The race for the New York’Penn League’s McNamara Division’s crown heated up this week as the first-place Brooklyn Cyclones — fully recovered from their 0–7 season start — split a pair of games with their hated cross-Narrows rivals, the second-place Staten Island Yankees.
Going into play Monday night, the Cyclones (28–18) looked to expand their one-game advantage over the Baby Bombers (27–19), with Jake Ruckle on the hill.
Ruckle, who held to Yanks to one hit over 8.2 innings in his last start against them, continued to impress, striking out 10 Yanks in 8 strong innings — including the side in both the second and fifth.
Catcher Jason Jacobs got the Brooks the only run they’d need, leading off the fifth with a towering homer off the scoreboard in left field.
The Clones tacked on a run in the sixth when Joe Holden singled, was sacrificed to second by Jonathan Schemmel, and scored on a singled by Dustin Martin.
They closed the scoring in the eighth when Schemmel, who had singled and reached third on a Martin double, scored on a sacrifice fly by Jacobs.
German Marte closed things out in the ninth, striking out Wilmer Pino and Mitch Hilligoss before he induced slugger Kyle Larsen to pop up the left.
Game over. Cyclones win, 3–0.
But the Islanders came back the following night with an exciting 2–1, 10-inning victory at Richmond County Bank Ballpark at St. George.
Things began well for the Clones, as starting pitcher Todd Privett, a lefty out of West Jordan, Utah, struck out five Yankees in six innings, including slugger Kyle Larsen twice.
The Clones were able to put a run on the board in the fifth, thanks to Holden’s single to center, which scored shortstop Luis Rivera, who had doubled earlier.
But in the Yankees half of the inning, Privett uncorked a wild pitch that allowed Wimer Pino to score the tying run.
It stayed that way until the 10th, when Cyclones reliever Grady Hinchman gave up a single to Mitch Hilligoss with Wilkens DeLaRosa on second. The speedy DeLaRosa easily scored and the happily Yankees walked off into the Staten Island night.
Despite the loss, the Cyclones — whose early season bad luck had included an Opening Night 18–0 trouncing by the Yankees — remained upbeat.
They are, after all, still sitting atop the McNamara Division.
“We’ve playing with a lot of confidence right now, and confidence means a lot in this game,” said Rip Warren outside a sedate Cyclones clubhouse. “Earlier in the year, it didn’t seem like we had the same confidence.”
The two teams will face each other four more times this season, starting with another home-and-home series, Aug. 20–21.
