Brooklyn 10, Mahoning Valley 6

The Brooklyn Cyclones defeated the Mahoning Valley Scrappers by a score of 10-6 on Friday night. Carlos Vazquez (3-2, 3.78) picked up the win after tossing 5.1 innings and yielding four runs. The lefty shut out the Scrappers from the second inning to the fifth inning, but was removed midway through the sixth after loading the bases with one out. T.J. Rivera was a catalyst for Brooklyn tonight, going 4-for-5 with a double, two runs, and an RBI. In their previous series on this road trip, the Cyclones took two out of three from the Williamsport Crosscutters, splitting last evening’s doubleheader.



The Scrappers took a lead in the bottom of the first inning. After they led off with a pair of singles, Mahoning Valley executed a double steal to put runners on second and third. They then plated the runner on third on a groundout to shortstop Ismael Tijerina to take a 1-0 lead. However, Vazquez induced a strikeout and a fly ball to avoid further damage.



Brooklyn responded in the second inning. With Charley Thurber on second base, Cole Frenzel doubled to right field to score Thurber and tie the game at 1-1.



The Cyclones took the lead in the following inning on a wild pitch. After T.J. Rivera doubled with one out, he was moved over to third on a throwing error by Scrappers reliever Harold Guerrero. With Richard Lucas at the plate, Guerrero let loose a wild pitch to plate Rivera and give Brooklyn a 2-1 lead.

A big fifth inning put the Cyclones up 5-1. With two outs, Rivera and Javier Rodriguez hit back-to-back singles and Lucas drove them both in with a booming triple to center field. Another wild pitch from Guerrero then scored Lucas to extend the lead to four runs.



After drawing a walk to lead off the top of the sixth,Travis Taijeron was moved over to third on a single by Tyler Carpenter. Taijeron was then plated by Tijerina on a successfully executed suicide squeeze, putting the Cyclones up 6-1.



After shutting out Williamsport for four consecutive innings, Vazquez unraveled in the bottom of the sixth, loading the bases with one out. Lefthander Orlando Tovar was then brought on to pitch. He recorded an immediate out, albeit on a sacrifice fly. Down 6-2, the next Scrappers batter, designated hitter Alex Lavisky, doubled to empty the bases and cut the deficit to two runs.



The Cyclones were idle in the seventh inning, but took advantage of four wild pitches by Mahoning Valley reliever Nathan Stirtz to score four runs in the top of the eighth. After Thurber doubled to lead off the inning, he was moved over to third on sac bunt. He then scored on Stirtz’s first wild pitch of the inning to put the Cyclones up by three. After a strikeout brought Stirtz within one out of ending the inning, he allowed a single to Carpenter and a double to Tijerina. Ish’s two-bagger plated Brooklyn’s newest catcher, putting them up 8-4. After Stirtz’s second wild pitch moved Tijerina over to third, Danny Muno drew a walk to put runners on the corners. During Rivera’s at bat, two consecutive wild pitches by Stirtz scored Tijerina and moved Muno over to third. Rivera then singled to plate Muno and put the Cyclones up 10-4.



The Scrappers scored two runs in the bottom of the eighth on a one-out RBI single and a two-out double, but that was all the scoring they would amount.

NYPL All-Star T.J. Chism sat Mahoning Valley down 1-2-3 in the ninth inning to ensure a 10-6 Cyclones victory.