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.

Later tonight, the Staten Island Yankees will look to make it three straight against their Verrazano rival Brooklyn Cyclones at the ballpark in St. George.

After losing the big four-game series opener Friday despite a furious ninth inning rally which fell short, the Baby Bombers have responded with back-to-back wins taking Saturday’s game 4-1 and blowing out the Baby Bums at Keyspan last night 15-2. Staten Island batted around in the first inning scoring five runs KO-ing Cyclone starter Tim Stronach.

First baseman Brian Baisley continued to swing a sizzling bat driving in two of his game high six with a two-run triple getting the party started. Consecutive RBI hits by Addison Maruszak (double), Dan Brewer (single) and Mike Lyon (triple) made it a five-run inning.

While winning starter David Phelps was busy putting up zeros in the first five for his fourth victory of the season, his teammates continued to pound Brooklyn pitching putting up an eight spot in the fourth highlighted by a Baisley grand slam (team-leading 4th HR) and left fielder Taylor Grote’s first home run as a pro- a three-run job with the two dingers accounting for seven of the eight runs with Lyon’s run scoring double sandwiched between.

Though the ‘Clones scored a run each in the seventh and eighth off relievers Tim Dennehy and Jacinto Gonell including a Jose Jimenez solo shot, a game which included a lengthy one hour and 35 minute rain delay had been long decided. The Bombers tacked on two more in the ninth on RBI singles by Ray Kruml and Jahdiel Santamaria putting the exclamation point on the blowout win.

Andy Shive came in and fanned two of three to finish off a game which took nearly five hours due to the rain (3:08 overall).

The Bombers (24-15) lead the McNamara Division by four games over Hudson Valley (20-19) with Aberdeen trailing by five and Brooklyn six out with tonight’s series finale on tap. They’re 13-6 at home compared to 11-9 on the road.

Former Bomber Updates:

1.3B Mitch Hilligoss has struggled in his first season for Tampa hitting .244 with a homer, 17 doubles and 28 RBI’s along with 12 steals in 91 games for the High-A affiliate. Once rumored to be in a potential deal for Johan Santana, the 23 year-old Windsor, Illinois native who the Yankees took in the 2006 sixth round hasn’t been able to follow up an impressive second season in Charleston which included a South Atlantic record 38-game hit streak. There’s still five weeks left in the Florida State League season for him to finish strong.

2.Seth Fortenberry has also had a rough go of it going from Charleston to Tampa. The former S.I. Yankee star who teamed with Hilligoss to help them repeat two summers ago has gotten into 86 games and is hitting .242 with seven homers, nine doubles, seven triples and 22 RBI’s while swiping eight bases. Despite that, his .348 OBP isn’t bad and he has hit better in July (.282) than in prior months. The 24 year-old former Baylor star who the Yanks grabbed in Rd. 11 in 2006 can still finish with decent numbers if he puts it together.

3.George Kontos nearly was included in the six-player trade with the Pirates this past weekend but he and teammate Phil Coke wound up staying in Trenton. Apparently, someone failed a physical which was why the deal was changed. We may never know who. The 23 year-old former Northwestern star who the Yanks tabbed in the fifth round in 2006 has struggled lately in for the Double-A affiliate suffering his 10th defeat of the season the other night allowing six earned in six frames while walking four and striking out seven. While the Bomber hero who K’d 11 in six scoreless to help S.I. repeat two years ago has more than a K-per-inning over the last 51-plus, he’s 1-6 during that span with over a 5.00 ERA. In 21 outings, he’s 3-10 with a 4.05 ERA including 110 K’s in 113 and a third.

4.Kevin Smith has fared better than his teammates in Tampa hitting .277 with four homers, 23 doubles and 45 knocked in including 127 total bases in 92 contests. The 24 year-old first baseman who also starred on the 2006 Staten Island championship team was selected by the Yankees in Rd.39 in 2006. He finished very strong last year for the River Dogs hitting .297 with eight dingers and 52 RBI’s in 83 games. He’s continued to perform respectably.

5.Jonathan Hovis has followed up a solid first two pro seasons in Staten Island and Charleston with an even better third one with Tampa. The 24 year-old out of North Carolina who the Yankees signed as a free agent on 7/3/06 has done a good job closing games for Tampa posting a 2-0 record with a 1.14 ERA and 10 saves in 21 games. In 23 and a third, he’s allowed 13 hits while walking only three and striking out 24 with opposing hitters batting .155 against. Last season, he saved 30 games for Charleston.

