, 7 H, 2 HR, 3 BB, 6 ER, 7 K
Cameron Griffin: 3.0 IP, 0 H, 0 BB, 0 ER, 3 K
(Cyclones’ Team Report)