Cyclones Avenge Loss; Crush Garden City 12-2

Cyclones Head Coach Keith Lessuk has tinkered with his batting lineup every game this season, trying to find the right circular lineup that maximizes offensive production.

He may have just found it.

The Cyclones (1-3) offense exploded in its first win of the season, pounding a season-high 17 hits to beat Garden City 12-2 on Wednesday at the Trojans home field. Catcher Matt Sollin led the way for South Side with a monster game, going 4-for-5 with four RBIs, four runs scored and a homerun. Sollin finished a triple shy of hitting for the cycle.

"I thought we put it all together," Lessuk said. "We came out and we hit, fielded, and got great pitching."

After scoring only eight total runs in its first three games, South Side scored eight of its 12 runs in the final two innings. Pitcher Evan Singer tossed 93 pitches over six innings, scattering seven hits and two runs with four strikeouts. Singer kept the Trojans potent lineup off balance by spotting his fastball on the corners of the plate, while mixing in his changeup and curveball. He induced seven fly ball outs and also chipped in at the plate. Singer finished 3-for-4 with three runs scored and two stolen bases.

"He was great," Lessuk of his pitcher. "He changed speeds and pitches effectively and was around the strike zone. He kept them off balance. I think the early lead helped and his confidence went up."

Lessuk batted left fielder Thomas Kane second for the first time this season, and it proved to be a wise decision. Kane went 3-for-5 with two RBIs and two runs scored. In all, South Side's two through six hitters mashed in the win, combining to go 14-for-24 with 12 RBIs and eight runs scored. Garden City's two through six bats, however, went 3-for-14. 

Six of South Side's nine batters had multi-hit games, and the Cyclones started early against Garden City pitcher Matt Focella. Kane, Sollin, James Howard and Louis Matarazzo each had a hit in the first inning, with Sollin and Andrew Talbot driving in the first two runs. The Cyclones scored again in the second off a Kane RBI single that drove in Singer and pushed South Side's lead to 3-0.

Garden City sent six batters to the plate in the bottom of the fourth, but couldn't push across a run. Howard (3-for-5, 2 RBIs, run scored) drove in Sollin in the fifth to make it 4-0, but the game still felt close. 

That didn't last very long. Singer led off the sixth with a single and Kane drove him in with his third hit of the game. Sollin followed with a 370-foot blast over the centerfield wall for a two-run homerun, and after Matarazzo walked, Talbot's RBI single made it 8-0. 

Garden City responded in the bottom of the sixth with two runs, but South Side continued to pour it on. After Singer doubled with one out in the bottom of the seventh and David Hawley walked, Sollin and Howard scorched back-to-back RBI singles. Matarazzo then cleared the bases with a two-run triple to make it 12-2.

Garden City head coach Rich Smith said the difference between Monday's win over South Side and Wednesday's loss was pitching. The Trojans used four pitchers in the loss and their batters had few balanced swings against Singer.

"We didn't pitch today," Smith said. "You're not going to win when your pitching staff throws 180 pitches. I got to credit the kid who threw for South Side. He kept the ball around the plate, induced too many fly balls, and we didn't make any adjustments. Monday could have gone either way. They just beat us in every aspect of the game, and my hat goes off to them."

South Side plays New Hyde Park today at Barasch Field at 4:30 p.m.

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