Cyclones rock Wilmington in opening game

Coincidentally, the Brooklyn Cyclones opened their season the same day as the New York Mets’ home opener April 4. Like the Mets, the young High Single-A hopefuls matched their 6-1 parent team win with their own 8-4 win over the Wilmington Blue Rocks.  Instead of fans watching Pete Alonso and Juan Soto drive in runs at Citi Field, Brooklyn fans came out to see Chris Suero and Jacob Reimer who supplied the bulk of the Cyclone offense.

For the returning Suero, a large contingent of his supporters were in the stands to see the Bronx-born catcher christen the new Maimonides Park scoreboard with a 389-foot home run for the first Cyclone round-tripper of the season.

As far as the other returning Cyclone, Reimer displayed the power that earned him “Player of the Game” honors with a two-run fourth inning single and a one-run triple in the eighth to give the Cyclones a decisive victory.

In the pitching department, it was a matter of payback for the Cyclones as starter Noah Hall pitched a one-run, three-hit and three-strikeout game for five innings to earn the win. Hall, a 2023 11th round pick from the University of South Carolina, was charged with the 4-1 loss in last season’s opener against the Blue Rocks when he could not locate his pitches on a 40-degree evening in Wilmington.

The Cyclones scored their first run when another returning Cyclone, D’Andre Smith (two steals) stole third base in the second inning and continued on home to score on an overthrow. For his Single High-A debut, 2024 first round pick Carson Benge also added to the scoring. Slotted as the DH in the lineup, the Oklahoma State University outfielder walked three times, hit a double and scored once to contribute to the winning effort. 

“The game brought out everything that we want to see from this team,” said second-year Cyclones manager Gilbert Gomez. “We got the first five innings out of the way on Hall’s pitching along with two big double plays. This was a good way to start the season.  It’s just one game and we have to make sure that we do it again tomorrow.”  

On his return for a second season, Gomez said, “The fans give us a lot of energy. It’s always good to come back to a place that you’re familiar with. I’m happy to be back to play hard for these fans.”