Brooklyn Downs the Dash, 6-2 on Tuesday Night

BOX SCORE

Win: Trey McLoughlin (1-0)

Loss: Chase Plymell (1-4)

Save: None

Home Run: BRK: Newton (8)

Time of Game: 2:43

Winston-Salem, NC (September 6, 2022) – The Brooklyn Cyclones inched closer to a second half title with a 6-2 win over the Winston-Salem Dash on Tuesday evening. The win, coupled with a Hudson Valley Renegades loss extended Brooklyn’s Northern Division Lead to 1.5 games with just five games remaining. Stanley Consuegra went 3-for-4 with an RBI and Shervyen Newton added a 2-for-4 effort with a home run and three RBI to pace the Brooklyn bats. On the mound, three Cyclones relievers – Trey McLoughlin, Nolan Clenney and Nathan Lavender – combined to toss 5.0 shutout innings to close out the win.

The Dash drew first blood on Tuesday evening, taking the lead in the bottom of the first. Andy Atwood worked a leadoff walk and stole second base to quickly get himself into scoring position. Cyclones starter Christian Scott retired the next two batters but Coby Smelley stroked a two-out RBI single into right field to push home the game’s first run.

Brooklyn answered immediately, getting back to even in their next turn at bat. JT Schwartz led off the top of the second with a single and moved up to second with one out courtesy of a wild pitch. That would prove to be pivotal, as Jose Mena lined a two-out RBI single to center field to score JT from second and tie the score at 1-1.

But Winston-Salem had a two out rally of their own in the bottom of the frame to regain the lead. After Scott retired the first two batters he faced in the frame, three straight singles – capped by an RBI knock from Alsander Womack – to take a 2-1 lead.

The teams traded zeroes over the next four frames before the Brooklyn bats woke up in the top of the 7th. Jose Peroza walked to start the frame and Stanley Consuegra followed with a single to put a pair of runners aboard. After Jose Mena flied out to right, William Lugo worked a walk to load the bases. Shervyen Newton then lined a single to right field that bounced off the glove of Ben Norman, allowing the tying run to score, and Matt Rudick had an RBI groundout to turn Brooklyn’s 2-1 deficit into a 3-2 lead.

An inning later, the lead would grow – again courtesy of a two-out rally. Jose Peroza had a two-out single and Stanley Consuegra followed with a booming double of the centerfield wall that allowed Peroza to score just ahead of the relay throw to the plate to extend Brooklyn’s lead to 4-2.

Winston-Salem threatened in the bottom of the frame, loading the bases with two outs, but Nolan Clenney was able to get Alsander Womack to ground out back to the originator to end the threat with the ‘Clones still clinging to a 4-2 lead.

In the bottom of the ninth, Shervyen Newton tacked on a pair of insurance runs with a rocket off a home run – 105 MPH off the bat – for a two run blast that extended the Brooklyn advantage to 6-2.

In the bottom of the ninth, Cyclones reliever Nathan Lavender made things interesting after hitting a batter and walking another to put a pair of runners on with two outs, but he got Caberea Weaver to fly out to the warning track in center field to end the threat and the game with the Cyclones on top 6-2.

Brooklyn will look to move another step closer to a playoff berth on Wednesday evening when they take on Winston-Salem in Game Two of six with RHP Luis Moreno on the mound. Game time is 7:00 PM.