It could have been the best of times — the surging Cyclones got into sole possession of first place with a win on Friday night — but it ended up as the worst of times, with back-to-back defeats at home to send the mini-Mets back to third place, just one-half game ahead of the hated Staten Island Yankees. Here’s how the action went down:
Cyclones 4
IronBirds 2
June 26 at Keyspan Park
The Cyclones banged out 15 hits in a barrage that included three from rehabbing Mets star Ryan Church, who also drove in a run on a double. Also making his debut was rookie phenom Ike Davis, who doubled in his first pro at-bat. Clone starter Brad Holt made up for a disastrous debut last week, tossing five no-hit innings with six K’s. Yuri Santana got his fourth save with 1 1/3 no-hit innings.
Cyclones 4
Ironbirds 3
June 27, at Keyspan Park
Games like this are what every Little Leaguer dreams of: With the game tied at 3 and a runner on first and third, Will Vogl sent a game-winning fly ball soaring over the drawn-in outfield. But Vogl wouldn’t even have had a chance without a Matt Bouchard double that scored a run in the fifth and a two-RBI double by Kirk Nieuwenhuis that tied the score in the sixth. Rehabbing Mets star Ryan Church was 0–3, but his Cyclone teammates more than covered for him, thanks to a 12-hit barrage. Starting pitcher Pedro “No Relation” Martinez was initially shaky, but settled into six decent innings.
Ironbirds 4
Cyclones 1
June 28, at Keyspan Park
On Superhero Night, the Cyclones refused to act heroic. After a lengthy rain delay, the team came out flat, falling behind 2–0 and only managing a run in the fifth, thanks to a Will Vogl triple and a Dan Murphy single. Starter Tim Stronach (1–2) took the loss.
Renegades 6
Cyclones 4
June 29 at Keyspan Park
A rare letdown by the Cyclones bullpen was the story here, with Hudson Valley scoring five runs in the last three innings. The ’Clones got on the board in the second, scoring on a groundout after a Josh Satin double. After the Renegades got the run back in the third off starter James Fuller, the Cyclones stormed back for two runs on an Ike Davis double and a Zach Lutz groundout. But then, the Renegades struck — first with two runs in the second to tie the game and hand reliever Manuel Olivares his first blown save of the year. The pesky ’Gades added two more in the eighth. After Mike Lynn put two men on, reliever Roy Merritt induced groundouts, but both runners scored. The Cyclones got one back in the ninth on a Dan Murphy single. Murphy was 3-for-5 on the night.