Cyclones win championship game at home

VERNON — The 14-and-younger Vernon Cyclones travel baseball team hosted the 2015 Off The Bench Sports Championship Game at Lounsberry Hollow Senior Field against the Great Meadow Cardinals. George Gutierrez took the mound for the Cyclones and pitched a solid 6 innings, letting up only 2 runs against the 11-1 Cardinals, before handing the ball over to Max Rodriguez to finish the game.

The Cyclones got off to a slow start, letting up an unearned run in the second inning. In the bottom of the third, the Cyclones answered back, tying the score at 1-1 when Andrew Tomasula singled, stole second and scored on a base hit to left field by Ryan Bell.

In the fifth inning, Ben DiCarlo led off with a base hit and quickly stole second base, Joey Swartz then grounded out to the pitcher, moving Dicarlo to third, Noah Franetovich then hit a base hit up the middle scoring Dicarlo and giving the Cyclones a 2-1 lead.

In the top of the seventh, Rodriguez took the mound for the Cyclones and the Cardinals' bats came alive with a lead-off double, followed by a base hit to right-center, scoring the leadoff batter and tying the score at 2-2.

The Cardinals went on to score one more run on a fielder's choice and a base hit to center and taking a 3-2 lead. In the bottom of the seventh, Jadon Mutz singled for the Cyclones and stole second on the next pitch. With Mutz in scoring position Joey Swartz drove him in with a single to left field to tie the score, 3-3.

With the game going into extra innings, Rodriguez walked the Cardinals' leadoff batter in the top of the eighth, before giving up a single to the next battle. With runners on first and second, the Cardinals tried a double steel and Cyclone catcher Adam Driscoll gunned down the runner trying to steel third for the first out of the inning, helping Rodriguez get out of the inning.

In the bottom of the eighth, DJ Springstead led off for the Cyclones with a base hit to center field, Bell then came up and took the first pitch while Springstead stole second. Bell, then, singled to left field. After a walk loaded the bases, Driscoll scored Springstead with a sacrifice fly to center field for the walk-off win.

The Cyclones finished their season 12-0, scoring 120 runs and letting up only 17.