Staten Island Yankee right fielder gets ready during first inning versus Brooklyn.

STATEN ISLAND, NY- Do the Cyclones have the Baby Bombers’ number? You won’t hear a peep from Brooklyn skipper Edgar Alfonzo, whose team got a big four-game weekend series off on the right foot by pitching their way past their Verrazano rival 3-2 before a seventh consecutive sellout (7,171) at Richmond County Bank Ball Park Friday night.

“That’s not true,” the veteran Brooklyn (23-21) manager modestly expressed outside the winner’s dugout after his team pulled within two along with Hudson Valley of the first place Bombers (25-19), who dropped their third straight while falling to 4-7 in the season series with three left. “They’re a good team. Sometimes, you take your chance when they make mistakes, you got to take your chance and score some runs like that. They are tough. They are tough to beat. They come at you until the last out every every game. They give me a headache sometimes.”

After the teams traded runs in the third and fourth, the game was still hanging in the balance when some wildness from Staten Island reliever Daniel Kapala contributed to the Bombers’ demise in the seventh. The second-year right handed reliever started the frame by plunking Jason Jacobs and Jose Jimenez to quickly put himself in a bind. Following Eric Campbell’s successful sacrifice, some bad luck allowed the Cyclones to go ahead when a Kirk Nieuwenhuis swinging bunt was fielded too late by first baseman Jahdiel Santamaria allowing Jacobs to score from third.

With runners on the corners, Staten Island manager Pat McMahon went to reliever Drew Shetrone but with Sean Ratliff batting, he uncorked a wild pitch allowing a second run to come in.

On a night in which the Bomber bats were silenced with runners on base, they didn’t go away easily as hot hitting designated hitter Brian Baisley went to the opposite field in the home half for his club-leading fifth home run off Brooklyn lefty reliever Roy Merritt. The ball just cleared the right field fence out of a leaping John Servidio’s reach to cut the lead to 3-2.

Merritt settled down to get the final two and pitched into the ninth after getting Santamaria to bounce into an inning ending 6-4-3 twin killing. He started the inning by getting struggling center fielder Ray Kruml chasing a pitch out of the zone. However, the Bombers mounted a rally thanks to consecutive line drive singles from shortstop Addison Maruszak and second baseman David Adams putting the tying and winning runs on first and second.

That’s when Alfonzo wisely went to closer Yury Santana, who had his work cut out for him facing Baisley and solid hitting third baseman Mike Lyon. It didn’t matter because Santana brought a wicked slider which he used to get Baisley swinging on a 2-2 pitch and then quickly got Lyon behind 0-2 on balls down and away before he hit a soft liner right to second baseman J.R. Voyles to end matters.

“It was tough,” Lyon lamented. “That kid’s got a pretty good slider. I knew he was trying to get ahead of me with the slider and I kept pulling off it. And then the last one, I made contact just knocking it down. I came up at the end and swung down. It started up and in. And I just started getting concerned about it coming into my hands like a fastball. Just went back up and ended up getting it off the end.”

“That was a good game. That was some good pitching from both sides. That was a good game. It was a good win,” a happy Alfonzo noted. “[Santana] did well. He did well. He threw a couple of good sliders and a couple of change ups. He pitched away and threw the breaking ball and threw strikes.”

“Very tough,” was how Maruszak described his club’s close defeat after finishing with a pair of hits but failing to get a runner in from third with one out in the home sixth due to a 5-2 fielder’s choice. “We battled them the whole way. So did they. It was a grind for both teams.”

The Bombers got pretty good pitching from starter David Phelps, whose only mistake in five innings was a Matt Smith two out home run to right in the third which gave the Cyclones a 1-0 lead. His teammates got it back for him in the fourth cashing in on some shoddy D. Adams singled and advanced to second on a Chris Schwinden wild pitch. The Brooklyn starter made more of a mess for himself with an errant toss during a fielder’s choice allowing both runners to arrive safely with an out.

Lyon, who a couple of frames earlier got caught napping off second atoned with a sac fly. However, it turned into a bizarre 7-6-4 double play when Ratliff relayed to Smith, who then tossed to Voyles, who applied the tag on Baisley to end the inning.

“We made a couple of mistakes throughout the whole game that could’ve put us right back in the ballgame,” the third baseman said after a 1-for-3 RBI night. “It was a couple of key situations with hard hit balls and mental lapses. I had a mental lapse getting picked off second. I didn’t realize how far off second base I was and ended up getting picked.”

That was all they could manage against Schwinden, who tossed an effective six yielding just an unearned run on four hits walking nobody and striking out seven for his first win.

“You have to tip a cap to [Schwinden]. Their pitcher commanded both sides of the plate very well with his fastball and that makes his offspeed that much better. He did a good job,” praised Maruszak.

“[Phelps] did the same thing and unfortunately, we lost tonight because we had not very good hitting. We had chances to. They had three errors but we didn’t capitalize on them. … I got up there with a runner on third and one out and grounded out. That’s not good. I should have - Should have. Could have. Would have. But it’s part of the game. Hopefully, next time I can come through again.”

Instead, their comeback bid fell short and now they’ll look to rebound later today in Keyspan Park.

“We just got to bounce back from today’s game,” Maruszak pointed out. We play them three more times. So, hopefully, we can get the next three and that would be nice to put them three more behind us.

“That’s what we’re going to plan on doing and keep battling through for the rest of the season.”