6.Colin Curtis has had mixed results in his second season with Trenton. In 101 games, the 23 year-old left fielder out of Arizona State who the Yanks took in Rd.4 in 2006 is batting .258 with five homers, 17 doubles, two triples and 51 RBI’s while stealing five bases and posting a .336 OBP (46 walks). The former S.I. Yankee 2006 center fielder has fared better than his initial stint last year where he hit .242 with three long balls and 15 RBI’s. With top prospect Austin Jackson playing center, Curtis has made the transition to left and will try to help the defending Eastern League champs repeat.

7.James Cooper is still adjusting to life in Double-A where he’s hitting just .205 with two doubles and 10 RBI’s in 83 at bats since getting promoted from Tampa after batting .311 with a homer and 22 RBI’s in 66 games. The 24 year-old Los Angeles native who’s in his fourth pro season after the Yanks took him in the 2005 ninth round has battled back from leg injuries to get his chance. He was a member of the 2005 Staten Island championship team.

8.Justin Snyder has continued to progress well following an impressive first pro season which included Penn League AS honors by hitting .293 with 34 extra base hits including 26 two-baggers and three triples while knocking in 46 and totaling 159 bases with Charleston. The scrappy 22 year-old out of the University of San Diego who the Yanks grabbed in Rd.21 last year continues to get on-base drawing 42 walks along with a .361 OBP with a slugging of .416 in 98 games. He’s also a perfect 5-for-5 in stolen base attempts. Last season, he set new club records for Staten Island in average (.335) and hits (87) while totaling 26 extra base hits, 68 runs and a gaudy .459 OBP (58 BB) out of the leadoff spot. He batted first some this summer but lately has been moved to the middle of the River Dogs order.

9.Wilkins De La Rosa has successfully converted from right field to an effective left handed pitcher for Charleston. After struggling mightily at the plate in 2006 for the Bombers, the 23 year-old Santo Domingo native who the Yankees signed on 11/15/01 became a pitcher last year going 1-0 with a 2.63 ERA in 12 games for the Gulf Coast Yankees fanning 32 in 24 frames. This summer, he’s risen up the charts posting a 6-3 mark with a 2.32 ERA in 27 games. After starting the year as a reliever, De La Rosa is now starting games and faring well. In his last five starts, he’s gone into the sixth allowing two runs-or-less while striking out 34. Overall in 81.1 IP, he’s permitted 55 hits with only two long balls while walking 35 and whiffing 102 with opposing batters hitting only .192 against.

We’ll have more updates on former Staten Island Yanks later.

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- 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- During their season high nine-game winning streak, the Staten Island Yankees were cashing in on opponents’ mistakes while limiting theirs. However, the roles were reversed in last night’s 5-4 home loss to Oneonta before 3,453 at Richmond County Bank Ball Park by the Ferry Terminal.

The Baby Bombers weren’t sharp in the field committing a season worst seven errors. Not surprisingly, the Tigers took advantage scoring all five unearned runs in three different frames to jump out to a 5-0 lead before the home club made it interesting late but ultimately fell just a little short of extending their streak.

Before a 10-minute downpour interrupted play in the fourth for over an hour, Oneonta made Staten Island pay for their sloppy play in the field. Bomber starter Luke Greinke couldn’t escape the third like he did in the first which saw the Tigers load the bases before he wiggled out of trouble.

Instead, Oneonta jumped out in front pushing across two unearned thanks to miscues from S.I. shortstop Walter Ibarra and left fielder Taylor Grote. Ibarra booted the potential second out of the inning allowing Ben Guez to reach on an E6. A batter later, Grote let a Chris White line drive play him dropping the ball to put runners on the corners. After Greinke got the second out, Carlos Ramirez delivered a two-run triple to right center which eluded a diving Melky Mesa. Though the Bomber center fielder initally stayed in the game, he later was replaced following the rain by Ray Kruml.

When the game finally resumed, the Bombers had a chance to get back in it with two runners on but DH Jack Rye hit into an inning ending 5-4-3 double play to kill the threat.

The follies continued as even sure handed first baseman Jahdiel Santamaria botched a routine grounder and then was followed by a Mike Lyon E5 for the fifth error of the night on what looked to be a potential DP. Even with the two miscues, reliever Dan Kapala limited the damage to a run on a Bryan Pounds RBI single. Second baseman David Adams turned a nice 4-4-3 twin killing to keep the Bombers within three in the fifth.

