Valley Cats 7
Cyclones 4
Aug. 24 at Tri-City
The Cyclones blew a game they really needed — and, worse, blew a two-run lead and lost on a grand slam.
Tri-City had gotten on the board first, with single runs in the first on a solo homer, and the second, on a double, a single and a sac fly.
After that, starter Carlos Vazquez settled in, completing six innings, with just those two runs as a blemish.
Meanwhile, the Cyclones put up a two-spot in the fifth. Tillman Pugh led off with a homer before a walk and an error led to another run.
Two more Clone runs scored in the seventh on RBI singles by Charles Thurber and Richard Lucas.
But then it all came undone. Reliever Todd Weldon started the eighth inning with a single and two walks to load the bases. That’s when skipper Rich Donnelly summoned the inconsistent reliever Jeremy Gould — who promptly gave up a grand slam.
Game over. It was Gould’s fourth blown save of the year in 22 appearances.
The loss sent the Cyclones to four-and-a-half games back of the Staten Island Yankees, putting a division championship virtually out of reach. But as luck would have it, the Williamsport Crosscutters, who lead the Cyclones by one game in the wild-card race, also lost.
The Cyclones are home again at MCU Park [1904 Surf Ave. at W. 17th Street in Coney Island, (718) 449-8497] on Friday, Aug. 26 at 7 pm. For info, visit www.brooklyncyclones.com.