Notes: Phelps went five allowing a run on three hits walking nobody and striking out four to get a no-decision. … Kapala fell to 1-1 working an inning and a third giving up two earned on one hit with the two hit batsmen proving costly. … Despite a wild pitch which turned into the winning run charged to Kapala, Shetrone put up zeros for two and two thirds on two hits fanning a pair. … Maruszak and Adams, who hit 1-2 in the order paved the way with multi-hit nights finishing with four of the team’s seven on the night. … Merritt went 2.1 IP giving up one earned on three hits while walking the only batter for either side and whiffing four. In fact, BK pitchers fanned 12 while S.I. pitchers issued no walks with six K’s. … S.I. stranded 10 while BK left eight. … The contest took a very manageable two hours and thirty five minutes before a 13th sellout. … Game Two is later tonight in Coney Island with Old-Timer’s Day preluding a 6 PM start on Sunday back at the Ferry Terminal.

STATEN ISLAND, NY- This time, the Cyclones got the last laugh on Pat Venditte. Brought into a tie game with a runner on, the Staten Island ambidextrous closer couldn’t deliver against a more disciplined Brooklyn bunch who touched him up for two of their three runs in the eighth of a much needed 4-1 win over the Baby Bombers Monday night to take the latest installment of the Verrazano series before a 10th sellout (7,171) at Richmond County Bank Ball Park by the Ferry Terminal.

Switch hitter Jordan Abruzzo got the better of Venditte from the left side pulling a flat change up deep to right taking Staten Island’s Dan Brewer to the warning track. At first, it looked like it would stay in the park but the night air took it out over Brewer’s outstretched glove for a go-ahead two-run home run.

“I’m surprised it went out,” Abruzzo said afterwards on the field as teammates celebrated their second series win over their rivals. “I thought it got the fence. So, when I finally saw it go out, I was just relieved.”

“I left some pitches up in the zone. You can’t do that here,” Venditte lamented after also giving up a two strike two out RBI single to Brooklyn third baseman Eric Campbell.

“I shouldn’t get beat on my third best pitch,” he explained of the second homer he’s allowed this season. “I saw the wind was blowing out. I thought maybe for a second, [Brewer] might have a chance. When it got to the wall, I knew it was out.”

“Pretty close,” Brewer added of how close he was to getting the glove on it. “It’s tough out there with the lights. The wind pushed it out.”

The victory was more important for the Cyclones (15-18), who entered in last and trailed by as many as seven to first place Staten Island (20-13) following Melky Mesa’s walkoff the other night.

“Huge. Huge. It could’ve meant the season. If we didn’t take two games, we could’ve been buried. We knew what we had to do. We came out feeling no pressure and just played the game. That’s basically how we have to go about our business the rest of the year,” Abruzzo noted after his team pulled into a third place tie with Aberdeen five out.

Campbell’s insurance run could’ve been big if Brewer had found a way on base in the bottom of the eighth following a leadoff walk to third baseman Mike Lyon off Cyclones’ reliever Stephen Clyne. The Staten Island right fielder had a rough night striking out three times including once leaving the bases loaded in a tie game back in the fifth. On Clyne’s 3-1 pitch, it looked like he had drawn another walk which would’ve meant the tying run coming up with nobody out.

Instead, plate umpire Nick Mahrley called the low inside pitch a strike making it a full count. He had a wide strike zone all night. On the next pitch, Brewer struck out swinging for the first out. Clyne then got Braedyn Pruitt and Mitch Abeita to bounce out ending the frame.

“I don’t really know what to say about it. … I thought it was a ball. I thought for a second, [Mahrley] thought it was a ball. Nothing you can do about it. … It could’ve gone either way. I took a swing and tried to put it in play,” Brewer explained.

After Dan Kapala came on for Venditte tossing a scoreless ninth which included a nifty inning ending 4-6-3 double play started with a flip by David Adams to Addison Maruszak, who fired to first, the Bombers went quietly in their last licks going 1-2-3 against Clyne. He fanned the last couple including tough leadoff man Ray Kruml after a battle to end it. It was Clyne’s third save this summer.

“We had our chances,” Brewer pointed out. “You have games like that where you don’t drive in runs when you need to, don’t get the calls you’re going to get. They came through in the eighth and got their runs. We had our chances but just didn’t produce when we needed.”

“Obviously, the rivalry’s very intense,” Lyon added after reaching base twice via walks in the defeat. “But they got a lot of good players over there. A good pitching staff. They got a good team.”

“Obviously, we wanted to win it. A call here. A call there. Who knows what could happen? They definitely have a solid staff. Hopefully, we’ll get them next weekend.”
Notes: Overlooked in the defeat was the pitching of starter Brandon Braboy, who if not for some shaky defense in the second where his teammates booted three balls could very well have not allowed a run and been in line for the win. He went a solid five permitting one unearned on two hits while only walking one and striking out five before giving way to reliever Brad Rulon, who continued to dominate tossing two scoreless fanning a couple. … Lefty Tim Dennehy started the eighth and pitched to two batters retiring one and allowing a solid single to Ike Davis before the ‘Clones roughed up Venditte for two runs on four hits in two thirds. Unfortunately, Dennehy was charged with the loss falling to 1-1. … Brooklyn SP Pedro P. Martinez went four and a third allowing one earned on six hits while walking and K-ing a pair. … The fourth pitcher of the night Brandon Moore improved to 3-1 after retiring two batters to end the seventh. … In a losing effort, Pruitt and Abeita each finished 2-for-4. … The Bombers’ only run came on consecutive doubles by Maruszak and Kruml in the fifth to tie before stranding three. … Due to a couple of arguments which included S.I. hitting coach Ty Hawkins getting tossed for arguing a check swing strike on Brewer, the game took three hours and 22 minutes to complete.

