Burgers One Game Back After Leaving Brooklyn

After a series that was nothing short of abysmal for Hub City in Jersey Shore last week, the Spartanburgers ventured to New York City for their first full 6-game series against the SAL North 1st half champion Brooklyn Cyclones. In the weekend following the All Star Break, the Burgers fared well by taking 2 of three at Fifth Third Park from the skidding Cycs, who are currently sitting in last place. That series was marked by fantastic pitching between two of the best staffs in the South Atlantic League and low-scoring games. But, that was not necessarily the case this week up on Coney Island.

Tuesday night’s series opener was one the Hub City hitters would rather forget. The Burgers’ bats could not come up with a clutch hit despite having 10 chances. To put some perspective into it, the Spartanburgers started 0 for their first 6 with runners in scoring position. The night ended with the Burgers 1 for 10 in clutch situations – that 1 hit serving only to advance Gleider Figuereo to third after his first of two doubles in a team-leading three hit night. The Spartanburgers struck out 15 times and left 7 on base in the game en route to being shutout for the 7th time this season.

On the flipside, Dylan MacLean got the start and struggled through 4 and a third innings. He gave up 6 hits and 3 runs – all earned and all coming via a small ball approach by the Cyclones – the positive being that he did not walk a batter. He also struck out two. The biggest positive, given how the series went in New Jersey, was that the bullpen did not give up a run. Adrian Rodriguez and Jesus Gamez combined to strike out three with 1 walk over 3 and two-thirds innings, albeit in a 3-0 loss.

After heavy rain forced the postponement of Wednesday night’s action, the 2 sides played a double header on Thursday evening with two 7-inning games. Hub City managed to pick up their second win of the Northeast swing in the first game 5-2 behind a great outing from starter Aidan Curry, who tossed 5 innings of 1-run ball with 6 hits, 7 strikeouts, and 1 walk. Thomas Ireland went the rest of the way, allowing 1 earned on 2 hits with no walks and a strikeout.

At the plate, John Taylor led the way, going 2 for three with a pair of doubles and a run scored. Anthony Gutierrez notched an RBI in his first start out in center field since May. Arturo Disla, Rafe Perich, and Ben Hartl accounted for the other three runs knocked in.

The offense picked up where it left off in the 2nd half of the twin bill, scoring 2 in the top of the first. Dylan Dreiling got the game started with a single followed by a walk from Malcolm Moore. Rafe Perich added a base hit to load the bases and with 2 out, Hartl broke the goose egg with a knock. Taylor kept the line moving with a run scoring hit of his own but on the same play, Perich was gunned out at the plate trying to make for an early 3-0 lead. The Burgers added on in the 5th, cashing in a 2 out Casey Cook two-bagger with another RBI single from Hartl. The offense could not produce another hit despite having a runner in scoring position over each of the last 2 innings, allowing Brooklyn an opportunity to chip away.

They did just that in the bottom of the 4th off Hub City starter Dalton Pence, who had carried a perfect game through the first three frames. That was broken up when the leadoff man Marco Vargas reached on what was ruled a single after Disla flipped to Pence covering, who dropped the ball. Things went off the rails quickly after that with a walk to Eli Serrano III, setting up a game-tying 2 run double from Colin Houck, who would take third on a throwing error on Wady Mendez. That error came back to bite as Trace Wilhoite lofted a sacrifice fly to right to tie the game at three.

After a scoreless inning from Kai Wynyard, Adonis Villavicencio quickly struck out the first two hitters of the bottom of the 7th. He also got ahead of the next batter 1-2 in the count, but ended up losing him for a walk followed by a single. Marco Vargas then came to the plate and dealt the death blow – a walk off three run homer to make for a 6-3 final, notably giving the win in relief for Brooklyn to Clemson alum Ryan Ammons.

In game 4, the Burgers bounced back nicely. Dylan Dreiling kept the trend of early scoring alive with his first home run since mid July to lead off the game. The 1-0 lead it created held for until the home half of the third. Spartanburgers starter DJ McCarty, who had 2 strikeouts and just 1 hit through the first 2 innings, gave up a single and beaned the first 2 batters before getting his third K. But, he quickly saw his day end after a game-tying RBI single from Boston Baro, a walk, and another hit batsman with the bases loaded that gave the Cycs the 2-1 lead. McCarty gave way to Victor Simeon, who escaped the inning and went on to hold Brooklyn at bay over the next two frames with 5 retired on strikes.

