Peter O'Brien's home run lifts Staten Island Yankees to 1-0 win over Brooklyn Cyclones

University of Miami product Peter O’Brien continued his late-season power surge with his 10th home run and four pitchers combined on a four-hit shutout as the Staten Island Yankees closed out their season series with the Brooklyn Cyclones with a 1-0 victory Sunday night at MCU Park in Coney Island.

The Baby Bombers (28-44) snapped a three-game losing streak before returning home for a three-game season-ending series with the Connecticut Tigers beginning Monday night at the Richmond County Bank Ballpark.

Brooklyn won the season series 8-6, but dropped into a tie with the Batavia Muckdogs and Auburn Doubledays in the race for the 14-team New York-Penn League’s lone wild-card playoff berth. Batavia rallied for its ninth straight victory, an 8-7 triumph over Auburn.

Brooklyn, Batavia and Auburn all are 44-29. Batavia and Auburn are also tied for the Pinckney Division lead, while the Hudson Valley Renegades and Tri-City ValleyCats have clinched their respective divisions.

Brooklyn hosts the Lowell Spinners in a three-game series beginning Monday night. The Cyclones own the tiebreaker against both Batavia and Auburn on the basis of head-to-head competition should there be a tie for the wild-card berth.

O’Brien’s one-out blast over the leftfield fence off Rainy Lara was the only scoring of the night.

Andrew Benak (5-5) posted the win with five innings of one-hit ball for the Yankees, while rehabbing major-leaguer Pedro Feliciano worked one inning of relief followed by James Pazos and Taylor Garrison, who nailed down his ninth save.

Staten Island manager Justin Pope was ejected for the first time this season, in the top of the sixth inning by plate umpire Ben Levin.
O’Brien also had a double in a 2-for-4 night. Staten Island had five hits and Brooklyn four.

Lara (8-3) pitched seven innings and took the loss.


(silive.com)