“I might’ve been a little distracted,” told Brewer of the heated argument which even saw manager Pat McMahon come out of the dugout to hold Hawkins back. “But it’s my job to not let that bother me. … Next time, I’ll be ready.”

Added Lyon:

“That was for last night when I hit a home run which was turned into a double. I was hoping they were going to give me a few gracious calls. It was really strange.”

Bombers to face league’s best: Staten Island hits the road for three against Penn League leader Jamestown (22-9) before returning to New York for another series against Brooklyn with two in Keyspan and the middle game back in St. George this Saturday.

STATEN ISLAND, NY- Runs were at a premium but Pat McMahon’s pesky bunch still had enough thanks to Jack Rye’s walkoff basehit with the bases loaded in the home ninth allowing the Staten Island Yankees to pull out a 3-2 win over Batavia before a second consecutive sellout of 7,171 at Richmond County Bank Ball Park to take the series.

It was the eighth sellout of the season with a couple of more expected against the last place Cyclones over the next three days.

“Guys came up in big situations,” right fielder Dan Brewer noted after contributing in the field with a couple of nice running catches. “Pitchers threw well. [Brian] Baisley had a great game today. He’s swinging it well. A two-run homer. Back to battling. Some guys just had big at bats. In tough situations, they came through.”

The Baby Bombers got a good outing from Nick Montgomery, who permitted just one earned in five innings allowing a two out Xavier Scruggs second inning RBI double which put his team down a run. With Batavia’s Thomas Eager holding the Staten Island bats in check tossing five scoreless while scattering a couple of hits and fanning three, that run seemed like more.

The Bombers finally got a break thanks to some hustle from second baseman David Adams in the sixth against new pitcher George Brown. After the first two batters were retired, the Muckdogs’ reliever appeared on his way to a 1-2-3 inning but Adams’ lazy fly to short center was lost in the lights by center fielder Frederick Parejo allowing it to fall for a double. However, Adams never stopped completely and when he saw that nobody was covering third, he didn’t hesitate taking the base for a very unconventional triple.

Unfortunately for Brown, that meant trouble because he had to face the Bombers’ hottest hitter Baisley, who after falling behind 0-2 got back to 2-2 before clocking a homer to dead center off the batter’s eye suddenly giving them a 2-1 lead. It was his second home run of the series and fifth RBI. He drove in at least a run in all three games.

“At first, I thought I hit it off the wall. I didn’t know it was a home run until I saw the umpire,” a very pleased Baisley acknowledged in the winner’s locker room after going a perfect four-for-four raising his average to .379. ”I’m seeing the ball well. I’m actually surprised cause of the break. … I’ve had good runs but nothing quite like this.”

The lead was shortlived as returning reliever Jason Kiley served up a seventh inning two out dinger to Parejo, who atoned by hitting a line drive in the same area to tie it.

With the game still in the balance, McMahon went to setup man Brad Rulon (2-0), who was more than up to the challenge putting up two consecutive zeroes in the eighth and ninth while striking out four including a couple looking on perfect pitches which painted the outside corner.

“You just try to come in and try not to think about what the situation is,” he said. “When you come in, you try to get ahead in the count.”

“They’ve done that all year. Ever since the first game, they’ve been lights out,” Baisley pointed out.

After Rulon retired the side in the ninth getting a couple swinging, the stage was set for the home club to send an eighth sellout Friday night Fireworks crowd home happy. It started with some plate discipline by backstop Mitch Abeita, who worked out a leadoff walk off Brown. The pitcher than put himself in more trouble with a throwing error on Addison Maruszak’s successful sacrifice overthrowing first which allowed both runners to move up a base leaving the winning run 90 feet away with nobody out.

Both managers played by the book with McMahon having righty hitting first baseman Jahdiel Santamaria ready to hit against the lefty but Batavia skipper Mark DeJohn immediately went to righty sidearmer Jason Buursma. In full winning mode, McMahon quickly countered with veteran lefty corner infielder Braedyn Pruitt. The move paid dividends when he fought back from an 0-2 hole drawing a walk to load the bases.

“That was huge for us. For [Pruitt] to get on base. Rye came through the other day. He hit the ball hard last time against him. So it was just bound to happen. He got a hit and we win the game,” Brewer added.

With left fielder Melky Mesa struggling at the plate, the Staten Island manager had one more trick up his sleeve sending up outfielder Jack Rye to pinch hit. He fell behind 1-2 but delivered the walkoff basehit up the middle past a drawn in infield allowing pinch runner Taylor Grote to walk home for the winning run.

Notes: Behind the plate, Abeita threw out two of three runners trying to steal second. On the Staten Island side, Brewer stole his fifth base turning out to be the only steal attempt of the night. … Playing in left, Mesa made a key defensive play tossing out a runner trying to go for two to end the Batavia fifth before a second run crossed the plate with plate umpire Joel Myers emphatically waving it off as McMahon rushed out of the dugout. … In his home debut as a starter, Montgomery went five allowing a run on four hits while walking a pair and K-ing four to get a no-decision. … For Batavia, Brown took the loss giving up all three earned in three frames falling to 0-1. … RP Drew Shetrone worked a scoreless sixth escaping a bases loaded one out situation by striking out the last two. … Brian Chavez returned from the DL getting the start at the hot corner going 0-for-3. … First place Staten Island (19-11) plays host to Verrazano rival Brooklyn (13-17) in the first of a three-game set with the middle game at KeySpan Park with the series finale wrapping up back at the Ferry Terminal.

