BROOKLYN, NY - Winning 12 of their last 15 games and finding themselves a half game ahead of Jamestown for the New York-Penn League Wild Card Spot before Thursday night's game with the Hudson Valley Renegades, the Brooklyn Cyclones were riding higher than Steppenwolf in their quest to make their third consecutive playoff appearance.

With three RBI on the night, the Jordan Abruzzo-powered Clones kept their magical playoff carpet ride alive for another night, defeating Hudson Valley 5-3.

“We're in good shape right now,” said Abruzzo. “We're confident and everything is coming together right now. You can see it coming.”

Hudson Valley got on the board in the top of the first after a Jacob Jefferies RBI single off Brooklyn starter Chris Schwinden that scored lead-off hitter Robi Estrada and gave the Renegades an early 1-0 lead.

Not looking like the same pitcher that made the NY-Penn League All-Star team a weeks ago early on, Schwinden knew he had to make a few adjustments.

“The wind was blowing pretty good and I was trying to nibble at the hitters,” said Schwinden. “After the first, Fonzie told me to pitch to contact and it ended up working for me.”

The Clones got some help soon after, as Hudson Valley starter Chris Andujar coughed the lead over the next half inning, giving up a pair of RBI singles from Eric Campbell and Abruzzo and putting the Mets Single-A affiliate up 2-1.

After Schwinden and Andujar threw scoreless frames in the second, Hudson Valley catcher Frank Mollicone got tied the score at 2-2 in the third with a RBI single. The Baby Bums then answered back quickly in the fourth, after a Kirk Nieuwenhuis RBI double scored Josh Satin and gave Brooklyn a 3-2 lead.

In the fifth, the Clones added to their lead with an Abruzzo two-run homer off Hudson Valley reliever Neil Schenk, which put them ahead 5-2.

“I told Schwinden earlier in the game to pitch to contact because of the wind,” said Cyclones manager Edgar Alfonzo with a laugh. “I didn't think anyone was hitting it out tonight. After Abruzzo hit his homer, he came to me and asked me to 'say that again.'”

After giving up two runs in his first three innings, Schwinden settled down and hurled scoreless innings in the fourth, fifth and sixth, before leaving favor of Jimmy Johnson in the seventh.

“When he' good, he attacks the zone,” said Abruzzo of Swinden. “He made adjustments tonight and was very good for us.”

With a three-run cushion supporting him on the mound, Johnson pitched a scoreless seventh and eighth, but gave up a run in the ninth and left the game with two outs and runners on first and second. With the winning-run at the plate, lefty side-armer Ron Merritt came out of the Brooklyn pen and retired Hudson Valley's Jason Tweedy on a line drive to second baseman JR Voyles, cementing a 5-3 Cyclones win.

Winners now of 13 of their past 16 games, Brooklyn's confidence seems at a season high. However, despite the win, Brooklyn failed to separate themselves from Jamestown, who won their game over Batavia 13-4.

Nevertheless, the Baby Bums seem determined to keep their miracle season going.

“We're playing incredible baseball now,” said Schwinden. “We can't play any better than we're playing right now. The chemistry is there and we want to keep this going.”

Notes-

In my three seasons covering the Cyclones for pretty much every local newspaper in the area, I have never had a fan approach me after a game and tell me to put them in my story for the night. That is until tonight, when little Sol Ayal wanted to share his thoughts on the Cyclones play as of late.

“They've been awesome,” he said. “And of course, they are making the playoffs. I think they are going to win it all.”

Well, if Sol said it, it must be true.

On a more journalistic note...

After rejoining the Brooklyn lineup on Sept. 1 against Aberdeen, Reese Havens was taken out of the lineup the next game and hasn't been there since. After Thursday's game, Alfonzo said Havens was out for the season

“He's done,” he said.