Mailon Felix added another shutout frame, and in the interim, Hub City reclaimed the advantage in the top of the 7th after a sac fly from Dreiling scored Yeison Morrobel to tie it and an errant throw by the shortstop allowed Anthony Gutierrez to reach, which scored Hartl to make it 3-2. But, that lead was short-lived as Brooklyn plated 2 in the ensuing half inning when Baro tied it with a run-scoring single off Anthony Susac and Serrano III pushed them back in front with an RBI groundout.

The seesaw affair came down to the ninth inning, which saw some clutch moments for the Spartanburgers. Hub City loaded the bases with 1 out, and Rafe Perich delivered a single to score 2 to go ahead once again. After reloading the bases, Casey Cook wore one on the back of his leg to force in an insurance run. In the end, Adrian Rodriguez worked around a walk to earn the save, securing a 6-4 victory.

On Saturday, Brooks Fowler labored his way through 4 and a third, surrendering 2 runs on three hits with 5 walks and 3 strikeouts after the bats once again took an early 2-0 lead.

Dreiling and Gutierrez started off the game with back to back base hits, and after a sac fly from Moore, Perich got the Burgers on the board with a groundout to 1st. In the 2nd, Theo Hardy added on with a 2 out triple that followed a walk to Taylor.

After Brooklyn broke their goose egg in the bottom of the 3rd on a bases-loaded walk, Hub City responded in the ensuing half inning on yet another 2 out run-scoring hit from Hardy – this time a single that capitalized on a leadoff double from Disla. That would be all the offense the rest of the way for the Burgers, who were done in by a fateful bottom of the 6th.

Josh Sanders was in the game on the bump at that point, and showed no regard for the Cyclones’ propensity to steal bases. They ran almost at will on him, swiping three bags in the frame, leading to two RBI singles. Along with 2 Hub City throwing errors, Brooklyn was able to score 3, one of which was unearned. In the end, Ryan Ammons made personal history as he notched his first save of the season for the Cyclones in a 5-3 defeat of the Spartanburgers, securing at least a split in the 6 game set for Brooklyn.

Sunday’s finale was a pitchers’ duel. Kolton Curtis worked 5 innings, allowing just 1 unearned run that came in the bottom of the first. In total, Curtis gave up 4 hits, struck out 6, and walked one en route to a no-decision thanks to some 9th inning heroics.

After Jesus Gamez and Adrian Rodriguez combined to hold Brooklyn at bay over three innings  with no hits, 5 strikeouts, and 2 walks, Hardy led off the ninth with a walk and went first to third on a Dreiling single. Gutierrez lofted a sac fly to center to plate Hardy and tie the game at nine, ultimately forcing extra innings as Adonis Villavicencio and Thomas Ireland collaborated to keep the Cyclones off the board in the home half.

In the 10th, the Burgers jumped in front when Hartl delivered an RBI single to score Wady Mendez, who was pinch-running for Ghost Runner Arturo Disla. That was followed with consecutive knocks from Hardy and Dreiling paired with an error on the center fielder pushed across 2 more. One more run came across on a wild pitch to stretch the advantage to 5-1 for the Burgers.

In the home half of the frame, Ireland got to 2 outs with a double play sandwich between three singles, but could not put the game on ice, eventually being pulled for Anthony Susac. That pitching change backfired when Trace Wilhoite hit his first home run of the season – a two run shot that tied the game at 5, eventually leading to having to play an 11th inning.

Hub City couldn’t produce in the 11th, and that set the stage for yet another walkoff, coming on a full count pitch from Susac to the first batter of the frame – Nick Roselli. He lined a single to left, plating the ghost runner to win the game 6-5 as well as clinch the series for the Cyclones.

With the loss, next week looms large for the Burgers as they return home for their penultimate home stand of the regular season – hosting the Greenville Drive in a six-game set for the final round of the inaugural I-85 rivalry. But the season bragging rights are not all that will be on the line starting early Tuesday afternoon at Fifth Third Park. With Bowling Green losing to Rome on Sunday and the Drive’s win over the Greensboro Grasshoppers – who are on track to cruise to the 2nd half championship in the North division – Greenville has taken possession of first place by a game over Hub City and Bowling Green (both of which are tied for 2nd).

Once again, Bowling Green means nothing, in the playoffs as the first half champion. But, Hub City and Greenville are battling for the 2nd half – whether that is clinched as the division winner or by coming in 2nd behind Bowling Green. This week’s rivalry series will all but determine who likely gets that 2nd spot. A series win would put Hub City ahead of the Drive by a game while a split would maintain Greenville’s current 1-game advantage. Anything less, and Greenville would be fully in control of their destiny.

The chase for the playoffs will start at 1:35 on Tuesday afternoon with pitching matchups yet to be announced.