STATEN ISLAND, NY- He’s the elder statesman of this bunch. Brian Baisley continues to do the job for the Staten Island Yankees.

The latest evidence was on display when his tying solo home run sparked the club to a four-run fourth which proved large as they held on for a 6-5 win over Batavia in the first game of the series before 4,242 at Richmond County Bank Ball Park by the Ferry Terminal Wednesday night.

“It’s always good to get a win,” the third-year veteran catcher/first baseman pointed out following another productive night at the plate finishing two-for-four with his first homer of the season and two RBI’s helping make it three wins in their last four.  

“I was swinging a hot bat before I got hurt and it’s tough to hit after missing 11 [days]. So it’s nice to get a couple of hits. It felt pretty good.”

The Baby Bombers started the game quickly with three consecutive hits by Ray Kruml (single), David Adams (ground rule double) and Baisley (RBI single to right) going ahead 1-0. Jack Rye’s sac fly scored the second run. With a chance for more, Dan Brewer hit into an inning ending 4-6-3 double play.

The Muckdogs fought back tying the game with a pair of runs in the second off starter Brad Braboy. After a leadoff walk to Shane Peterson, Blake Murphy’s line drive double down the left field line allowed Peterson to come around and score. After Braboy induced a tailor-made 6-4-3 DP, he allowed a two out RBI single up the middle to Xavier Scruggs which tied it at two.

A one out Colt Sedbrook blast to dead center hit off the black for a homer putting Batavia ahead 3-2. Braboy pitched around a one out double and walk getting two Muckdogs looking to escape further damage.

With his team still trailing, Baisley got the home fourth started by hitting a deep drive to right center which cleared the fence tying the game.

“I didn’t know I got it until it went over the board out there,” he mentioned. “We put up two runs in the first and then they put up two runs and a run and had the momentum going their way. We kind of swung it the other way in that fourth inning.”

Gaining some momentum from the dinger, the Bombers got to losing Batavia starter Ramon Delgado (1-1) knocking him out of the game when Rye, Braedyn Pruitt and catcher Mitch Abeita each singled to load the bases with one out. They proceeded to bat around as Josh Hester provided little relief immediately losing left fielder Taylor Grote on a bases loaded walk forcing in a run. Bomber shortstop Addison Maruszak followed with a sac fly to center making it 5-3.

As it turned out, the biggest hit of the evening belonged to Kruml, who delivered a two out runscoring single to right giving Staten Island a 6-3 lead.

“Guys were hot. Baisley had a bunch of good hits. Everyone’s swinging it pretty well,” the leadoff center fielder said. “Made a couple of adjustments with high and that worked out today.”

Following a couple of solid scoreless frames from winning reliever Andy Shive (3-2) in which he struckout four of the six swinging, the late inning specialists ran into a little trouble.

First, Tim Dennehy gave up three consecutive two out singles in the seventh including a Peterson RBI base hit to left cutting the lead to 6-4. However, a critical baserunning mistake by Peterson saw him get tossed out at second 7-6-4 ending the frame.

Brad Rulon then entered bringing in a perfect ERA into the night like Dennehy but had similar hard luck. He also recorded the first two outs of the eighth before three straight Muckdogs reached on a double, walk and a Charles Cutler RBI single slicing it to 6-5. But Rulon buckled down getting Frederick Parejo to bounce into an easy 6-4 putout.

Closer Pat Venditte came on pitching around a one out single by retiring the next two batters on a fly out and got Blake Murphy chasing a nasty slider to end it recording his eighth save.

“We got a lot of confidence in our bullpen,” Kruml accurately assessed.

“Our pen’s done the job all year. So we have confidence in them.” 

Notes: In a losing effort, Batavia third baseman Jermaine Curtis was 4-for-5 with a run scored raising his average to .333. … Three Bombers finished with at least two hits including Baisley, Pruitt (2-for-4) and Kruml (3-for-4) with each scoring a run. … Since returning from the DL, Baisley has started at first twice and is 5-for-8 with three extra base hits (HR, 2 doubles) plus a pair of runs and RBI’s elevating his average to .339 (20-for-59). … Delgado allowed six runs (5 ER), eight hits and a homer in three and a third while Braboy worked the first four permitting three earned on four hits also allowing a long ball while walking three and K-ing two to get a no-decision. … With the win, Staten Island (18-10) opened up a three game lead on Hudson Valley. … The contest took two hours and 38 minutes. … Game Two is later today at St. George with an early start time of 11 AM.

STATEN ISLAND, NY- It didn’t take long for Addison Maruszak to get back into the swing of things. In his return from the DL, the 21 year-old starting shortstop slugged his first career home run and finished a productive two-for-four in the Staten Island Yankees’ 3-1 loss last night to Oneonta at the ball park in St. George.

Despite coming up short in the home ninth striking out swinging with the bases loaded, the University of South Florida product who admires gritty Boston first baseman Kevin Youkilis was pleased with the results of his rehab which allowed him to return earlier than anticipated.

“My trainer did a great job getting me back in there,” Maruszak said at his locker while getting ready for a three-game road trip that begins later tonight at Tri-City. “It didn’t take as long as expected because an ACL is a pretty big deal. But my trainer Scuba Steve did a great job rehabbing me.”