Following an inning ending Grote double play with Kruml on, the Tigers added another run taking advantage of Ibarra’s second error of the game. It was preceded by a Mitch Abeita throwing error on a pickoff allowing a runner to get into scoring position. With a couple of more runners on, Oneonta executed a perfect squeeze with Brandon Douglas getting it down perfectly between third and short and then beating it out to put runners on at first and second. Guez followed with a runscoring base hit to left plating Joseph Bowen for the fifth run.

Just when the game seemed over, Staten Island sprung to life with three straight hits by Braedyn Pruitt, Ibarra and Adams to load the bases in the sixth with no one out. Two batters later, right fielder Dan Brewer’s sac fly got them on the board. Rye then beat out an infield hit with a throwing error by Oneonta’s Mike Gosse allowing Adams to score the second run. Abeita then reached on an error re-loading the bases but Kruml bounced into an inning ending 4-6 force out.

Still trailing 5-2 in the seventh, the Bombers drew closer when Ibarra and Adams had back-to-back two out doubles with the latter nearly going yard with the ball going off the left center field fence. With the tying run up at the plate, Lyon worked the count from 0-2 to full but took a tough called strike three on what appeared to be a ball a couple of inches outside.

Despite the errors and such a call not going their way, Staten Island continued to battle till the very bitter end. After the first two batters were retired, they put together a two out rally in their last licks. A Pruitt walk was followed by an Ibarra base hit. With the tying runs on base, Adams singled to right scoring Pruitt to slice it to one but Ibarra was pegged out by right fielder Luis Arlet to fittingly end a night of mistakes.

Notes: Adams broke out of an 0-for-20 slide with four hits in five at bats scoring a run and driving in two. … Despite a couple of costly errors, Ibarra finished 3-for-5 at the plate with a couple of runs. … Pruitt replaced Santamaria at first reaching base twice in three at bats. … Greinke worked the first four suffering the loss to drop to 0-2 giving up three unearned on three hits while K-ing a pair. … S.I. reliever Brad Rulon came on and worked the final two innings striking out five Tigers while giving his team a chance to comeback. … Mark Brackman picked up the win despite allowing two runs (ER) on five hits in two frames. … The nine inning game took two hours and 52 minutes while the rain delay lasted 68 minutes. … First place Bombers (14-8) look to bounceback against the Tigers in the middle game with a rare early 11 AM start on Kids Camp Day in St. George.

STATEN ISLAND, NY- The Fourth of July will always be symbolic for celebrating this country’s birth thanks to the many people who sacrificed so much. It’s also a patriotic holiday where Americans celebrate in style setting off plenty of fireworks.

With the fireworks supplied across the river in Jersey City and in Manhattan via Macy’s, the Staten Island Yankees decided to toss a few extra rockets in an exciting 11-9 home win over Mahoning Valley before an energized packed house of 7,171 at Richmond County Bank Ball Park by the Ferry Terminal Friday night.

“It’s obviously a very difficult day to perform in with the wind and more so the rain. When the conditions are like that, it makes the field very very tough for both pitching staffs. No question. At this level, you just got to keep scoring runs and understand that fact. Keep playing and do the very best you can,” Staten Island manager Pat McMahon pointed out after taking in some extra fireworks along with his team courtesy of the stadium post-game entertainment.

His club scored early and often getting at least a run in six of the first seven innings before holding on due to the tough windy conditions.

“There’s no question it did. Particularly with the conditions going on and the pitchers. It made it tough conditions to perform in. But you got to battle through that. It’s just one of those things. You’ve got to throw the ball in the strike zone, grab a couple of runs and you got to limit walks and our guys are working very hard. They understand that and they’ll continue to get through.”

McMahon saw his ballclub build a six-run lead thanks to a four-run fourth highlighted by some big two out hits. Following a bunt single by second baseman Ryan Wilkes, Kaimi Mead uncorked a wild pitch putting both runners in scoring position. Staten Island shortstop Walter Ibarra kept the rally alive by walking to load the bases forcing Mead out of the game. Center fielder Ray Kruml greeted Travis Turek rudley with a two out two-run single to right making it 4-1.

After Mike Lyon was plunked re-loading the bases, Ibarra and Kruml came into score on left fielder Dan Brewer’s two-run base hit to center increasing the lead to five.

