Cyclones 1
Hudson Valley 0
June 26 at MCU Park
The Cyclones pulled out a 1–0 win over Hudson Valley in front of 7,851 fans at MCU Park on Sunday — most of whom came to see new Clones third-baseman Jose Reyes.
The team sold out MCU Park shortly after the Mets announced the former team spark plug would play Sunday and Monday in Brooklyn.
Reyes went 0–3 in the game, and manager Tom Gamboa — know for not pulling any punches — said his team was lucky it even scored its
lone run, calling his offense a “pop-gun.”
“Remember when you were a kid and you got a toy rifle with a cork in the end of it?” Gamboa asked. “That’s a pop gun.”
The people came out to see Reyes, but were treated to a pitching gem from Erik Manoah, who shut out the Renegades on one hit — in infield single in the first — through six innings of work, in a performance Gamboa called his young pitcher’s best start in pro ball.
“In front of a full house I thought he kept his poise and composure, something that he’s been working on because it has not been the best in the past, but he handled himself great,” Gamboa said.
Manoah used to get sidetracked by a bad call or an error behind him, but has made a lot of progress and it showed in the victory, according to the skipper.
“He dwells on what’s already happened and adds fuel to the fire rather than forgetting it and focusing on what’s going forward,” Gamboa said. “He’s made great strides for the first time this year down in Florida, at overcoming that. Of showing maturity and being a guy that players want to play behind. In the past he’s had a problem of being a guy that players would play for out of spite. Like, they gotta be out there but they’d rather not be. And he’s worked real hard, and he’s doing a great job at turning that around.”
Brooklyn scored its lone run in the fourth. With one out, shortstop Colby Woodmansee laced one to left and, because of a good read, turned what could’ve been a single into a double. Gene Cone struck out before Jacob Zanon drove in Woodmansee with a single to center.
Woodmansee connected for four of Brooklyn’s eight hits, although he was picked off third base in the sixth inning.
Raul Jacobson relieved Manoah and looked to be in control until the Renegades nearly scored in the top of the ninth. Angel Perez started the threat with a two-out single to left-center. Thinking Perez might try for a double, Zanon slid to cut the ball off, but knocked it towards the wall as Perez went all the way to third.
With the tying run 90 feet away, Jacobson got Nathaniel Lowe to fly out to Enmanuel Zabala in left field to end the game.
UPS AND DOWNS
About 2,500 tickets were sold in the hour after it was announced that Reyes would play.
Colby Woodmansee went four-for-four and now has a .478 batting average.
The Cyclones are now 3–4 in one-run games.