Part of that process was getting plenty of practice swings in with all the free time he had.

“I hit in the cage a lot with my coaches. Hawk [Ty Hawkins] did a great job helping me out. It’s a good time to work cause you have nothing better to do.”

Even though he couldn’t get out there and help the team win, Maruszak was still able to find a silver lining.

“It’s hard to just sit there and watch. I had to do that and I learned a lot while on the bench. Just figuring out some things.”

One thing he has grasped about pro ball is that it’s all about making necessary changes in order to take steps forward.

“It’s all about adjustments. Especially at bats after at bats and pitch by pitch. It’s all about adjusting.”

Maruszak gave proper credit for his productive night to a couple of former major leaguers including a former popular Yankee first baseman on those championship teams.

“When I came back today, I talked to a couple of people,” he noted.

“Tino [Martinez] talked to me. My advisor is Reggie Jefferson. He played. They both told me the same thing. Just try to go for the middle of the field. You know. Don’t try to do anything special cause you’ve been hurt. Just get a good swing off and hit it to the middle of the field and let things happen. That was good advice. I’m young and they’ve been there before. So I’m going to listen to everything they have to say.”

Not only did Maruszak pickup a couple of hits lifting his average to .344 (11-for-32 in 10 games) but he also was sharp in the field coming up with the defensive play of the night combining with second base partner David Adams to turn a nifty 6-4-3 double play to end an inning.

“Defense in college was a little bit of a struggle for me but I feel real comfortable right now. Like I said, I got good jumps and I got good luck tonight. That’s pretty much what you need.”

Thus far in the games he and Adams have played together in the infield, they’ve formed a solid chemistry providing the team with good up the middle defense.

“I played against [Adams] in college last year. So I kind of knew what he was all about and everything. And when we got here, he’s just finding out. … Just try to get a bond with him and try to figure out what he’s going to do.”

“It’s all about learning process.”

So far, so good.

STATEN ISLAND, NY- They kept on coming but ultimately fell short on the scoreboard. Despite a sixth sellout crowd of 7,171, the Staten Island Yankees couldn’t come up with the big hit leaving a plethora of runners on base in a tough 3-1 defeat to Oneonta at Richmond County Bank Ball Park in St. George on Friday Fireworks Night which also honored fathers.

“We just got to put it to the past. It’s tough to end a game like that,” lamented shortstop Addison Maruszak who returned from a leg injury and had a couple of hits including his first pro home run in the team’s second loss in the last three dropping the home series.

Having grounded into four double plays including a couple of inning enders, there were the first place Baby Bombers turning up the heat once again in their last licks loading the bases thanks to an E6 and a pair of walks with one out against Tigers’ closer Lester Oliveros. Standing in the way were two guys Staten Island skipper Pat McMahon didn’t mind having up there in such a big spot in Maruszak and center fielder Ray Kruml.

Oliveros had already blown away first baseman Erik Lovett getting him swinging on some high cheese. Up stepped Maruszak, who already looked comfortable in his first game back having provided the Bombers their only run. Here he was with a golden opportunity to tie the game with a hit. The count went to 3-1 but he couldn’t deliver fouling off an Oliveros offering before chasing an outside heater for the second out.

“He was nasty,” the first-year shortstop relayed to an equally disappointed teammate Kruml, who sat in the dugout and watched the fireworks before returning to his locker.

Kruml was Staten Island’s last chance for another two out comeback. The patient leadoff hitter worked the count full after being behind but swung and missed at another Oliveros’ fastball which might have been off the plate to end a frustrating night.

“We got down early. We fought back to 3-1. Had a couple of opportunities with runners in scoring position. We just couldn’t come up with a clutch hit. We battled hard. It just didn’t fall our way,” Kruml explained outside the locker room. 

“He got me down on two away. You know. It was a battle. Caught me chasing a pitch that might’ve been outside. I tip my cap to him. It was a good pitch.”

The Bombers fell behind early as the Tigers got the jump on losing starter David Phelps (2-1), scoring twice in the first on a Carlos Ramirez RBI groundout followed by a two out Wade Lamont sharp single to right.

Phelps eventually settled down coming back strong to retire 12 of the next 15 batters before serving up a two out fifth inning Brandon Douglas solo blast to left center which put the Tigers ahead 3-0.

His teammates had runners on all night but couldn’t cash in due to the four twin killings along with a couple of baserunning blunders including a weird DP that Maruszak grounded into where Oneonta shortstop Brandon Douglas missed second base on the relay getting only one out. Lovett was already off second thinking he was out and then got into a rundown before being tagged out 1-5-2 concluding the bizarre play in the third. Not surprisingly, Kruml followed with a two out single with nobody on and swiped second but second baseman David Adams ended the inning by taking a called third strike.

That was the kind of night it was. In the same inning that Maruszak went deep, catcher Mitch Abeita ledoff with a double but then was caught napping off second. After Lovett made the second out, Maruszak connected off winning Tigers’ starter David Stokes (2-1) with nobody on base driving a pitch over the left field fence to break up the shutout.

“When I came back today, I talked to a couple of people,” Maruszak mentioned.

“Tino [Martinez] talked to me. My advisor is Reggie Jefferson. He played. They both told me the same thing. Just try to go for the middle of the field. You know. Don’t try to do anything special cause you’ve been hurt. Just get a good swing off and hit it to the middle of the field and let things happen. That was good advice.”

