Entering the seventh inning at MCU Park on Tuesday night, the Brooklyn Cyclones and Tri-City ValleyCats were knotted at three, leaving the 5,865 fans in attendance to wonder if extra innings would be needed for the fourth time this season.

Then the rally started.

Jay Jabs led off with a single. Nick Sergakis drew a free pass. Darryl Knight followed with a seeing-eye single. And then it was Colby Woodmansee, the Mets’ fifth-round pick, who was making his professional debut. He fell behind in the count, but Framber Valdez‘s fastball was no match for Woodmansee, who ripped his second hit of the game into center field, scoring two.

The Cyclones would score three more in the inning, and hang on to beat Tri-City 8-3.

“I knew a fastball was coming, in my head,” Woodmansee said after the game. “I sat on it and drove it. Both of my hits tonight were on two strikes, just gotta choke up, widen out, just try to put the ball in play.”

Woodmansee, who the Mets selected from Arizona State, had been with the team since Opening Night, but had not been cleared to play until Tuesday’s game.

“I sat around for a few days and watched long innings, kinda chomping at the bit,” Woodmansee said, “but finally to be able to get out there and play, it felt good.”

The Cyclones got five solid innings from their starter, right-hander Erik Manoah, who allowed a leadoff triple and two solo home runs, but only one other hit.

“He’s a young guy,” manager Tom Gamboa said of Manoah. “He’s had some problems in the past just – immaturity, letting the game get away from him, and he’s worked real hard in Florida trying to stay focused on the present.”

Manoah rebounded from the blemishes to turn in scoreless fourth and fifth innings, ending his outing with two of his five strikeouts.

The Cyclones’ offense was also paced by catcher Dan Rizzie, another 2016 draftee, who made his first professional start behind the dish. Rizzie picked up two hits, the second of which was a double that drove in two, after Woodmansee in the seventh.

Gene Cone, who the Mets selected in the tenth round this year, also made his professional debut, and got off to a roaring start, when he cleared the bases with a double in the fourth. That tied the game at three, the score that remained until the seventh.

The Cyclones will play their first road series of the season starting Wednesday, as they will travel to Norwich to play the Connecticut Tigers. The rotation turns over for the first time this season, as Gabriel Llanes will make his second start. First round pick Justin Dunn and third round pick Blake Tiberi will join the team on the road, but will not be active.

All pictures by Jacob Resnick.