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.

Brian Baisley gets ready to bat for Staten Island Yankees.

STATEN ISLAND, NY- All summer long, Brian Baisley has had the magic bat. The 25 year-old elder statesman was money again driving in three of the Baby Bombers’ four in a 4-1 triumph over the Verrazano rival Cyclones before an 11th sellout crowd of 7,171 at Richmond County Bank Ball Park in St. George Saturday night.

“I’m just trying to be productive. Get good pitches to hit and be productive,” the Staten Island first baseman modestly explained after finishing with a two-run double and a bizarre inside the park home run which took Brooklyn center fielder Kirk Nieuwenhuis to the track where it appeared he hauled it in. However, the ball jarred loose and fell underneath the wall.

Meanwhile, a hustling Baisley never stopped running rounding the bases and headed into the dugout before plate umpire Shea Gipson ruled that it was indeed a homer giving the Bombers a 4-0 lead in the home sixth. Not surprisingly, Cyclones’ skipper Edgar Alfonzo came out to get an explanation with Gipson actually taking him all the way to the scene to describe what happened.

“Hell. I don’t know. I wasn’t watching. I was running. … I was talking to one of the guys on the team and they said he caught it and then it went off the scoreboard. I’ll take them anyway I can get them,” Baisley chuckled. “I’ve never seen a home plate umpire go out there. … I’ve never seen something like that.”

In any event, it didn’t matter how his third dinger of the season resulted which supported the strong pitching of winning starter Brandon Braboy, who followed up a solid performance last week with a season best six innings of scoreless ball scattering three hits while walking a pair and fanning five for his first victory.

“It felt pretty good today. I got them to swing at a lot of first and second pitches. Didn’t go too much in the hole. So it felt good today,” he said.

“My pitching coach [Pat Daneker] is teaching me how to pitch. Before, I was trying to throw as hard as I can. Now, I try to pitch and not worry about how hard I throw. My change up worked good my last two starts and tonight I had a slider. All my pitches worked real good.”

“Braboy did very well today. He stayed low in the zone and got guys to swing at some bad pitches. Put the ball in play for our defense to go to work,” added battery mate Mitch Abeita, who contributed with a pair of hits and run scored.

Following a scoreless seventh, Drew Shetrone ran into trouble giving up three straight singles loading the bases to start the eighth forcing Staten Island manager Pat McMahon to bring in Brad Rulon into a hairy situation. The move paid off as he limited the damage getting Jordan Abruzzo to hit an RBI ground out to Baisley. With runners in scoring position, Sean Ratliff lined right to third baseman Mike Lyon and Eric Campbell flied out to center fielder Ray Kruml allowing the Staten Island Yankees to take a three-run lead to the dugout.

“Bases loaded, I just came in and threw strikes and had some good plays behind me. The first two guys hit the ball hard and got lucky that they snagged them. So, good defense right there,” Rulon pointed out.

With closer Pat Venditte unavailable, the right handed setup man got to close the deal pitching around a one out Jose Jimenez double by getting Nieuwenhuis and John Servidio swinging to notch his first save.

“Yeah. Pat was down and had a lot of saves lately. Just another outing. Not really worried about the end of the game. I’ve been in that situation before in college like a couple of inning saves like I came in the eighth and threw well. Then finished up. I haven’t done it here but kind of have been in that situation.”

The game started with both starters tossing zeroes but the Bombers finally broke through against Brooklyn’s Pedro P. Martinez with a three-run third. Abeita and left fielder Taylor Grote had consecutive one out base hits putting runners at the corners. Following a Kruml RBI ground out to short which scored the first run, second baseman David Adams kept it going with a bloop single to center. That brought up Baisley, who laced a two out deep drive off the right field sign for a two-run double making it 3-0.

“We fell behind last night and scored four in the ninth. We came out and battled. To come out and jump on them like that was good for the team,” Baisley noted.

“Brooklyn always plays us tough. They’re a good team and lately we haven’t scored until the ninth inning. So, it was good to get some runs early in the game. … Nice to get an early lead on them and then hold it,” Grote indicated after following an RBI in Friday’s late bid with a 2-for-3 night. “I had been struggling for quite a while but I’m starting to see the ball better. Just some minor adjustments. Trying to cut down. See the ball a lot better. So swing better.”

“We’ve been losing a lot of games lately to them,” added Rulon. “So it was good to get a win against them.”

Notes: The three RBI’s allowed Baisley to pass Dan Brewer for the team lead with 19 knocked in. His three homers are tied with Lyon, Addison Maruszak and Melky Mesa for a share of the club lead. … Seven Bombers have at least 10 RBI’s. … Servidio and J.R. Voyles each had a couple of hits in a losing effort for the Cyclones. … Some early defense prevented Brooklyn from grabbing the lead when Brewer started a 9-2-6 putout with Abeita finishing it off by pegging Voyles at second. … Martinez fell to 0-2 allowing all four earned on seven hits while K-ing three. … With two more scoreless and three K’s, Rulon lowered his ERA to a team best 0.36. … The win improved first place Staten Island to 23-15- four better than both Aberdeen and Hudson Valley with Brooklyn (18-20) trailing by five. … The third game of four is later today at Keyspan Park in Coney Island set for 5 PM with the clubs returning to the Ferry Terminal Monday for the series finale.