However, the Scrappers scrapped their way back in it with three runs of their own the next half inning thanks to a passed ball from S.I. starter Brandon Braboy. Following a walk which loaded the bases, he was replaced by Jacinto Gonell, who limited the damage allowing an RBI single to Doug Pickens and a Donnie Webb RBI groundout before getting Robert Alcombrack swinging to end it.

Still up two, the Bombers took full advantage of an error which allowed catcher Mitch Abeita to reach. Three batters later with two on and two out, Ibarra delivered a three-run home run to right giving his team a 9-4 lead.

“I thank God for giving me the ability to play. It was a good game,” the leadoff man said through translator Victor Valencia.

As it turned out, the two insurance runs they tacked in on a Jahdiel Santamaria two out RBI single which plated Abeita in the sixth and a Jack Rye RBI forceout which allowed Kruml to score in the home seventh was needed because Mahoning Valley never quit. They scored twice in the top of the seventh without a hit thanks to five combined walks from Gonell who left with an injury and was replaced by lefty Tim Dennehy.

Still up 11-6, it got even more interesting when the Scrappers continued to chip away thanks to a Rye error. With a couple of runners on and two out, Dennehy appeared to get out of the jam when he got Pickens to pop the ball up to a short right. But Rye dropped the ball allowing one run to score. Replaced by closer Pat Venditte, Dickens watched as the ambidextrous reliever struggled to find the plate walking three straight batters to force in a couple of more runs before finally escaping when Ryan Blair popped out to Lyon at third.

“I was having a really tough time locating pitches,” Venditte explained at his locker as the team packed to get ready for a road series with Auburn starting later tonight. “You don’t get ahead of hitters, things aren’t going to work out for you. I really struggled there in the eighth. Luckily, we made a nice play to get out of it. … The fans really helped me out. That gave me a big boost. Especially when I was struggling with the bases loaded. For them to support me like that meant a lot.”

After recording the first two outs quickly in the ninth, Venditte couldn’t finish off a pesky Jeremie Tice who laced a double in the gap to put the tying run at the plate. But the two-armed specialist persevered enough to get Brock Simpson to pop out to Mesa finally ending a game which took over three and a half hour to complete before easily the loudest crowd of the summer.

“It was a long game. Lot of walks. Lot of hits from both sides but it was fun. Good to come out with a ‘W,’ stated Kruml after reaching base four of five times finishing a productive three-for-five with two RBI’s and three runs scored. “Just putting the ball in play. Didn’t really hit anything really hard. Found some right places I guess.”

“We’ve been playing well. The bats came alive. The pitchers have been throwing well and I’m doing my job. I’m closing out games late which is big,” Venditte added.

“When you’re at home, you want to win. It was huge for our team to get all six games.”

STATEN ISLAND, NY- Stop them if you can. Lately, nobody has been able to to deny the suddenly resurgent Baby Bombers on their six-game homestand. They’ve been getting great pitching and cashing in on opponents’ mistakes.

Once again, Pat McMahon’s ballclub took care of business taking advantage of four errors in a 10-1 drubbing of Mahoney Valley before a pleased crowd of 4,055 at Richmond County Bank Ball Park by the Ferry Terminal Thursday night.

“We’re working at it. We still got a long way to go and obviously the guys battled good today. They’re figuring some things out and getting in a routine. The effort’s been good all year. We just got to get better every day,” the pleased first-year Staten Island skipper explained in the winner’s dugout.

“Anytime at this level that teams give you four outs an inning or plus, you got to be able to score multiple runs and we were very fortunate our side we had two four run innings. … Offensively our guys are figuring it out. … Collectively, we’re swinging a little bit better. There’s still some areas we got to get better in. Some guys collectively but we’ll keep working at it. The guys are a great group to be around. Their work ethic has been outstanding.”

The hard work paid off as the Staten Island Yankees executed well in the fourth off losing Mahoning Valley reliever Anillins Martinez (0-1) pushing across the game’s first two runs. The first three batters reached via a couple of walks and a Jack Rye seeing eye bloop single which landed between short and left loading the bases. Right fielder Dan Brewer got in the first run by moving the runners over on a productive RBI 4-3 forceout. A batter later, backstop Mitch Abeita’s sac fly plated third baseman Mike Lyon for the two-run lead.