Unfortunately, it was the only offense the Staten Island Yankees could muster. They’ll pack their bags and try to regroup for a weekend series upstate at Tri-City.

Notes: The Bombers left 17 baserunners on base while their opponents stranded 11. … The Oneonta home run hitter Douglas finished three-for-four with a couple of runs scored. … Ben Guez and Luis Arlet each had a pair of hits and a stolen base for the Tigers (13-11). … Maruszak was the only S.I. player to notch two hits getting two of the team’s seven. … With a hit in three trips, Adams finished the series 7-for-12 with three doubles, three runs scored and three RBI’s. … Kruml’s eight steals paces the team. … Maruszak and Adams also teamed up for a nice 6-4-3 DP with the shortstop reaching behind before flipping to the second baseman who made the turn with the runner right on him. … Phelps went five allowing three earned on six hits with a walk and three K’s. … RP Nick Asselin worked three scoreless while fanning four before Josue Selenes tossed a 1-2-3 ninth K-ing two to keep his perfect ERA intact. … The game took two hours and 42 minutes to complete before what became one more sellout than the five they had all last year. … Bombers (15-9) are back at it tonight for the first of three at Tri-City.

STATEN ISLAND, NY- As in a well known song played over the sound system, the lion certainly lied awake in the jungle today. Staten Island Yankee designated hitter Mike Lyon’s big two out seventh inning hit helped the home club tame the Tigers 5-3 bouncing back from an error filled loss the previous night before a packed house of 7,171 on Kids Camp Day at Richmond County Bank Ball Park at the Ferry Terminal.

“The kid made a tough pitch. Got me out a little in front. I was actually going to fight it off. I saw it was in the zone and so I just tried to get out. You know. It’s baseball. It worked out for me. So it was good to get the lead and then hold them there,” he explained at his locker after another productive day reaching base three times finishing 2-for-3 with a run scored and the deciding RBI.

“Our defense was pretty bad last night but it still was a close game considering what happened but that’s baseball. One day the defense can be down. One day the hitting might be down and one day everything will be down. Pitching. Everything. So we pick each other up and the next day get back on a winning streak,” he pointed out after helping the Baby Bombers to their 11th win in the last 12 including seven of eight at home.

The hit came at the right time as the Bomber bats had cooled off after getting off to a quick start with three in the first highlighted by David Adams and Dan Brewer runscoring doubles plus an RBI groundout from third baseman Braedyn Pruitt.

When it looked like Oneonta pitchers would toss a sixth straight zero by retiring the first two Staten Island batters, the Bombers sprung to life thanks to some wildness from pitcher Aaron Fuhrman, who plunked Adams and then allowed the second baseman to move up a base on a wild pitch setting the stage for Lyon to deliver by just getting enough of the bat on a tough outside pitch placing it between second and right allowing the go-ahead run to come in.

“Coming back for this early game here, it’s tough to get back up after a loss like that with seven errors on defense. You know playing almost 12 hours later. 11 o’clock start but we got our bats back in order like we were on that win streak and just came through with a clutch hit and the breaks went our way. Everything worked out.”

“We had to wake up at 6:45. It’s a little bit different schedule than we’re used to. I mean once you get out there and start playing, get the lead and wash it away,” teammate Pruitt added of the quick turnaround.

Despite some shaky D on back-to-back sacrifices including an error by catcher Steve Strausbaugh which put reliever Josue Selenes in a bases loaded no out jam, Staten Island caught a huge break when Billy Nowlin lined back to the pitcher, who then got the benefit of a call at third nailing Bryan Pounds for a 1-5 double play. Selenes then kept his perfect ERA intact by getting Tyler Weber to harmlessly fly out to Melky Mesa ending it.

“The coach was rather adamant about the disagreement with the call. I’m not going to make a judgment one way or the other but hey. Sometimes the breaks go your way. Fortunately for us, today was our day,” Pruitt noted of the heated discussion which took place as he stood and watched the umpire send Pounds back to the dugout.

Once they came back up to bat, there was no doubting the Bombers’ killer instinct as they strung together three consecutive hits to start the home half to pickup a key insurance run. Strausbaugh got it started by beating out an infield hit and then left fielder Taylor Grote stroked a double into the right field corner putting runners in scoring position. First baseman Jahdiel Santamaria singled home Strausbaugh making it 5-3 before Oneonta’s Anthony Shawler escaped further damage by striking out two of the next three batters.

“It was good to get a couple of runs late.” 

Closer Pat Venditte came in and retired the side in order getting the final batter Ben Guez swinging to notch his sixth save.

Notes: Though he didn’t get a decision, S.I. starter Brad Braboy was solid working the first five while allowing two runs (1 ER) on six hits while striking out a couple. … Despite allowing a tying solo home run to Nowlin which hit off the batting eye in center, Bomber reliever Drew Shetrone picked up the win going two innings while improving to 1-1. … The two, three and four hitters all finished with a couple of hits each as Adams, Lyon and Brewer combined to go 6-for-10 with three doubles, three runs scored and three RBI’s. Adams is 6-for-9 in the series with a trio of two-baggers, runs and runs knocked in. … Fuhrman (2-2) suffered the loss for Oneonta allowing the winning run on four hits in four frames while K-ing three. … The game which was the fifth sellout of the summer took a manageable two hours and thirty six minutes. … Injured SS Addison Maruszak said he was “feeling a lot better” and close to returning. … The rubber match of the series is tomorrow night.

