Dan Rizzie scored the winning run from third in the bottom of the ninth on a perfectly timed suicide-squeeze bunt by Gene Cone to give the Brooklyn Cyclones a thrilling 5-4 win over the Vermont Lake Monsters, Wednesday night at MCU Park in Coney Island.
Cone went 3 for 5, in the win, with two doubles, two RBI, and a run scored. It was Cone’s last at-bat, however, which caught Vermont’s defensive alignment off guard.
For Cone, it was an unexpected way to secure his first walk-off hit.
“I can’t you tell the last time I’ve actually done a full-out suicide-squeeze like that one was,” said an elated Cone afterwards. “I’ve done a few safety’s but suicide, I don’t know if I’ve ever done it. If I have done it I don’t know if I did it correctly and actually got it down or whatever. Like I told the guys, that was my first walk-off.”
The game-winning bunt capped off a solid night at the plate for Cone.
“I got some good pitches to hit and fortunately I was able to put some good swings on a few balls today and a couple of them fell which doesn’t happen very often in this game,” Cone said.
The Cyclones improved to 26-24 on the season while Vermont suffered their tenth straight loss, Brooklyn will next send the Mets’ 2016 first round-draft pick Justin Dunn to the mound in the rubber game for an attempt at a three-game series sweep.
Extra Bases
Jacob Zanon out the rest of the season (torn labrum in his right shoulder) and Desmond Lindsay (leg injury) day-to-day, Cone is expected to see more playing time in the outfield.
Mets infielder Jose Reyes will join the Cyclones for a Major League Rehab Assignment, beginning Thursday night.
Cyclones manager Tom Gamboa said Reyes will see playing time at third base and shortstop while with the ballclub.
“Jose will play third base tomorrow night for seven innings and then eight and nine are at his option, that’s on him,” Gamboa said. “Friday he will play all nine at third and Saturday he will play all nine at shortstop.”
Reyes is working his way back to the Mets after suffering a strain of his left intercostal muscle. It will be the second rehab assignment for Reyes this season, in Brooklyn.