Cyclones Bested by Blue Rocks, 8-4

BOX SCORE

BROOKLYN, N.Y. - The Brooklyn Cyclones were topped by the Wilmington Blue Rocks on Thursday night, 8-4. The victory marks Brooklyn’s first loss of the series, after shutting out Wilmington in each of the first two games. Brooklyn pitchers saw their consecutive scoreless inning streak come to an end at 19.0 frames.

RHP Jose Atencio, Wilmington’s starter, kept the Brooklyn bats in check all night, tossing seven innings of two-run ball en route to the win. Wilmington arms held Brooklyn to just two runs over the final eight innings. Beyond Atencio, RHP Samuel Vasquez and RHP Brendan Collins also had a hand in Wilmington’s win.

RF Nick Morabito notched three hits and pulled into a tie with J.T. Schwartz for the most hits in a single-season in Cyclones history. The 2022 Mets 2nd rounder picked up hit number 107 and 108 since joining High-A Brooklyn on May 7.

Wilmington seized its first lead of the series right from the jump off RHP Austin Troesser. With a runner on first and two outs, 1B Joe Naranjo reached safely on a fly ball to right that was dropped by Morabito, simultaneously scoring the game's first run - albeit an unearned one.

Brooklyn’s response came immediately thereafter. Morabito made up for his error with a triple to start the frame, and would score one batter later on SS Boston Baro’s RBI base knock.

After Atnecio retired the next two, 2B D’Andre Smith put Brooklyn in front with an RBI single, scoring Baro.

Unfortunately for Brooklyn, Wilmington remained resilient, and regained the lead in the second. With a runner on second and one out, DH Brandon Boissiere started his big night with an RBI single to tie the game. Three batters later, Boissiere would come home to score and give the Blue Rocks the lead on RF T.J. White’s run-scoring single.

The teams would trade zeroes all the way until the seventh inning, after the minor-league rehabbing RHP Kyle Crick, RHP Alfred Vega and RHP Jake Stevenson all spun scoreless frames for the ‘Clones.

In the seventh, RHP Luis Moreno ran into some trouble. After a couple of walks with a single sandwiched between them, the bases were loaded with nobody out. Moreno got LF Gavin Dugas to lineout, but then proceeded to surrender a bases-clearing three run triple off the barrel of CF Jared McKenzie.

Two batters later, Boissiere launched a two-run home run to right, making it 8-2 and ending Moreno’s day. RHP Layonel Ovalles relieved him, and struck out the next batter to retire the side.

Brooklyn was able to get a pair back in the eighth. The first four batters of the frame reached, capped by an RBI single from C Chris Suero. After a couple of strikeouts, a two-out RBI single from 3B Junior Tilien trimmed the Brooklyn deficit to 8-4.

The ‘Clones could not scratch anything across in the ninth.

Brooklyn and Wilmington return to action on Friday night at Maimonides Park for the final 7:00 p.m. first pitch of the season. RHP Jack Wenninger (1-2, 3.38 ERA), the No. 30 prospect in the Mets system per MLB Pipeline, takes the ball for Brooklyn. Wilmington projects to counter with RHP Jarlin Susana (3-3, 4.46 ERA), the No. 4 prospect in the Nationals organization per MLB Pipeline.