Courtesy Vermont Lake Monsters
BURLINGTON — The Brooklyn Cyclones opened a three-game series at historic Centennial Field with a 2-1 extra-innings victory over the Vermont Lake Monsters in New York-Penn League action Friday night.
An Ariel Yera bunt single to open the 10th inning advanced placed runner Jose Peroza to third base. After a strikeout, Peroza was able to beat the throw home on a Jake Mangum fielder’s choice chopper to first base for the go ahead run. Lake Monsters got out of further damage as Jose Mora came on to get a 5-2-3 double play to end the inning.
The Lake Monsters had a chance to win the game in bottom ninth when Jordan Diaz lined a two-out double to the fence in leftcenter, but Michael Woodworth (who was on first base following a one-out walk) fell rounding the bag at second and could only make it to third. After an intentional walk to load the bases, Marty Bechina grounded out to third base to send game to extra innings.
Vermont took a 1-0 lead in the fourth as Woodworth led off with a walk, then stole second and advanced to third on a throwing error with one out. Diaz followed with a single to leftcenter for his league-leading 30th RBI. Along with the ninth inning double, Diaz accounted for both Lake Monster hits for the night.
The Cyclones quickly tied the game in the top of the fifth after back-to-back one-out singles ended the night for Vermont starter Yorlenis Noa. Brooklyn’s Raul Beracierta greeted reliever Clark Cota with an RBI single to center. Cota worked out of a second-n-third one-out jam with a strikeout and groundout to keep game 1-1 after five.
The fourth inning walk and hit were the only baserunners allowed by Brooklyn starter Garrison Bryant, who added three strikeouts among his 80 pitched (51 strikes) in seven innings of work.
Noa allowed one run on four hits with a walk and four strikeouts over 4 1/3 innings, while Cota two hits with a walk and five strikeouts in 3 2/3 innings.
Austin Briggs (1-1) was charged with an unearned run over 1 1/3 innings to take the loss for Vermont (16-25), while Hunter Parsons two scoreless innings to earn the win and Nelson Leon a scoreless 10th to pick up the save for Brooklyn (23-16).
The Lake Monsters and Cyclones will play the second of the three-game series at Centennial 6:05 pm Saturday. It is both Star Wars Night at the ballpark and the second post-game fireworks show of the season.