Cyclones 14
West Virginia 7
August 12 at MCU Park
The Brooklyn bats exploded on Friday night, cruising to a 14–7 win over West Virginia at MCU Park. Desmond Lindsay led the charge, driving in seven runs on three hits. Hengelbert Rojas and Ali Sanchez collected three hits apiece while rehabbing Jose Reyes added two.
Brooklyn starter Thomas Szapucki tossed a 1-2-3 first, but West Virginia got on the board in the second inning. Kevin Krause walked, moved to second on a passed ball and advanced to third on a groundout. Ty Moore was hit by a pitch and then Sandy Santos doubled to center, scoring Krause. Nick King followed with a two-out, two-run single to give the Black Bears a 3–0 lead.
Brooklyn got one back in the bottom of the frame. Colby Woodmansee walked, stole second and scored on a one-out double from Sanchez.
In the third, Rojas and Reyes singled, and Lindsay gave the Cyclones the lead with a three-run homer to left.
A two-out error by West Virgina shortsotp Stephen Alemais kept the inning alive and allowed Gene Cone to reach base. A Sanchez singled moved Cone to third and Blake Tiberi’s single to left made it 5–3.
Rojas led off the fourth with a double and scored on a two-out single off the bat of Lindsay. That ended the night for West Virginia starter Cam Vieaux, who gave up six runs on eight hits in three-and-two-thirds innings.
Szapucki struck out the side in the fifth, but saw his night end in the sixth after a one-out triple by Krause.
Albert Baur’s sacrifice fly off Taylor Henry cut the lead to 6–4. Szapucki surrendered four runs on three hits while walking three and striking out 10. The lefty picked up the win on the mound and improved to 2–2 with a 2.35 earned run average.
Brooklyn put the game away in the seventh. Matt Frawley retired the first two Clones batters, but two walks and a single loaded the bases. Darryl Knight’s two-run single made it 8–4. Billy Roth entered, but couldn’t stop the barrage. Rojas singled in a run and Reyes chipped in a run-scoring double.
A Michael Paez walk loaded the bases and Lindsay cleared them with a three-run double. Woodmansee followed with a single to give the Cyclones a 14–4 lead. It was an eight-run inning that began with two outs and nobody on.
Henry worked a clean seventh and Adam Atkins pitched a scoreless eighth. West Virginia scored three runs in the ninth off Dillon Becker, but it was too little, too late.
The 29–25 Cyclones are back in action on Saturday at 6 P.M. at MCU Park.
UPS AND DOWNS
Brooklyn’s five-game win streak puts the Cyclones just three games behind the first-place Hudson Valley Renegades.
