Cyclones 5
Williamsport 2
July 21 at MCU Park
Marcos Molina struck out eight in seven innings of two-run ball and Micheal Katz went four-for-four and drove in two runs as the Cylcones cruised to a third-straight victory.
Molina was sloppy early, giving up two runs on three hits in the first, but settled down, worked quickly and threw six more innings of no-run ball — the type of pitching his manager now expects from him.
“Once he got into his groove he’s proven he’s just about the most efficient pitcher in the league,” said skipper Tom Gamboa.
The Cylcones continued to feel the impact of slugger Michael Conforto joining the lineup, as players in the middle of the order him have come alive since he made his debut on Sunday.
Conforto doubled leading off the third, and scored moments later on a Katz double.
In the fifth, Conforto singled home Adrian Abreu, who had singled and moved to sec on on a base-knock by Jhoan Urena. Katz than singled home Urena to give the Clones a 5–2 lead.
The Brooks are now one game below .500 at 18–19, seven games behind the McNamara Division-leading Hudson Valley Renegades.
The Cyclones head to Maryland to take on the Ironbirds for two games starting tonight at 7:05.
Ups and Downs
Tuschak the teacher: Before Monday’s day game, which was Camp Day at the park, some kids took part in coaching session on hitting by Cyclones outfielder, Joe Tuschak. Tuschak soft tossed balls to the kids and helped them on their stance to get better feel at the plate. For the record, Tuschak is hitting .210 this year.
Moving around: Left-handed pitcher Paul Paez was added to the Cyclone’s roster before Sunday night’s game. Paez spent the majority of the 2013 season with the Cyclones and was with the Savannah Sand Gnats during the 2014 season, where he went 0–2 with an earned-run average of 5.87.
Shut-out leaders: Sunday night’s game marked the sixth shut out of the year for the Cyclones. The team now leads the league in shut outs, tied with Hudson Valley. And that’s not the only shut-out lead the team has: our boys also lead the league in being shut out, which has happed to them four games.
