With the win, the IronBirds move to 10-8, two games over .500. The Birds have won 5 straight, and after starting the season 0-5, have won 10 of their last 13.
Austin Urban toed the rubber for the IronBirds, and found himself in and out of trouble throughout the evening. After a 1-2-3 first, Urban allowed a single and a ringing double to put runners on second and third with one out. Urban, however, limited the damage, allowing just a sacrifice fly, and the IronBirds only trailed 1-0 after two.
In the third, the IronBirds would draw even, as Anthony Vega manufactured a run nearly all by himself. Vega reached on an infield single, advanced to second on a wild pitch, then took third with two outs on a groundout to second. With Vega on third, a pitch got away from Brooklyn catcher Colton Plaia. Vega alertly raced home, just beating Plaia's throw to the plate, and the IronBirds had tied the game.
The IronBirds took advantage of some lackluster Brooklyn play to tie the game in the fourth. Conor Bierfeldt reached on a strikeout, as the ball snuck through the legs of Plaia for a wild pitch. He advanced to second on another wild pitch, and would come around to score on an error by Cyclones' shortstop Juan Carlos Gamboa.
Meanwhile, Urban managed to keep the Cyclones off the board, despite bouts with wildness. He stranded a runner at third in the third, then loaded the bases with two outs before inducing an inning-ending fielder's choice.
In the fifth, Urban again loaded the bases with two outs, and manager Matt Merullo made a switch, calling for the left-handed Donnie Hart. The move paid off, as Hart got Brooklyn first baseman Alex Sanchez to ground harmlessly to third, ending the threat.
The IronBirds scored another in the fifth, and put the game away in the sixth. With a runner on first and one out, Jared Breen laced a triple to the wall in center, and Kris Richards promptly knocked Breen in with an opposite-field single. The tallies made the score 5-1 in favor of the IronBirds.
But the lead would not stand.
After the bullpen held down the fort in the 5th, 6th, and 7th innings, the Cyclones hit hard-throwing IronBirds' reliever Jose Figuereo hard in the 8th. Two straight singles were followed by a home run by third baseman Anthony Chavez, and the score tightened to 5-4. A double by Patrick Biondi followed. Biondi then advanced to third on a fly-out to right, then scored just ahead of a strong through from Tanner Rust on a sac fly to left. The Cyclones would not score again in the inning, but the game was now tied at 5.
The IronBirds would not score in the 8th, but Figuereo would recover in the 9th. He posted a 1-2-3 frame, aided by a remarkable barehanded stab by second baseman Kris Richards. But the IronBirds would go down 1-2-3 themselves in the bottom half of the inning, and this game would go to extra innings.
Despite a long fly ball that backed Tanner Rust up to the warning track, Figuereo would escape the 10th inning unscathed. But the IronBirds could not take advantage, going down in order, and the game would extend to the 11th inning.
In the 11th, the IronBirds were saved once again by a sterling defensive play. With two outs and a runner on second, Brooklyn left fielder Jared King grounded a single to left. Tanner Rust came up throwing, firing a perfect strike to nail the runner and set up the heroics of the bottom of the inning.
Jared Breen led off the inning with a bang, lining a double down the right-field line. Kris Richards came to the plate with the intention of sacrificing Breen to third. He got the bunt down, but Cyclones' pitcher Shawn Teufel threw the ball away attempting to get Breen at third, and the IronBirds, after 11 hard-fought innings, had finally emerged victorious.
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