The Staten Island Yankees took the rubber game of a three-game set with the Aberdeen Ironbirds thanks to another great outing by starter Mikey O’Brien and solid hitting from everyone in the lineup.
Staten Island plated their first runs in the top of the third inning. With one-out Eduardo Sosa doubled to right and then scored on a single by Shane Brown. Isaiah Brown singled, bringing Shane to third for Kyle Roller who had an RBI single to left giving the Yankees a 2-0 lead.
In the top of the sixth inning the Baby Bombers plated two more runs. Kyle Roller started it off with a ground ball single to center and then moved to second on a passed ball before Kelvin De Leon walked. After a pitching change Kevin Mahoney singled to center to load the bases. Next up was Jose Mojica, who is among the top ten hitters in the league and he lined a shot to center to bring home both Roller and De Leon.
In the bottom of the sixth Staten Island starter Mikey O’Brien was pulled after allowing a single with one out. He was replaced by Matt Jernstad who allowed the inherited runner to score but limited the damage at that. O’Brien went a total of five and a third inning with just that one run charged to him on five hits and two walks while striking out five to earn his third win in his third start.
The Ironbirds plated another run in the bottom of the seventh off of Jernstad who was done after that inning tossing just an inning and two thirds allowing a run on three hits an d a walk while striking out three. He was followed by Nathan Forer who went a inning allowing two hits before Preston Claiborne closed things out for the Yankees earning his first save of the season.
Every batter except Jeff Farnham had a hit in the ballgame while Eduardo Sosa, Kyle Roller and Jose Mojica had two hits apiece. Mojica also had two RBIs and Kelvin De Leon walked twice.
Notes: Kramer Sneed, the 32nd round draft pick of the New York Yankees in this year’s draft has signed, earning a $30,000 signing bonus. Sneed is a left-handed pitcher that started 11 games for Barton College in 2010 striking out 71 in 75 innings. Tomorrow the Staten Island Yankees return to New York to start a three-game series with the cross-town rival Brooklyn Cyclones with Wilton Rodriguez, Zachary Varce, and Shane Greene scheduled to start the first three games of the series. With the win the Staten Island Yankees moved into second place behind the Brooklyn Cyclones.