STATEN ISLAND, NY- Three rain delays in less than 24 hours didn’t deter the Staten Island Yankees. Instead, they were up to the challenge sweeping a doubleheader from Aberdeen Monday before 4,111 who stuck it out at Richmond County Bank Ball Park by the Ferry Terminal.

“Anytime you can sweep a doubleheader, it’s a real good win,” said DH Brian Baisley in the winner’s locker room after delivering a key two out RBI single capping off a three-run fifth to break a scoreless tie in Game Two. “[Pat Egan] made some real good pitches. Kept it down. Kept us in check for four or five innings. But once we got it going, opened the floodgates.”

“Our pitchers have been throwing well. We haven’t been putting it together. So hopefully, this will get us in the right direction and put together some games where we score a few runs.“

The losing Ironbirds’ starter didn’t allow a hit through four but Staten Island first baseman Erik Lovett’s leadoff hit in the home fifth got the Bomber offense untracked. After Jahdiel Santamaria pinchran for him,  shortstop Walter Ibarra sacrificed the runner into scoring position. Egan nearly escaped by recording the second out freezing second baseman Ryan Wilkes for his seventh strikeout of the night. 

But a huge turning point took place when center fielder Ray Kruml drove a two strike pitch up the middle for the game’s first run. Following Calvin Lester’s late throw home, Aberdeen catcher Chad Durakis tried to peg a hustling Kruml at second. Instead, his errant throw went past Lester allowing the same man who drove home the first run to come all the way around and score for a stunning 2-0 lead.

“I was just running making sure [Santamaria] was going to score. Trying to get in a rundown and cut it off but luckily he threw it away and the center fielder was out of position. So I was able to score on the play,” an elated Kruml pointed out of the bizarre play.

Third baseman Braedyn Pruitt kept the two out rally going with the hardest hit of the inning driving an Egan pitch into the right field corner for a two-base hit. Aberdeen reliever Tim Spooneybarger came on to try to get Baisley but the veteran went the opposite way placing a perfect single between second and right allowing Pruitt to score without a throw.

“That always helps. Especially after starting the doubleheader going 0-for-6,” noted Baisley. “It helps to get that RBI single.”

“It was a great win. Two today. A win’s great getting two today after a rainout yesterday is big,” rally starter Lovett stated. “Finally, I got us a hit. … I guess it was contagious. A couple of guys on. Got some runs in. Put the ball in play and making plays.”

The pitching of Baby Bomber starter David Phelps allowed his teammates to stay deadlocked before they finally got it going. In his third outing, the 21 year-old Notre Dame product bounced back from a subpar game against the very same team by tossing zeroes and going six for his longest and most impressive start thus far allowing just three hits while walking only one and fanning six.

“He was filthy. He threw a lot of first pitch strikes and was nasty. He had real good stuff,” praised Kruml of the starter who notched his first win of the summer.

“Phelps was great today,” Lovett added. “I think I heard somebody say I’m not positive but maybe 90 percent first strikes. That’s great. Phelps was phenomenal today. He did a great job out there on the mound.”

It was very good start to a six-game homestand. Something which wasn’t lost on Lovett:

“We got four more here. So we got to come out play tomorrow and just continue on. Hopefully, we’ll get some more wins here and gain some ground.”

Bombers take Game One despite long delay: In the opener which was continued from the second on, the Bombers took Game One 5-3. Trailing by a run in the third, left fielder Melky Mesa and Ibarra went back-to-back clearing the left field fence in support of Brad Rulon, who started the day by tossing three scoreless and K-ing three. 

But the Birds fought back by pushing across two runs in the seventh off S.I. reliever Jacinto Gonell on a Tom Baxter two-run two out single. After Ibarra singled home Dan Brewer to tie it, the rain came again delaying the action some more. In total, a game which took two hours and 28 minutes to complete was delayed three hours and 21 minutes.

When it resumed, the Bombers plated a couple in the eighth thanks to runscoring singles by Santamaria and Mesa. Closer Pat Venditte worked around a two out walk getting Baxter swinging for his third save.

Notes: Mesa, Ibarra and 2B David Adams each had a pair of hits in the first game with the first couple each finishing with a homer and two RBI’s. … The teams combined to leave 37 runners on (Abe-19, SI-18). … Infielders Addison Maruszak and Brian Chavez remained out due to injuries. … Baisley, Ibarra and Pruitt each started both games. … Josue Selenes came on to toss a scoreless seventh in the abbreviated second game getting Chad Durakis to groundout to short for his first save. He and Venditte both have perfect 0.00 ERA’s. … Bombers (7-7) aim for their first sweep of the season later tonight at St. George.

Aberdeen’s three-run seventh proved to be the difference in defeating the Staten Island Yankees 4-1 Monday night. The loss snapped a two-game win streak for the Baby Bombers, who will try to bounceback in the next two in the three-game road series.

The game featured a 71-minute rain delay after two innings of play keeping Bomber starter Luke Greinke from pitching deeper. He worked the first couple allowing one unearned run on a hit while walking a batter and striking out three.

Meanwhile, Birds’ starter Chris Salbert also permitted a run on a first inning Brian Baisley RBI single which plated second baseman David Adams. Despite that, the 23 year-old southpaw retired all six Bombers by fanning them.

When the contest finally resumed, both Staten Island’s Brad Rulon and Aberdeen’s Stephen Procner pitched extremely well keeping the bats silent. The just turned 22 year-old Rulon out of Georgia Tech continued his run of scoreless relief tossing three hitless frames while whiffing an impressive five. Procner matched zeroes by working the next four giving up two hits while K-ing four.

