Cyclones 4
Hudson Valley 3
July 10 at MCU Park
The Cardiac Clones pulled off a crucial triple play in the eighth inning, leading to a 4–3 victory over Hudson Valley on Sunday.
It was the first triple play in team history.
“One of these days I think we’re going to have a normal game,” manager Tom Gamboa said. “It hasn’t happened yet through 23 games.”
The Cyclones took a first inning lead on Colby Woodmansee’s solo homer over the left field wall.
“I got to 0–2 pretty quick,” Woodmansee said of the at-bat. “Then I just worked my way back to a hitters count, and I got a fastball up and hit it out.”
Hudson Valley answered back with three runs in the second. Nathaniel Lowe led off with a double and scored on Jose Rojas’ double. Rojas moved to third when Miles Mastrobuoni followed with a single.
Gamboa was particularly unhappy with Rojas’ hit.
“[Merandy] threw a fastball right by the guy. The guy was so far late that we would’ve been nervous in the dugout had the guy made contact,” Gamboa said. “And instead of throwing two more fastballs by him, he hung a breaking ball which speeded up the guys bat. You almost thought it was a relative of his and I want to make sure you get a hit in the game today. It was such a cripple pitch and the only one the guy could hit.”
With one out, Landon Cray hit a grounder to the right side – which first baseman Pete Alonso dove for but deflected into short right field – as Rojas scored and Mastrobuoni moved to third. Bill Pujols’ sacrifice fly gave Hudson Valley a 3–1 lead.
The Cyclones cut the lead in half in the third. Renegade starter Spencer Moran lost his control as he hit Dan Rizzie, walked Gene Cone, and after a balk, plunked Nick Sergakis to load the bases with nobody out. Moran recovered to get Woodmansee on a sacrifice fly, Alonso on a pop-up to first and Blake Tiberi on a fly out to center to end the inning and minimize the damage to one run.
Brooklyn tied the game in the fifth against Deivy Mendez, who replaced Moran after four innings. Gene Cone led off with a walk and scored on Alonso’s sharp single past third baseman Jim Haley.
In the seventh, Nick Sergakis’ two-out homer over the left field wall gave the Cyclones a 4–3 lead.
The Renegades tried to rally in the eighth as Brooklyn reliever Justin Dunn hit Ryan Boldt and walked Jake Fraley to begin the inning.
That, however, was when the Cyclones made history.
Haley attempted a bunt, but the ball was off the ground high enough for catcher Dan Rizzie to catch in the air. Rizzie then threw to Woodmansee, who was covering second, to double off Boldt. Then Woodmansee fired a strike to Alonso at first to complete the triple play.
“I knew if Rizzie was going to throw it to me we were going to have a triple play because I could see both runners,” Woodmansee said. “The ball was coming in, I was like, ‘Man, if I just catch this and throw this to first, we’re going to have a triple play.’”
Taylor Henry came in to pitch the ninth and put the first two runners on, but the Renegades couldn’t take advantage of the opportunity. Mastrobuoni failed to get down a sacrifice bunt and filed out to right. Johnathan Popadics popped up to second and Landon Cray struckout to end the game.
The 10–13 Cyclones look to keep rolling when they play at Aberdeen on Monday night.
UPS AND DOWNS
Even after decades in baseball, Tom Gamboa saw something he hadn’t seen before. “That’s the first triple play I’ve been involved in, in my whole 44 years,” the Cyclones skipper said. “I’ve seen them on TV. I’ve never been in a game with one.”
Mets first-round pick Justin Dunn earned the first win of his career on Sunday afternoon. He pitched two innings of no-hit ball, struck out one and walked two.
