Staten Island 2, Brooklyn 0

After postponements on Tuesday and Wednesday, the weather finally cooperated for Game One of the NYPL Semi-Finals at MCU Park on Thursday night. However, the rainouts from the past two days appeared to slow the momentum Brooklyn had going into the postseason. Although the Brooklyn Cyclones (0-1) concluded the regular season with a three-game sweep of the Staten Island Yankees (1-0), they fell in Game One by a score of 2-0.


Starting pitcher Marco Camarena (0-1, 1.50) pitched valiantly, striking out nine, walking none, and scattering six hits and over 6.0 innings of one-run ball. But the righthander could not get any run support as the Cyclones offense managed two hits and put just two runners in scoring position the entire game.


In the top of the first, Camarena allowed a leadoff triple to Mason Williams, but quickly recovered, inducing two strikeouts and a ground out to retire the Yankees without incurring any damage.



However, Staten Island jumped ahead, 1-0, in the top of the second. Camarena allowed back-to-back singles to Reymond Nunez and Casey Stevenson to leadoff the frame, but he promptly induced a strikeout and a fly out. Just one out away from ending the threat, Camarena allowed a single to Nick McCoy on a ground ball that squeezed through the left side of the infield. Left fielder Javier Rodriguez had a play on Nunez, fielding the ball just as the slugging first baseman rounded third. However, Rodriguez’s throw was wide and Nunez scored with ease.

The righthander from Mexico kept the Cyclones in the game over the next five frames, blanking the Yanks in the third, fourth, fifth, and sixth innings. Camarena even recorded a streak of ten consecutive retired batters at one point.



The Cyclones threatened with two outs in the bottom of the sixth, putting their first runner in scoring position of the game. After Muno drew a walk, the team-leader in stolen bases swiped second with Charley Thuber at bat. However, Thurber was struck out to end the threat.

A larger threat came in the seventh inning, but it too was extinguished without a run. Javier Rodriguez was plunked to lead off the frame and was moved over to second on a ground out. The next batter, Travis Taijeron roped a line drive, but it was directed right at the Staten Island third baseman for the inning’s second out. Brian Harrison then drew a two-out walk to give Brooklyn runners on first and second, but a liner off the bat of Brandon Brown nestled in the glove of the center fielder to end the inning.



Staten Island got insurance in the top of the eighth to take a 2-0 lead. After Benjamin Gamel picked up a two-out single, he stole second and advanced to third on catcher Xorge Carrillo’s throw, which ended up in center field. Tyler Austin then plated Gamel from third on a RBI-single.



Six consecutive Cyclones were then retired to end Game One. After going 1-2-3 in the eighth inning, Brooklyn went down in order again in the ninth, giving Staten a 2-0 victory and a 1-0 lead in the NYPL Semi-Finals.



Game Two of the NYPL Semi-Finals will be played across the Verrazano Bridge at Richmond County Bank Ballpark tomorrow, Friday, September 9 at 1:05 p.m. RHP Jeff Walters (4-6, 3.32) will take the hill for the Cyclones and will oppose RHP Bryan Mitchell (1-3, 4.09). Against Staten Island this season, Walters was 1-1 and recorded an ERA of 5.02, but he posted a WHIP of 1.19 and held the Yankee bats to just a .209 average against.