Stumbling from the gates… Cyclones fall behind early and can’t find a rally falling 9-2
Published 12:30 pm Tuesday, June 16, 2020
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Star Photo/Ivan Sanders
Cyclones first baseman Noah Rosato prepares to make a cut on a pitch from the D-B pitcher.
Star Photo/Ivan Sanders
Cyclones starting pitcher Jaden Anderson prepares to fire an offering to the plate.
Star Photo/Ivan Sanders
Cyclones catcher Zak Workman tags out Team Whited's Aiden Arnette in a crazy 2-6-5-2 double play in a run down to perfection by the Cyclones. Pitcher Cooper Tipton backs up the play.
Star Photo/Ivan Sanders
Cyclones Hayden Nave takes in the action from the dugout.
Star Photo/Ivan Sanders
Cyclones second baseman Ashton Wilson attempts to tag out a Team Whited baserunner. The runner was called safe on the bang-bang play.
Star Photo/Ivan Sanders
Cyclone relief pitcher Elijah Birdsong and catcher Zak Workman converse about an upcoming set of pitches.
Star Photo/Ivan Sanders
Bryson Rollins of the Cyclones pulls into second base with a standup double.
Star Photo/Ivan Sanders
Left fielder Elijah Birdsong cradles a fly ball for an out for the Cyclones.
BY IVAN SANDERS
STAR SPORTS EDITOR
ivan.sanders@elizabethton.com
JOHNSON CITY – Baseball is a game that falling behind early and having to regroup to catch up is a hard thing to do.
The Cyclones found that out against Team Whited (Dobyns-Bennett) on Monday evening at TVA Credit Union Ballpark in Johnson City as Team Whited put up six runs in the first two innings and manage to fend off the Cyclones down the stretch to take a 9-2 victory in East Tennessee Baseball League play.
Team Whited managed to string together the six runs in the first two innings as they rapped out eight hits in their portion of the first and second innings.
It could have been much worse for the Cyclones as Team Whited also left four base runners stranded during that time.
Meanwhile, Team Whited pitcher Peyton Grimm was looking like a hurler that was getting ready to go into post-season play as Grimm held the Cyclones in check for the first three frames not allowing a hit while enticing five fly-ball outs over the course of the nine batters he faced.
The Cyclones finally got the bats rolling in the top of the fourth frame when they would score their only two runs of the contest.
With one out in the inning, Jaden Anderson stroked a single for the Cyclones first hit of the game. Bryson Rollins followed up Anderson’s hit by roping a stand-up double between left and center field that chased Anderson to the plate.
Rollins was brought home by the second consecutive double giving up by Grimm as first baseman Noah Rosato blasted a double of his own down the right-field line allowing Rollins to score easily slicing into the lead, 6-2.
It looked like Team Whited was getting ready to flex their muscles once again in the bottom of the fourth when they loaded the bases with only one out.
However, the Cyclones pulled off a double play when Grimm worked his way to far away from second base and Cyclones catcher Zak Workman gunned a throw down to second base to Rollins.
Rollins ran Grimm toward third base where he was tagged out and when Turner Stout broke for home plate, Workman applied the tag for the third out of the inning to help the Cyclones escape further damage.
Team Whited added a pair of runs in the bottom of the fifth inning to salt the game away as the Cyclones could muster only one more hit the rest of the way by Peyton Johnson and a walk to Rollins.
The Cyclones gave up six of the eight Team Whited runs with two outs in their big innings.