They held that lead also due to some solid pressure pitching from starter Luke Greinke. Despite running into a couple of early jams, the younger brother of Royals’ ace Zach Greinke persevered. A Lyon error put the first two Scrappers on in the second but the righty fanned the next couple swinging and then got defensive help from center fielder Melky Mesa, who for the second time in three nights nailed a runner at the plate to end an inning.

With the game still scoreless, some more D allowed him to escape a first and third one out situation. Lonnie Chisenhall’s bouncer resulted in a wild 5-2-5-3-1 putout at home for the second out. But a Greinke walk loaded the bases. He got out of it by getting Brock Simpson to bounce back for a more conventional 1-3 putout to end the threat.

“He threw amazing,” pointed out Abeita of the 22 year-old Orlando native out of Auburn who cameback to retire six of the final seven he faced falling just short of qualifying for his first win while striking out six.

 ”He had some times where he could’ve gone the other way but he battled really hard through some tough situations. Calls not going our way.”

Following Brad Rulon (1-0) coming on to record the final out of the Scrappers’ fifth, the Bombers saw their opponents botch routine plays committing three of four errors leading to four runs. Staten Island first baseman Jahdiel Santamaria reached to start the fateful inning on an E5 by Jeremie Tice. He then was caught stealing but during the rundown, he made second due to a throwing error by Lonnie Chisenhall.

A couple of batters later with runners on the corners and one away, DH Brian Baisley’s grounder to short was booted by Chisenhall allowing Santamaria to score making it 3-0. Following a short single by Wednesday’s walkoff hero Lyon, a Rye sac fly put them up four. Brewer and Abeita followed with clutch two out hits padding the lead to six.

“Whenever we take advantage of teams’ mistakes, we really gain momentum. It really helps us to move forward and score runs,” Abeita noted after finishing a productive 2-for-3 with three knocked in including a two out double.

“They gave us a lot of opportunities the last two days. Errors and walks. It’s good to capitalize on their mistakes,” Baisley added while noting they’ve been a different team since sweeping a doubleheader from Aberdeen Monday which began the turnaround. “Ever since then, we’ve been swinging better. … Now finally we’re putting seven, eight, nine, ten runs…It’s good. Hitting’s contagious. One guy starts hitting. It’s funny how it gets done.”

The Bombers put the contest out of reach with another four runs during the home seventh adding another definition to the term seventh inning stretch. They greeted Mahoning’s Michael McGuire by having the first five batters reach on four singles and a walk. Consecutive base hits by Rye, Brewer and Abeita increased the lead to 9-0.

Brewer scored the 10th and final run on a Santamaria RBI fielder’s choice giving plenty of support to a staff which all but shutdown the Scrappers holding them to a run on five hits while K-ing 10 including the final batter of the night when closer Pat Venditte got Juan Valdes looking.

“It’s really big. Especially in the first two innings. … I think they had second and third one inning with no one out. And all of a sudden they come out of there with no runs and we’re like, ‘Alright. Now we can get some runs. It was good to have the pitching,” Lyon remarked after reaching base four of five times scoring three runs.

“We deserve to be in first place. Hopefully, we continue to streak for the rest of the year.” 

Notes: Baisley, Rye, Brewer and Abeita each had two hits finishing a very productive 8-for-14 scoring four runs while driving in eight of Staten Island’s 10 runs. … Lyon has hit in all five wins during the streak batting a scorching .588 (10-for-17) with a game-winning homer, four RBI’s and six runs scored. … Rulon went an inning and a third allowing no runs, a hit, a walk while striking out one for his first win of the season. … Dan Kapala went two innings giving up the only run on a hit and walk with a K. … Venditte did issue two walks but cameback to strikeout the last two keeping his perfect ERA intact. … The game took three hours and two minutes. … In his pro debut, MV’s Eric Berger worked three scoreless permitting just a hit and walk while fanning three. … First place Staten Island (10-7) goes for a perfect six-game homestand later tonight against the Scrappers.

STATEN ISLAND, NY- When a team gets extra outs to play with, it must make opponents pay the price. That’s exactly the recipe Dan Brewer and his Staten Island teammates used in a come from behind 9-4 home win over Aberdeen sweeping the three-game series at Richmond County Bank Ball Park in St. George Tuesday night.

“We swung it well tonight,” the Baby Bomber right fielder indicated at his locker after coming up with a big two-run go-ahead single in a five-run fourth cashing in on a couple of Ironbirds’ errors.

“I was seeing the ball well. With the bases loaded, I was just trying to put the ball in play and hit it hard and got it past the shortstop. … We played well tonight and put it all together.”

