Brooklyn 16, Hudson Valley 5

Brooklyn bats bash Renegades, 16-5

Jeff Flagg and the other Brooklyn Cyclones' hitters unstoppable tonight at MCU Park, collecting 16 runs and 19 hits as a team, en route to an easy victory, winning 16-5 over Hudson Valley.

Flagg alone had 4 hits and 4 RBI for the Cyclones in Thursday’s blowout. The first baseman batted .301 in 57 games in Kingsport this season and spent seven games with Savannah before joining Brooklyn.

After leadoff hitter Rylan Sandoval grounded out the to pitcher, the next four batters got hits, starting with Darrell Ceciliani’s line drive single to centerfield. Cory Vaughn singled in the next at bat. It was then that Flagg roped a triple to drive in both base runners to make it 2-0 Cyclones. The red-hot Will Cherry followed with a single, tacking on another run in the first and giving Brooklyn a three-run lead.

In the fourth inning, the Cyclones added to their lead when Joe Bonfe scored on a fielder’s choice, extending the lead to 4-0.

One inning later, Flagg struck again with another triple that drove in two more runs, blowing the game wide open with a 6-0 lead for the Cyclones.

The Renegades would respond with three runs in the top of the sixth inning, capitalizing on a throwing error by Bonfe, the third baseman. But Brooklyn would answer them in the bottom half of the frame, as Sandoval socked a three-run home run, putting the Cyclones up 9-3. And the scoring did not end there. In the seventh, Bonfe, Kurt Steinhauer, catcher Juan Centeno and Cody Holliday all contributed RBIs in a six-run rally, as the Cyclones continued to own Hudson Valley pitching.

All in all, Brooklyn ended up with 16 runs on 19 hits. Seven players had multi-hit games, and only one starter, Steinhauer, did not register a hit. This offensive outbreak comes one night after Brooklyn managed just three hits against the Renegades. As for starter Chris Hilliard, he gave up three unearned runs in a strong six-inning outing. He struck out two batters and allowed three hits. Ryan Fraser pitched a scoreless seventh, and Hunter Carnevale contributed a scoreless frame in the eighth. Pedro P. Martinez let up two in the ninth.

Brooklyn is now 5-2 and leads the McNamara Division in the New York-Penn League. With the win, the Cyclones improved to 4-0 at MCU Park. These two teams meet again tomorrow night at Hudson Valley. First pitch is scheduled for 7:05 p.m.