Aberdeen 1
Cyclones 0
July 31 at MCU Park
The Cardiac Clones lost 1–0 to Aberdeen on Sunday at MCU Park in a game where the lone run scored on a sacrifice fly from first base. Brooklyn was held to just two hits in the loss, while the IronBirds were only able to connect on three hits in the less-than-usual victory.
“Definitely a different game,” Brooklyn manager Tom Gamboa said. “You don’t see that every day, that’s for sure.”
Pitching dominated as both teams were held hitless through five innings. IronBirds starter Keegan Akin pitched three innings, walking three and striking out five.
The Cyclones had a chance to score in the third as Jacob Zanon walked with two outs – then stole second and third – but was stranded when Colby Woodmansee flew out to right to end the inning.
In the top of the fifth, Brooklyn starter Thomas Szapucki struck out Ronarsy Ledesma, but the pitch bounced away from Ali Sanchez and Ledesma reached base. Jaylan Ferguson hit a grounder to third, forcing Ledesma at second. With Ferguson on first with one out, Guillermo Salas hit a fly ball down the right field line which Arnaldo Berrios caught.
Unfortunately for Brooklyn, Berrios banged his knee into the wall and was unable to immediately make the throw. Berrios continued to roll over in pain as Ferguson advanced to second, then third, and then came home. Berrios was, finally, able to make the throw back to the infield, but Ferguson had already notched the only run of the game.
“To be honest, I’ve never seen a guy have a sac fly from first base,” Szapucki said. “Nothing you can really do about it. My right fielder made a helluva play and there’s nothing you can really do about it.”
After a delay of several minutes, Berrios was replaced by Hengelbert Rojas.
“The way he couldn’t move his leg, I was afraid it was broken,” Gamboa said. “We were trying to figure out without a stretcher how we were going to get him off the field. But then late in the game he was on crutches and he was in the dugout.”
Aberdeen reliever Yi-Hsiang Lin kept Brooklyn scoreless in the fourth and fifth. IronBird southpaw Tyler Erwin shut out the Cyclones in the sixth and seventh. Brooklyn third baseman Blake Tiberi led off the seventh with a single to left – the first hit of the game for the Cyclones – but was promptly thrown out when he was caught stealing by a mile.
Szapucki was the tough-luck loser, giving up one run on two hits while striking out 10 in seven innings.
“He had everything working today,” Gamboa said. “I could see after the first inning they were gonna have their hands full with him. I mean, he pitched a masterpiece.”
Steve Klimek came on to record a six-out save for Aberdeen. In the ninth, Woodmansee singled with one out, but Pete Alonso grounded into a game-ending 6-4-3 double play.
The 21–21 Cyclones are back in action on Monday at 7 pm when they take on Aberdeen at MCU Park.
UPS AND DOWNS
Because of the run scored after the leadoff hitter reached on a passed ball, Thomas Szapucki is now 1–1 with a 0.00 earned run average.
The Cardiac Clones are now 10–9 in one-run games.
