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Cyclones complete comeback against Connecticut

Cyclones come back, take season-opener in extra innings
Photo by Steve Solomonson

Cyclones 5

Connecticut 4

July 3 at MCU Park

The Cardiac ‘Clones, or the Coney Island Franks as the squad was named on Sunday, flipped the script on the Tigers with a four-run comeback in a 5–4 win at MCU Park.

“I admire the resiliency of these kids,” manager Tom Gamboa said. “They don’t give up. We kept pecking away and we are starting to swing the bats better. We’re getting more hits per game. I thought it was a real good comeback by our guys today.”

For the second straight game, the Tigers scored four in the second. Harol Gonzalez plunked Blaise Salter, walked Sam Machonis and surrendered a single to Josh Lester to load the bases with nobody out.

A run-scoring single from Tanner Donnels gave the Tigers a 1–0 lead. Two batters later, Junnell Ledezma doubled down the left-field line, scoring two runs. Will Savage followed with a run-scoring infield single to put the Tigers up 4–0.

Gonzalez gave up four runs on four hits in four-and-two-thirds innings, but he also racked up ten strikeouts.

“I don’t know what to say about Herol’s outing,” Gamboa said. “He struck out ten guys in less than five innings, so the stuff was there in every inning.”

The Cyclones got on the board in the third. Ali Sanchez led off with a double and Arnaldo Berrios followed with one of his own to push across a run. Berrios scored on Dale Burdick’s single to right as the lead was cut to 4–2.

Brooklyn inched closer in the fifth as Jacob Zanon singled, moved to third on a Sanchez single – part of a perfectly executed hit-and-run – and scored on a sacrifice fly by Berrios.

The Cyclones came back to take the lead in the sixth. Nick Sergakis led off with a single and was on second with two outs when Blake Tiberi tripled to right, tying the game. Zanon followed with a run-scoring single to center as Brooklyn went up 5–4.

Dillon Becker pitched one-and-one-third inning of scoreless relief, Gary Cornish followed with a scoreless inning and Austin McGeorge threw a scoreless eighth.

Taylor Henry came in for the save and closed out the win for Brooklyn.

The 7–10 Cyclones go on the road to Batavia next. Perhaps Gamboa should be called Audie Murphy if the trip is as bad as he makes it sound.

“Now we’ve got the trip to hell and back. That’s what I call Batavia,” he said. “It’s the worst. Just everything. It’s the longest bus ride. We’re going to be on the bus ride all night, eight hours. It’s the worst field. It’s like playing in an American Legion park.”

UPS AND DOWNS

Former Cyclone Wilmer Flores tied a Met record with six hits in a game, first done by Cyclones third base coach Edgardo Alfonzo on August 30, 1999. Alfonzo homered three times in that 17–1 win. Flores homered twice in the 14–2 win.

The Coney Island Franks uniforms were to commemorate the 100th Anniversary of Nathan’s. Gamboa admitted that he didn’t know of it until he came to Brooklyn, but the skipper said that he has eaten there a number of times since being named manager.

Follow the Cyclones all season long at brooklynpaper.com/sections/sports/cyclones