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- It’s all on the line. A game between the Staten Island Yankees and the visiting Batavia Muckdogs is tied at two in the eighth inning with the next run probably deciding who wins.

Out to the mound steps Baby Bomber setup reliever Brad Rulon. Wearing No.57, the 22 year-old righthander who the Yankees grabbed in the 34th round last month out of Georgia Tech throws nothing but strikes combining a fastball with a curve and slider which helps explain all his success this summer in a setup role to switch-pitching closer Pat Venditte.

On this particular night, Rulon has no trouble against the Muckdogs tossing a scoreless eighth and ninth while fanning four making it an impressive 28 strikeouts in only 20 innings while allowing just one earned. Opposing batters are hitting .183 against him. It’s all working for the 5-11 189-pound reliever who idolizes Atlanta starter Tim Hudson and any other pitcher under six feet.

“You just try to come in and try not to think about what the situation is,” he explained after improving to 2-0 in a 3-2 win thanks to Jack Rye’s bases loaded walkoff in front of another home sellout at the ball park in St. George. “I just try to go in and throw strikes. When you come in, you try to get ahead in the count.”

Along with that 2-0 record and 28 K’s is a miniscule 0.50 ERA while allowing just 13 hits in 20 frames ruling Penn League batters over the first month.

“I just feel really locked in. I’m pitching really confident right now. My breaking ball’s really working. Just using that to put hitters away and I’m feeling good right now.”

On this particular night, Rulon stuck with what was having success pounding the outside corner catching a couple of Batavia batters looking.

“The umpire gave me a good zone tonight,” he modestly indicated with a grin. “They were right where I want them. Low and away. So, just hitting the target.”

Thus far, he’s worked quite well with starting catcher Mitch Abeita. The two have been on the same page which has been a great thing for manager Pat McMahon late in games.

“I really like throwing to him. He’s a really good catcher. We’re starting to really get. We know each other now. He calls a great game.”

It hasn’t hurt that a relief corps which includes lefty Tim Dennehy, Andy Shive, Daniel Kapala, Drew Shetrone and Josue Selenes has been equally as effective getting the ball to Rulon and Venditte to finish off games.

“The whole team’s throwing well, you kind of just think about what you’re expected to do. Everyone’s doing it. Just go out and get the hitters,” he pointed out.

Rulon also hasn’t minded the overwhelming support from the home crowd which has come out in huge numbers selling out Richmond County Bank Ball Park nine times already with number 10 against Verrazano rival Brooklyn expected Monday at the Ferry Terminal before the team hits the road.

“It’s awesome. The fans here are great since I came here from Florida. Just great to be playing here. A nice stadium. … It’s really been awesome.”

As for playing in the big city, that hasn’t bothered Rulon in the least.

“That’s cool too. Whenever we’re off the bus, I just love playing to that scenery. It’s just awesome.”

Having been off a couple of weeks prior, he and the club toured Yankee Stadium.

“That was awesome too. That was unbelievable. We got to tour the locker room. And we checked out the new Yankee Stadium. It was really cool. It makes you want to work that much harder to come get here.”

Most importantly, Rulon and his Staten Island teammates are playing good ball leading the McNamara Division by three games while boasting a 20-12 record.

“We got plenty of players and everybody’s working hard. Right now, we’re winning and basically, everybody’s rolling.”

STATEN ISLAND, NY- One of the characteristics Staten Island Yankee manager Pat McMahon likes most about his team is their never say die attitude.

Once again, that was on display in a thrilling come from behind 5-4 walkoff win over the Verrazano rival Cyclones before a third consecutive sellout (7,171) at a loud Richmond County Bank Ball Park by the Ferry Terminal Saturday night. It was the second straight win in their final at bat bolstering Staten Island’s (20-11) McNamara Division lead to seven games over the last place Cyclones (13-18), who looked poised to take their third of four in the season series.

A night earlier, it was Jack Rye who delivered a walkoff bases loaded hit defeating Batavia. This time, the heroics were provided by left fielder Melky Mesa, who drilled a one out three-run home run to left giving his team an exciting victory.

“It feels good,” he said in front of his locker via translator Victor Valencia following getting cream pied by teammate Jahdiel Santamaria with shortstop Addison Maruszak the orchestrator sharing a good chuckle along with teammates. “The way I hit the ball, it felt good to win the game.”

“When you got that many guys contributing, it’s a special group that’s worked very hard and believes in itself,” a happy McMahon praised in the winner’s dugout as he took in some fireworks from across the water. “[Mesa] has been working hard in the cage with Hawk [Ty Hawkins]. It was his moment.”

After jumping out to an early one-run first inning lead thanks to second baseman David Adams’ first professional home run to center, the Baby Bombers were held in check by Brooklyn starter Brad Holt, who settled down after escaping a first and second one out second inning jam by getting Ray Kruml chasing a breaking pitch out of the zone and Adams looking at another nasty curve.

