The Cyclones have done it again — beaten the hated Staten Island Yankees for the second straight night, this time in the home opener at MCU Park.
The newly named ballyard by the Boardwalk has been christened in fine style, with a resounding 9-6 win on Saturday night.
Yes, as in the season opener, the Yankees got on the board first, with two runs in the second, but the Cyclones stormed back, scoring early and often.
In the third, a run cam in on a Darrell Ceciliani, bases-loaded groundout.
But in the fourth, the Cyclones blew the game open with four runs, that was aided by a key error on a sacrifice bunt after a leadoff walk, a second error two batters later and a bases-loaded hit batsman. The big blow in the inning came on Jet Butler’s two-RBI single.
Two innings later, the Clones put up another four spot in a more conventional manner. Rylan Sandoval led off with a ground-rule double. And after a wild pitch and a walk, Ceciliani knocked in a run with a single. After a groundout by high draft pick Cory Vaughn, Jeff Flagg kept the rally going with an RBI single, and Joe Bonfe capped the inning with a two-RBI, two-out single.
Starter and winner Chris Hillard (6 IP, 3 hits, 5 Ks) was long gone by the time Cyclone reliever Hunter Carnivale tried to give the game back. The Yankees got four in the eighth, but reliever Nelson Pereira put out the fire.
The Cyclones and Yankees finish their three-game series tonight on the Rock. The Cyclones next home game is Monday night at MCU Park in Coney Island.
MCU Park [1904 Surf Ave. at W. 19th Street in Coney Island, (718) 449-8497]. For info, visit www.brooklyncyclones.com.
