Staten Island 4
Cyclones 1
August 19 at Staten Island
The Brooklyn offense was held in check in a 4–1 loss to the hated Staten Island Yankees on Friday.
“We’re not going to win many games with four hits,” Cyclones skipper Tom Gamboa said.
The Cyclones took a 1–0 lead as Blake Tiberi led off the second with a home run to deep center off Staten Island starter Simon De la Rosa. Brooklyn had a chance for more as the squad loaded the bases on a walk, hit batter and a passed ball after a strikeout, but couldn’t seize the opportunity. Michael Paez struck out to end the inning.
Clones starter Erik Manoah got through the first two innings unscathed, but the Evil Empire of the New York-Penn League tied the game in the third. Angel Aguilar led off with a double, moved to third on a wild pitch and scored on a Nick Solak groundout to short.
The Yankees took the lead in the fifth. Ben Ruta led off with a single to right. Solak hit a chopper to third – which Blake Tiberi couldn’t handle – putting two runners on with nobody out. Drew Bridges then drew a walk to load the bases.
Timmy Robinson put Staten Island on top with a shot that sailed just fair down the third base line to score two runs and give the Yankees a 3–1 lead. Manoah limited the damage as Staten Island couldn’t add on to the lead despite having runners at second and third with nobody out.
Gamboa thought that his starter “pitched well and more importantly he competed terrifically.”
In five innings, Manoah gave up three runs on seven hits while walking two and striking out eight. The righty fell to 5–3 with a 5.13 earned run average.
Gary Cornish entered in the bottom of the sixth and surrendered a home run to Aguilar to make it 4-1 – a play that surprised Gamboa.
“Gary Cornish has been perfect out of the bullpen,” Gamboa said. “That’s the first home run and one of the first runs he’s given up this year. And to the Yankees credit, they hit some balls real hard off him.”
De la Rosa worked five innings for the Yankees and three Staten Island pitchers combined to shut out Brooklyn over the final four innings.
The 31–28 Cyclones travel to Lowell to take on the Spinners.
UPS AND DOWNS
Friday was Pat Venditte bobblehead night in Staten Island. The switch-pitcher had received national attention in 2008 when he faced Cyclones switch-hitter Ralph Henriquez. After the two kept switching which way they would do battle, Venditte struck out Henriquez.