In fact, the Cyclones’ righty retired 12 of the final 13 he faced before parting ways with one out in the sixth due to reaching his limit. By that point, his teammates had supported him with four runs including a deep two-run Jordan Abruzzo blast to left off Bomber lefty reliever Tim Dennehy a half inning earlier.

“[Holt] is an outstanding prospect who has a good career ahead of him,” McMahon said. “We hit the ball hard early. He pitched himself out of a jam. Got some strikeouts because he’s a quality guy. I saw him in college a lot. His breaking ball has really really come along well. And with his fastball and straight change, it makes it tough.”

Staten Island didn’t fare much better against Brooklyn’s Roy Merritt, who retired six of the first seven he faced before Adams nearly had his second home run of the night driving one to the opposite field off the right field fence. The night before, his hustle helped the team comeback to beat Batavia. This time, that same aggressive baserunning got Adams’ a one out triple in the eighth, allowing him to score on Brian Baisley’s RBI bouncer back to Merritt for a 1-3 forceout slicing the deficit to 4-2.

“Great feeling,” Adams boasted. “We had great clutch pitching. Our relievers. Casey [Erickson] did a good job holding them to two. Dennehy did a great job. Unfortunately, had a blunder with me up the middle on that hit. What are you going to do. And then Brewer with that key bunt. Pruitt kept it going and of course, Mesa with that bomb. What more could you ask for?”

Trailing by a couple, the stirring comeback wouldn’t have been possible without some splendid pitching from Andy Shive. After putting the first two on via a leadoff Eric Campbell double off the center field wall and getting himself in further trouble by choosing to go to third on a comebacker but throwing high and too late, the righty suddenly was facing a first and third no out hole.

That’s when he showed great poise by getting on the same page with catcher Mitch Abeita, striking out the next three to climb out of it. First, he put a heater right on the outside corner getting Sean Ratliff looking. The next victim was John Servidio, who went fishing on a dipping curve out of the zone. With the outside formula working to perfection, the battery duo didn’t change much as Shive’s 2-2 curve down and away caught nothing but air from Jake Eigsti allowing him to pull a houdini act and give his team some momentum.

“I kind of left the ball up and got in trouble early giving up that leadoff double off the wall. And then on that ball, I didn’t get a good grip on it and put myself in a really bad situation,” Shive explained. “I just had to refocus and compose myself. Try to do my best to get those three outs and give my team a chance.”

“I got a lot of confidence in [Abeita]. When I’m ahead in the count, that’s a huge deal. It allows me to throw my pitch. I have a lot of confidence in him. … We’re just trying to attack the zone the best we could. Make him hit our pitch in that situation.”

Facing Brooklyn’s Stephen Clyne, they were able to carry it thanks to a great drag bunt up the third baseline by pinch hitter Dan Brewer, who just beat the throw across the diamond for a leadoff hit. Third baseman Braedyn Pruitt followed with a clean line drive single up the middle putting runners on at first and second forcing Cyclones’ skipper Edgar Alfonzo to go over strategy with his infield. Abeita’s sac bunt failed to advance the runners as Clyne quickly picked it up and tossed out Brewer at third for the first out.

Following McMahon sending in Santamaria to pinch run for Abeita, the hero Mesa stepped up to the plate and drilled the winning three-run walkoff homer over the left field fence touching off a nice celebration at the plate for the struggling left fielder, who this time came through with his bat instead of his arm.

“It was a battle tonight,” McMahon pointed out. “So many different guys contribute in so many different ways. … That’s the players taking care of it. You put them in their success role and it’s all good. They work hard on hitting. They work hard on their situational game. They work hard and love to play for each other.”

“It’s always exciting to win a game on a walkoff,” Shive added.

“It was all them though. I just tried to give them a chance. It was good and hopefully we can take this momentum into the game [Sunday].”

Notes: In a losing effort, Holt went five and a third permitting one earned on four hits while walking a couple and fanning seven getting a hard luck no-decision. … Though he didn’t have his best stuff, Staten Island SP Casey Erickson still went the first five allowing a couple of earned on six hits while walking a pair and K-ing six while escaping numerous jams to give his team a chance. … RP Daniel Kapala tossed a perfect seventh and eighth while striking out one before the winner Shive came on and stranded a couple with splendid pitching to improve to 4-2. … The game was delayed seven minutes but took a very manageable two hours and 41 minutes before the ninth sellout of the summer with Monday expected to be No.10. … The middle game is later today at 5 PM at KeySpan Park in Coney Island.

Bombers honor Rogers in Home Run For Life: During  break in the game, the Staten Island organization held their second Home Run For Life celebration honoring nine year-old son of owner Jane, Jack Rogers. It was a couple of years after he was born hat he was diagnosed with autism. His problems got even worse when as a five year-old, he was diagnosed with ITP, which is a rare blood disorder that affects the immune system.

Due to health issues, he’s been in the hospital 15 times with each requiring IV treatment to increase his platelet count. His fight might continue but this brave kid has perservered. With both teams out just like Opening Night, he took a victory lap slapping each player’s hand as he rounded the bases to a nice round of applause.

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- 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- 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- 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.