PRESS RELEASE: - Tri-City 8, Clones 7

The Brooklyn Cyclones (50-24) fell to the Tri-City Valley Cats (38-35) by the score of 8-7 on Saturday night. After winning their 50th game of the season on Friday, the Cyclones jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the second inning. However, that turned out to be Brooklyn's only lead of the game. Tri-City answered back with three runs of their own in the third and two more in the fourth. Although the Cyclones battled the Valley Cats, tying the game up twice -- once in the fourth and later on in the eighth -- they came up short after Tri-City pulled ahead in the top of the ninth. The Valley Cats kept their playoff hopes alive, moving a half a game ahead of the Connecticut Tigers in the Stedler Division.



Brooklyn knocked the Tri-City starting pitcher out of the game after only three innings and continued to pile up the hits, notching 13 hits as a team. 2B J.B. Brown delivered two clutch hits in the fourth and eighth innings, and finished up with a 4-for-5, two-RBI effort. Brown also picked up his fourth triple of the season in the seventh inning. 1B Jeff Flagg collected three hits, one of which was an RBI double in the seventh that shortened Tri-City's lead to one. RF Will Cherry launched another "Cherry Bomb" over the left field wall -- his fifth home run of the season.

Righthander Jonathan Kountis made his fourth start of the season, but struggled early and was removed after only lasting 3.2 innings. Righthanders Michael Weldon, Brian Needham, and Ryan Fraser finished the game, yielding three runs, with Fraser eventually taking the loss after giving up a run in the ninth. Despite the run, Fraser's ERA on the season stands at just 1.44.