Tonight the Brooklyn Cyclones took on the Baltimore Orioles affiliate the Aberdeen Ironbirds in a fog shortened five inning game. The Cyclones didn’t fair well in game one of the series, losing 6-2 in an emotion filled 10 inning game on Independence day. Looking for a spark Brooklyn sent the Long Island native Frank Valentino to the mound for his first start of the season to take on Aberdeens win leader Ryan Conroy.
Valentino got off to a great start getting two quick outs in the top frame of the first but trouble struck when a pair of doubles by rehabbing big leaguers Austin Hays and Martin Cervanka plated the first run of the ball game. Valentino got out of the jam by getting Tristan Graham to roll over to Fryman to end the inning and leaving the score at 1-0.
The top of the second was almost an exact mirror of the first, but worse. Valentino threw a pair of strikeouts to start the frame and then the two out hits started again. Struggling shortstop Clay Fisher hit a booming home run over the left field fence to break out of his slump and make the score 2-0. The scoring didn’t stop there, following the homer Aberdeen collected a pair of hits and a pair of walks to score two more runs and make the score 4-0.
With Valentino finally able to put the Ironbirds away with two outs the Cyclones went into the bottom of the third with Conroy sitting down the first six he saw. With the bottom third of the order coming up, Jose Mena on the second pitch of the inning lines the Cyclones first hit to left to get the lead off batter on. With a great piece of hitting by Granadillo driving a ball through the opposite field hole the Cyclones were in business having the first two hitters on, allowing the number nine batter Brendan Fryman to get up with a runner in scoring position. Fryman grounded to shortstop for what looked like a sure double play, but instead the Ironbirds get the fielder’s choice out at second base and the throw to first was wild, allowing Mena to come around and score the Cyclones first run of the game making the score 4-1.
Valentino comes back in the top of the fourth after sitting down the side in the third. The first batter of the inning, Clay Fisher lined a hard hit double down the left field line which made him 2 for 2 on the day with two extra base hits. The next hitter Juan Montes chopped one back to Valentino which deflected off of him and allowed Montes to reach first safely on what was ruled an infield base hit. With a hard hit fly ball to center and with Mangum fighting the fog he made a beautiful play, on the play Fisher came in to score on the sac fly from Johnny Rizer. Valentino got Austin Hays to roll over into a fielder’s choice ground out on the very next pitch to close out the top of the fourth.
With Conroy dealing, he headed into the bottom of the fourth to try and replicate his first two innings of work. The hot bat of Luke Ritter lined a single to the right side to have the leadoff hitter on for the second inning in a row. Genord steps into the box after a questionable strikeout and on the first pitch he checks swings and hits a dribbler to the first basemen advancing Ritter to second. Romero with a nice at bat works the count full then smokes a liner down the left field line to score Ritter from second. The bottom of the fourth ends with a swing in the miss in the dirt from Mena to retire the side but not before the cyclones score a run cutting the Ironbirds lead to 5-2.
The Cyclones were set to take the field in the top of the sixth until the fog made it almost impossible for the players, umpires, and even the fans to see. After about a thirty minute delay there was signs of life when assistant coach Endy Chavez came out to hit fly balls to center field. With Mangum unable to see the balls Chavez hit, the umpires and coaches decided the game would end there. With it being an official game in the books, the Ironbirds defeat the Cyclones 5-2 in five innings and take the series.
The Cyclones next game is at home tomorrow for the series finale against the Ironbirds at 4 P.M. The Cyclones are honoring all tickets from tonight’s game for admittance to tomorrow’s afternoon game because of the inclement weather. After tonight’s loss the Cyclones fall too 11-9 and are now tied for first with the Staten Island Yankees in the Mcnamara.