BROOKLYN, N.Y. - Despite the Brooklyn bats plating six runs on nine hits, the Cyclones saw their three game winning streak come to an end in a 7-6 defeat to Wilmington on Wednesday night. In the loss, four different Cyclones logged multi-hit efforts, including SS Mitch Voit, who crushed a solo home run off the batter’s eye beyond the center field wall.
Voit, RF John Bay, DH Ronald Hernandez and 2B Diego Mosquera all finished with multi-hit efforts. The quartet collected eight of the nine Brooklyn hits on the night. Brooklyn scored runs in five of the nine innings offensively.
Six different arms took the ball in the bullpen game for the Cyclones. RHP Hoss Brewer was tagged with the loss, while RHP Baron Stuart picked up his first win as a member of the Nationals organization, despite blowing a save.
Wilmington got the scoring started right from the jump. The first batter of the ballgame, 2B Devin Fitz-Gerald took RHP Parker Carlson deep to put the BlueRocks in front, 1-0. The long ball marked Fitz-Gerald’s sixth leadoff home run of the season already.
Brooklyn punched back immediately in the home half of the 1st. Voit got things started with a base hit, and proceeded to steal second. From there, Bay launched a sharp line drive to center for an RBI triple to tie the game. The very next batter, Hernandez, plated Bay on an RBI groundout to give Brooklyn a 2-1 lead.
Still, Wilmington showcased a response of their own in the 2nd. After RF Elijah Green started the frame with a knock, he’d advance to 2nd on a 1-out single from DH Caleb Farmer. Then, 3B Randal Diaz clubbed an RBI double to right field to tie the game. The very next batter, LF Teo Banks, skied a sac fly to left to give the Blue Rocks a 3-2 lead.
Brooklyn pulled even in the bottom of the 2nd, thanks to a two-out RBI single from 2B Diego Mosquera. One inning later, Brooklyn regained their one-run lead. In the 3rd, Bay got the inning started with a free pass, before Hernandez drove in his second run of the day on an RBI single.
Wilmington though, would pull even once more in the 4th. With the bases loaded and two outs, RHP Dakota Hawkins would issue a bases loaded walk to Fitz-Gerald, tying the game at four. That said, RHP Hunter Hodges came in and got SS Ronny Cruz to fly out and end the inning. Hodges would strike out the next six batters he faced, working 2.1 scoreless out of the Brooklyn ‘pen.
Brooklyn regained its lead in the 5th on Voit’s bomb to straightaway center field. The long ball marked the 2025 first round pick’s 5th home run of the campaign, putting Brooklyn back in front, 5-4.
After the two squads traded zeroes in the 5th and 6th, the Blue Rocks bats were back for more in the 7th. RHP Tanner Witt retired the first two he faced, but issued a two-out walk, before CF Yeremy Cabrera hit a go-ahead two-run home run to left field.
That said, the Cyclones drew even once more in the bottom of the 7th. After Bay singled and took 2nd on an error, Hernandez laced a single through on the right side and took the extra base on the throw home. After a strikeout, with two in scoring position and one out, CF Yonatan Henríquez hit a sharp liner to center that Cabrera reeled in, but was deep enough for Bay to tag and score from 3rd to tie the game.
The decisive blow came in the top half of the 8th inning. With Brewer having just entered the ballgame to begin the frame, 1B Hunter Hines took him deep to give Wilmington a 7-6 lead.
Brooklyn did put the would-be tying runs on base in both the 8th and 9th but couldn’t plate the runner either time.
The Cyclones and Blue Rocks return to action on Thursday morning at 11:00 A.M. RHP Noah Hall (0-4, 6.46 ERA) will take the ball for Brooklyn. He’ll be opposed by Wilmington’s starter, RHP Riley Maddox (2-4, 4.57 ERA).