Sports

Cyclones Take Season Series, Beat Division 4-3

Win gives South Side sole possession of first place in Conference A-II.

The first two games between conference rivals Division and South Side this week were one-run nail biters, filled with extra-inning heroics and late-game comebacks. The rubber game on Thursday at Barasch Field would be no different.

Senior Griffin Wagner struck out the side in the top of the seventh with the game-tying run at first base to earn the save and give South Side a 4-3 win. By taking two of three from Division, South Side (10-4) has moved into sole possession of first place in Conference A-II.

"This was a playoff atmosphere for us," South Side head coach Keith Lessuk said. "We knew that going into the series that every game would be a battle. It turned out to be one-run games in all of them. They're a great team, but our boys rose to the occasion. We take care of business in Hewlett next week, and we're league champions."

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The game remained scoreless through the first four innings as both team's starters were dealing. South Side's Andrew Talbot allowed just three hits through five innings, and Blue Dragons starter Kyle Jordan matched him, tossing a two-hit shutout through four.

South Side finally got to Jordan in the fifth. Dylan Leary (2-for-3, run scored) ripped a line drive to right that right fielder John Muller misplayed, and Leary ended up at third with a leadoff triple. Tom Kane (1-for-3, RBI, run scored) then poked an RBI single through the hole at second base to give South Side a 1-0 edge. 

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After Matt Sollin walked, cleanup hitter James Howard (1-for-3, 2 RBIs, run scored) punched a two-RBI single to center to give the Cyclones a 3-0 lead. Louis Matarazzo (2-for-3) blooped a single to right and Howard, running aggressively on the base paths, scored all the way from first to give South Side a 4-0 lead.

But like in the two previous games against Division, the Blue Dragons would not go down without a fight. In the sixth, Division began chipping away at South Side's lead. Centerfield John Cruz (2-for-3, run scored) led off the inning with a single, and after Lenny Martinez reached first on a dropped third strike, JJ Kissane (2-for-3, 2RBIs, run scored) launched a deep drive to left that scored Cruz and Martinez to cut South Side's lead to 4-2. 

Dan Skillman (0-for-3 RBI) drove in Kissane with an RBI groundout to make it 4-3. With the tying run at second base, however, Talbot struck out Tom Wiebke to end the rally.

Blue Dragons head coach Tom Tuttle said he expected this type of series between the two conference heavyweights. "Great series," Tuttle said. "If you add it up, the difference was three runs [in all three games]. We had the misplay in right field that hurt us, but they're a good team, so I'm not shocked by that."

In the top of the seventh, Lessuk called on Wagner to close it out. He did just that, striking out the side after Muller reached first on an infield single. Asked if he debated going to the hard-throwing Matarazzo to finish the game, Lessuk said there was no doubt  he was going with the hot hand.

"I was going with the hot pitcher," Lessuk said of Wagner. "The kid's been throwing well. He's been doing everything we've needed him to do. He's going to be our late-inning guy. He's the man right now."

South Side will play at Hewlett on Monday at 4:15 p.m.

BOX SCORE

Cyclones AB H RBI BB K RS Thomas Kane 3 1 1 1 0 1 Joe Geraci 3 0 0 0 1 0 Matt Sollin 2 0 0 1 1 1 James Howard 3 1 2 0 0 1 Louis Matarazzo 3 2 1 0 0 0 Andrew Talbot 3 1 0 0 0 0 Evan Singer 3 1 0 0 0 0 Dylan Leary 3 2 0 0 1 1 David Hawley 2 0 0 0 2 0


IP H R ER BB SO NP A. Talbot 6 5 3 3 1 4 68 G. Wagner 1 1 0 0 0 3 17

WP: A. Talbot

LP: K. Jordan

Save: G. Wagner


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