After spotting their opponents three with a run apiece in the first three frames, the Bombers were able to pickup fallen teammate Cory Arbiso after he turned his ankle while fielding a Jahdiel Santamaria throw to first for the first out of the fourth. He was helped off the field by the trainer and had his left ankle heavily taped and wasn’t certain when he’d be back.

Stepping up in his place was Staten Island’s Andy Shive, who came on in a difficult situation and did a splendid job holding the Birds at three runs while giving his teammates the opportunity to get back in the game.

“I’ve never really been in that kind of situation before. But it’s you get as many warmups as you need. You just get out there and have to get focused and get some outs,” the righthander remarked after working an effective two and two thirds scoreless while fanning three to pickup his first win.

“It felt good in warmups. I just needed to locate and I did a pretty good job in the early innings and my job was just to keep the team in the game. That’s what I tried to do.”

“That’s got to be a really tough situation to come into. You got to warm up right there on the mound. He spun it pretty well and kept everything outside. I thought he did a pretty good job tonight,” added third baseman Mike Lyon who had a big hit of his own in the comeback driving in the Bombers’ second run. 

After Shive came on to record the final couple of outs of the fourth, the Bombers got going with a little help from some shoddy Aberdeen defense. S.I. shortstop Walter Ibarra got the home half started with the club’s first hit of the night off losing starter Aaron Odom (1-2). He moved to second when second baseman David Adams walked. Catcher Brian Baisley followed with what looked like a potential 6-4-3 double play ball but instead Birds’ shortstop Tom Edwards booted it allowing Ibarra to round third and cut the deficit to 3-1.

Lyon then came up and hit a sharp grounder which got through to left for a runscoring single to keep the rally going. “I thought maybe I was going to hit into a double play but it was just off to the left and so it worked out for me.”

The biggest hit of the inning came three batters later when Brewer ripped an Odom offering just out of Edwards’ reach plating two with the bases loaded a couple of batters following an E4 by Aberdeen’s Eric Perlozzo. He also had a clean takeout of second on Steve Strausbaugh’s RBI forceout which allowed center fielder Melky Mesa to score the fifth run.

Despite not getting a hit in four at bats, Mesa played a pivotal role in the Bombers’ third straight win with the defensive play of the night throwing out Jacob Julius after a Calvin Lester single to center to end the Aberdeen sixth.

“I felt pretty good about it that I was able to come through for the team,” the 21 year-old said through translator Julio Mascarra. “I got a good jump on the ball for the throw and got him.”

The Bombers put the game out of reach with four more in the seventh. Brewer started it off by singling, then advancing to second on a Strausbaugh groundout and then went to third on a failed pickoff. With runners on the corners, he came into score on Rich Zagone’s wild pitch giving the S.I. Yanks a three-run lead. Ibarra added to the lead with a runscoring base hit to center.

“It all started with Brewer that inning. He had a huge two RBI single and then you had Walter with a clutch hit. I mean everybody was pretty much clutch and I came up in a big situation,” Adams noted of the balanced attack after padding the cushion to six with a two-run double to deep center which didn’t miss going out of the park by much.

“It’s just a matter of time before we snap out of it. I mean we’ve been hitting balls hard all year. Just right at people. It was a matter of time before they fall. … We’re seeing the ball well. We’re taking good swings. It’s just a matter of letting them fall through.”

Notes: Despite being outhit 9-6, the Baby Bombers made the most out of three Aberdeen miscues in recording their first sweep of the season to boost their record over .500 (8-7) for the first time this season. … RP Tim Dennehy came on for Shive in the seventh and tossed two perfect frames while striking out four. Daniel Kapala made his first appearance giving up an unearned run on a hit while fanning two including the last batter swinging to end the game. … Unlike prior games this summer, the contest took only a manageable two hours and 27 minutes. … Ibarra finished 2-for-4 hitting leadoff while scoring two runs. Seven of Staten Island’s nine starters scored at least once. … Inf Brian Chavez (lower back) said he’s still a few days away and could return possible later this week. … Staten Island hosts Mahoning Valley for three beginning tonight with first pitch at 7 ET.

STATEN ISLAND, NY- Some late hustle helped the home club snap a tie score and end their two-game skid. Second baseman David Adams’ leadoff basehit in the eighth along with some smart baserunning allowed the Staten Island Yankees to pull out a well earned 4-3 win over Hudson Valley before 6,025 at Richmond County Bank Ball Park in St. George on Friday Fireworks Night sending the majority home happy.

