By Scott Hansen
Mahoning Valley 6
Cyclones 2
July 18 at MCU Park
The Mahoning Valley Scrappers used a three-run sixth inning on Thursday night to pull away from the Cyclones to get the win.
Down 2–0 in the fifth, Cyclones’ outfielder Julio Concepcion recorded just the second hit of the night for Brooklyn. Outfielder James “Papa” Roche then blasted a shot off the top of the left field wall. The umpires initially ruled it a two-run homer, but changed the call to an RBI double. Roche was eventually stranded at third.
In the next inning, Cyclones’ pitcher Dario Alvarez allowed two hits and a run in his first three batters, and was replaced by Christian Chivilli. Unfortunately for Brooklyn, Chivilli allowed two more runs to score, giving the Scrappers comfortable lead.
Concepcion added another run in the ninth, but it only put a dent in the final scoreboard. With the loss, the Cyclones have yet to put together a win streak of more than two games on the year, and manager Rich Donnelly, who has seen it all, says his boys have to put the basics of baseball together to get going.
“Some nights we have good pitching, some nights we score runs and some nights we play good defense,” he said. “To put together a streak, you got to put all three of those elements together.”
The Cyclones will play the Scrappers in the rubber match tonight at 7 pm.
Brooklyn Cyclones at MCU Park (Surf Avenue and W. 16th Street in Coney Island, www.brooklyncyclones.com) on July 19 at 7 pm.
Follow the Cyclones all season long at brooklynpaper.com/sections/sports/cyclones/