The Baby Bombers put the first couple on against new pitcher Rich Zagone but he worked out of the jam by striking out the last three.

With the ballgame still knotted in the Aberdeen home half, they finally got to losing S.I. reliever Andy Shive. After he retired the first two batters, a two out rally produced four consecutive singles including Tom Edwards’ go-ahead base hit to center followed by a two-run hit from Kyle Hudson which put them up 4-1.

Staten Island tried to get something going in the eighth but Birds’ reliever Nick Haughian induced Baisley into a 6-4-3 double play following a leadoff walk to third baseman Braedyn Pruitt. As fate would have it, Dan Brewer then singled with nobody on. Haughian got Mike Lyon to line out to second ending the threat.

The Bombers couldn’t rally in their last at bat as Fredy Deza closed it out 1-2-3 getting shortstop Addison Maruszak to bounce out to short for his second save.

Notes: It was a struggle for Bomber batters all night as they struckout 14 times against five Aberdeen pitchers including winner Zagone (1-0), who fanned the side in the seventh. Staten Island pitchers combined to K 11 including three from loser Shive (0-2). … Aberdeen recorded five of their six hits against Shive while the S.I. Yanks had five total hits with no one having more than one. … OF Matt Morris came in as a pinch hitter for leadoff man Ray Kruml but struckout before taking over in center. … Aberdeen drew a solid attendance with 6,470 despite the rainy conditions. … Aberdeen (4-3) is currently tied with the Cyclones for first in the McNamara Division with both the Bombers and Renegades each 3-4 trailing by a game. … Auburn boasts the best league record at 6-1 pacing the Pinckney Division.

STATEN ISLAND, NY- Splendid pitching and timely hitting helped the Baby Bombers pickup their first home win of the season. Starter Casey Erickson went six strong innings teaming with two relievers to shutdown the Renegades en route to a 3-0 shutout before a third consecutive sellout crowd of 7,171 on an overcast day at Richmond County Bank Ball Park in St. George.

“That’s what wins championships right there. Pitching and defense. We execute both today,” pleased shortstop Addison Maruszak remarked in the winner’s dugout of a fun matinee which took only two hours and 24 minutes to complete.

The Bombers used a two-run third highlighted by right fielder Dan Brewer’s clutch two out two-run opposite field single to give Erickson the lead. Sharp all day despite putting at least one runner on in five of the six innings, the 22 year-old former 2006 10th round pick effectively used three pitches including a change to keep Hudson Valley batters off balance.

A half inning before his teammates got on the board, the 6-3 righthander helped his own cause by taking a page out of David Phelps’ book. The Friday night starter in the opening game of the series caught a Renegade baserunner napping at second. This time, Erickson picked off Michael Ross at second tossing to Ryan Wilkes for a 1-4 putout. He then finished off the frame by assisting on a 1-4-3 ground out to get Mike McKenna.

Left fielder D.J. Hollingsworth’s hustle in the home half helped spark the inning. After a clean leadoff single to center, the speedy second-year Staten Island Yankee took second on Kyeong Kong’s throwing error. Following a walk to center fielder Ray Kruml, third baseman Braedyn Pruitt’s grounder to first advanced the runners into scoring position with two out. Brewer followed by going with losing starter Tyree Hayes’ outside pitch serving it into short right for the game’s first couple of runs.

Up two, Erickson made it stick by continuing to pitch well with runners on. In the fifth, he worked around a Jacob Jefferies leadoff double by getting Mark Thomas swinging, Jason Appel 4-3 and Michael Ross on a comebacker. In his final inning, he buckled down after a visit from skipper Pat McMahon. Following a one out walk, Erickson finished strong by getting the last two batters including Kang on an unassisted force out to Maruszak.

The Bombers got a key insurance run in the seventh thanks to solid execution. First baseman Jahdiel Santamaria started it by beating out an infield hit and advanced to second on a Hollingsworth sacrifice. Maruszak then came up and went the other way for an RBI single which scored Santamaria.

“In those situations, you got to look for something to drive and you can’t be willing to miss. You just got to find a hard ball to drive and just hit it,” Maruszak added.

The bullpen also came in and shut the door with Jason Kiley tossing two scoreless while fanning three before giving way to the two armed man everyone’s still talking about Pat Venditte. In his home debut before an entertained crowd, he didn’t disappoint retiring Hudson Valley in order including the final two batters via strikeouts on nasty breaking stuff which neither had much chance on.

“It was good to finally get to pitch in front of the home crowd,” the now infamous switch pitcher said while at his locker. “To have the crowd behind you helps a lot. … I got ahead of hitters which helps a lot. That’s what I’ve noticed so far just watching games.”

Most importantly, the Bombers cameback to take the final two games and win their first series of the summer evening their record at 3-3.

“That’s the key is just to win series,” Maruszak also stated.

“Look for the sweep but if it doesn’t happen, you got to win the series. And if you split the first two, you got to win the third game.”

Notes: Staten Island was outhit 7-4 by their opponents but made their four count. … OF Taylor Grote and 2B David Adams sat out. … Erickson went six without allowing a run on five hits while walking one and striking out three for his first win of the season. … In defeat, Hayes permitted two earned on two hits while walking four in 4.2 IP dropping to 0-2. … Jefferies finished 3-for-4 in defeat. … Bombers hit the road the next four days with stops in Aberdeen the next three before visiting Hudson Valley for two of three later this week with one home game Friday night.