“We made it exciting. Down to the wire. … I’d say we earned our chances,” echoed second-year corner infielder Braedyn Pruitt, whose successful sacrifice contributed to Adams’ winning run. “Well, you’re not hitting, you got to find other ways to help out.”

Deadlocked at three after the Renegades pushed across two runs in the fourth off Baby Bomber starter Casey Erickson, the hot bats finally were cooled off by each teams’ bullpen. Staten Island used three relievers to keep their pesky opponents at bay. Andy Shive, Jacinto Gonell and closer Pat Venditte combined for five scoreless while fanning six.

Erickson didn’t have his best stuff but was able to limit the damage in four innings despite allowing 10 hits. Shive took the ball and worked two middle frames without permitting a run scattering a couple of hits, a walk and fanning three including Michael Ross swinging to conclude his night.

After Gonell came on and tossed an effective seventh, the second-year Staten Island Yankee gave up a two out double to Hudson’s Jacob Jefferies putting the potential go-ahead run in scoring position. S.I. skipper Pat McMahon didn’t fool around calling on his two-armed specialist to get out of it. The plan paid immediate dividends when it took Venditte all of three pitches freezing Jason Appel with a nasty curve to end the threat.

With the game still knotted, it set the stage for Adams to spark his team. He ledoff with a clean single to left and was immediately sacrificed over by Pruitt. With Mike Lyon looking to get him in, Adams swiped his second base of the night taking third without a throw due to Hudson Valley backstop Mark Thomas mishandling a pitchout from losing reliever Marquis Fleming (0-1).

The righty then intentionally walked Lyon putting runners at the corners with an out to setup the double play. However, with pinch runner Jahdiel Santamaria in at first, the strategy backfired. Paying too much attention to the eventual key defensive first base sub, Fleming’s pickoff got away allowing Adams to score the winning run without a throw.

“We started off hot but then ran into some bad luck,” Lyon later explained in the winning locker room after coming in and manning the hot corner the final three innings after DH Brian Baisley was mysteriously kicked out by testy plate umpire Nick Mahrley for barely arguing a called out third strike during the home sixth. “But it ended out working out for us. The baseball gods were with us I guess.”

Still, the game was far from over due to a couple of miscues by the S.I. Yanks which put the win in jeopardy. The first two Renegades reached base safely on consecutive errors by Ryan Wilkes and Santamaria. When Robi Estrada successfully sacrificed the runners over, Hudson Valley was setup. But Venditte buckled down getting local Staten Island product Mike McKenna to pop out harmlessly to short for the second out.

The game then hung in the balance. Venditte forced Jason Corder into a grounder which he tipped to Wilkes, whose throw nearly pulled a diving Santamaria off the bag. Somehow, he managed to keep the foot on long enough to just get Corder for the final out giving the Bombers (4-5) an exciting win.

“That wasn’t an easy play at the end there,” Venditte (1-0) noted after picking up his first victory of the season before his family who was in town visiting. “He easily could’ve booted that ball and just packed it up. But he stuck with it and that was a great play to end the game.”

“That was big that we pulled that out. Pat did a good job shutting down after a couple of things behind him. It looked like that was a guaranteed run. Especially first and second no out in that situation but he did a great job. The defense did a good job behind him. It worked out in our favor tonight,” Lyon also pointed out.

“Good comeback after a couple of losses. Hopefully tomorrow, we can take the series and win two out of three in Hudson Valley.”

Notes: Despite only seven total runs, the teams combined for 24 hits and stranded a ton of runners. … Both SS/3B Brian Chavez and SS Addison Maruszak are out with injuries and won’t be expected back until some time next week. … Bombers scored the game’s first three runs in the first thanks to a Pruitt sac fly and RBI singles by Baisley and newcomer Jack Rye who played in right field finishing 2-for-3. … For Hudson Valley, Jefferies finished a perfect 4-for-4 with an RBI in a losing effort. … Renegade starter Tyree Hayes settled down following giving up three by tossing the final five scoreless and K-ing three to get a no-decision. … S.I. DH Dan Brewer also had a pair of hits. … Bombers released OF D.J. Hollingsworth to make room for SS Walter Ibarra. … Staten Island returns home Sunday to host Aberdeen for a 2 PM matinee on Military Appreciation Day as part of a six-game homestand. 

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.