A crowd of just north of 4,800 was on hand at MCU Park in Brooklyn to see the Staten Island Yankees face off against the Brooklyn Cyclones. The usually loud crowd was silent for the majority of the night as the Baby Bombers defeated Brooklyn, 7-2, earning a split in the opening series of the NY-Penn League season.
The Staten Island Yankees continue to show a patient approach at the plate this season, working nine base on balls in the contest to bring them to a league leading 26 walks in four games. Yankees first baseman Chris Breen had three of the nine walks in the game while left fielder Brady Steiger was walked twice.
Staten Island started the scoring off in the top of the first inning. After two quick outs to start the game, Chris Breen worked his first walk of the night before moving to third on a line drive single to right by second baseman Ty McFarland. Bo Thompson then worked a walk to load the bases and bring up the third baseman Renzo Martini. Martini earned the RBI when he worked a walk to force home Breen.
In the top of the second the Yankees managed to plate another run to give them a 2-0 lead over Brooklyn. Collin Slaybaugh lined a single to left and then stole second. A throwing error by the pitcher allowed him to move to third. Jose Javier then hit a ground out to the pitcher to bring up Brady Steiger who worked a walk to put runners at the corners. Next to the plate was Chris Breen who worked his second walk of the night to load the bases for Ty McFarland. With McFarland at the plate the Cyclones pitcher would throw a wild pitch to bring home Slaybaugh.
Baby Bombers starter Jordan Cote did not get the decision in the game as he only pitched four innings. He allowed two runs, one earned, on four hits and a walk while striking out three batters. He was followed by the lefty Ethan Carnes who earned the win tossing two and two-thirds innings allowing four hits and a walk while also striking out three.
The game would remain tied until the top of the seventh inning when the Yankees would plate two runs to regain the lead with two outs. Brady Steiger worked a walk, then Chris Breen reached on an infield single to the third baseman. With two on and two outs the second baseman Ty McFarland would hit the ball to right field where the Cyclones right fielder would bobble the ball and allow both Steiger and Breen to cross the plate. With those two runs the Yankees would not look back.
Staten Island was not done scoring yet as in the top of the eighth inning they plated two more runs. Isaias Tejeda started it off with a ground ball single to center, Daniel Lopez then walked. Next to the plate was Collin Slaybaugh who reached on a fielding error by the first baseman that also allowed Tejeda to score and Lopez to move to third. Jose Javier then hit into an RBI ground out to the second baseman to give the Yankees a four-run lead.
The Baby Bombers tacked on one more run in the top of the ninth. Ty McFarland lined a one-out double to right and then moved to third on a wild pitch. Then with two outs he would come home to score when the umpires called a balk on the Cyclones pitcher. McFarland was one of two Staten Island hitters to have a multi-hit game. The other being catcher Isaias Tejeda, both players had two hits.
Elvin Perez finished it out for the Yankees on the mound. The right-hander earned the save, pitching two and one-third innings, walking just one batter while striking out five.
Tomorrow night the Staten Island Yankees return home to face the visiting Aberdeen Ironbirds. Staten Island native Dillon McNamara is scheduled to make the start, his first of the season.
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