Cyclones Can't Corral BlueClaws in Series Finale

• BOX SCORE
• PLAY-BY-PLAY

LAKEWOOD, N.J. (August 6, 2023) — CF Jett Williams picked up a pair of 100-plus mph singles and reached base four times, but the Cyclones collected only three total hits, as the Jersey Shore BlueClaws bested Brooklyn, 6-0, on Sunday afternoon at ShoreTown Ballpark.

Williams reached with a leadoff single to right in the first, walked on five pitches in the second, smacked another one-base hit to left and stole a base in the fifth, and was plunked in the head with a pitch in the seventh. The 19-year-old remained in the game and walked to first base on his power.

Jersey Shore (19-17, 54-47) scratched across the game’s first runs in the bottom of the second. 1B Rixon Wingrove doubled to left-center field to start the inning but remained there after a flyout to left and a strikeout.

With two out, CF Jared Carr powered a two-run home run to right. The West Virginia native’s fourth home run of the year — and third against Brooklyn — put the BlueClaws ahead 2-0.

In the fifth, Jersey Shore tacked on two more. SS Erick Brito reached on a one-out bunt single and stole second before scoring on 3B Otto Kemp’s run-producing double to left-center field. 2B Nick Ward hammered the next pitch over the center fielder’s head for a two-base hit of his own, scoring Kemp and stretching the ‘Claws cushion to 4-0.

Jersey Shore added single runs in the sixth and seventh to cap the scoring. RF Leandro Pineda singled with one out in the sixth and scored from first on a two-out double by Carr. LF Leandro Pineda Jr. added an opposite-field solo home run to left in the seventh, his third of the series and seventh in the South Atlantic League.

Brooklyn’s (22-14, 50-51) best opportunities to score came in the third and fifth. The Cyclones earned three walks to load the bags with two out in the third, but a swinging strikeout ended the frame. Two innings later, Williams singled, moved to second on a wild pitch, and advanced to third on a ground out before being stranded there on an inning-ending whiff.

RHP Jack Dallas (3-1) earned his third SAL win with two innings of one-hit shutout relief for Jersey Shore. RHP Carlos Betancourt tossed three frames of two-hit ball in a spot start for the ‘Claws in a bullpen game. RHP Malik Binns (1.0 IP), RHP Cam Wynne (2.0), and RHP Jason Ruffcorn (1.0) also pitched in on the three-hit shutout.

RHP Benito García (0-1) was saddled with his first loss in his second-straight start in a bullpen contest for Brooklyn. The 23-year-old’s scoreless-inning streak was halted at 14.1 frames on Carr’s blast in the second.

Following the league-wide off day on Monday, Brooklyn will try and regain their winning ways when they kick off a 12-game homestand with six affairs against the Aberdeen IronBirds, the High-A affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles, on Tuesday evening. Neither squad has announced a probable starter for the lid-lifter. The first pitch is scheduled for 7 p.m.