Sproat Spins Gem, But Cyclones Fall To Emperors, 1-0
• BOX SCORE ROME, Ga. (May 9, 2024) — RHP Brandon Sproat tied a career-best with eight strikeouts over a career-long 5.2 innings, but the Brooklyn Cyclones dropped a 1-0 nail-biter to the Rome Emperors on Thursday evening at AdventHealth Stadium.
ROME, Ga. (May 9, 2024) — RHP Brandon Sproat tied a career-best with eight strikeouts over a career-long 5.2 innings, but the Brooklyn Cyclones dropped a 1-0 nail-biter to the Rome Emperors on Thursday evening at AdventHealth Stadium.
Filthy🗑️.
— Brooklyn Cyclones (@BKCyclones) May 10, 2024
Disgusting. 🤮
Nasty. 🤢
Use all the adjectives to describe Brandon Sproat's stuff.#LGM I #MiLB I #AmazinStartsHere pic.twitter.com/v6OgoE4OyN
Scoreless through five frames, Rome (16-12) broke through for the game’s only tally in the bottom of the sixth.
Sproat (2-1) went back out for the sixth, marking the first time a Brooklyn starter had worked that deep into a game in 2024. After a flyout on the first pitch, consecutive walks put men on first and second before one last strikeout ended his day.
Following a pitching change, RF Stephen Paolini carried a ball over the left fielder’s head and off the base of the fence. DH Sabin Ceballos scampered home from second to score on the double, placing the Emperors in front, 1-0.
That one run held up the rest of the way. Brooklyn (16-14) placed the tying run in scoring position in the eighth thanks to catcher’s interference and a stolen base, but a fly ball to right and a strikeout quelled the threat.
The Cyclones also chased Rome’s starter RHP Spencer Schwellenbach by placing men at the corners with two out in the fifth. Yet, a punch-out ended that rally, as well.
Sproat suffered his first defeat of the season, despite allowing just one run on two hits. The 23-year-old walked three in addition to striking out eight.
Runners on the corners with one out...no worries. Back-to-back strikeouts from Brandon Sproat.
— Brooklyn Cyclones (@BKCyclones) May 10, 2024
That's five punchouts for through 4.0 innings.
Still scoreless as we head to the 5th.#LGM I #AmazinStartsHere I #MiLB pic.twitter.com/mwiSIFFF0m
RHP Tyree Thompson (1-0) entered for Rome and stranded the pair of runners in the fifth, ultimately retiring all seven batters faced for his first win.
RHP Elison Joseph tossed two scoreless and hitless innings to close the game for the Emperors, earning his second save.
Brooklyn will try and even the series at two wins apiece in game four of the series on Friday night. RHP Nolan McLean (2-1, 2.84) — the New York Mets’ No. 11 prospect per Baseball America — is expected to toe the slab for the Cyclones. The Emperors are projected to counter with the Atlanta Braves’ No. 9 farmhand RHP Drue Hackenberg (2-2, 4.43). The first pitch is scheduled for 7 p.m.