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AtL Staten Island FerryHawks

Red Hot Wild Turkeys Cook Dirty Birds in Opener

July 9, 2022 - Atlantic League (AtL)
Staten Island FerryHawks News Release


STATEN ISLAND, NY- Staten Island extended their winning streak to four games on Friday night at SIUH Community Park, welcoming Charleston for the first time in franchise history with an 8-6 victory. The Wild Turkeys scored two runs in four different innings and never trailed in the fourth game of the Atlantic League's second half.

Tied 6-6 in the sixth inning, the Dirty Birds turned to Nate Peden as the first man out of the bullpen to replace starter Jose Mesa Jr. In his Dirty Birds debut, Peden allowed a leadoff single to Andres Noriega, before an Alfredo Reyes sacrifice bunt pushed Noriega to second. Antoine Duplantis followed by sending a hard-hit single into left field - his third hit of the night - sending Noriega to third. With runners on the corners, Javier Betancourt delivered what would be the game-winning hit, a base hit to right field to plate Noriega for a 7-6 lead. Angel Aguilar provided an insurance run with a sacrifice fly to score Duplantis to earn the Wild Turkeys an 8-6 lead.

The Staten Island bullpen was up to the task yet again, failing to give up a run for a fifth straight night. After David Martinez' five innings of six run baseball, Eddy Reynoso and Joe Kuzia combined to blank the Dirty Birds over the final four innings. Reynoso delivered perfect sixth and seventh innings, before Kuzia earned a six-out save in his team-leading 26thappearance of the season.

The Wild Turkeys jumped on Mesa Jr. early, scoring six runs in the first three innings. Dilson Herrera's two-run double in the first inning kickstarted a fruitful first three innings, giving Staten Island a 2-0 lead. The second inning was highlighted by Javier Betancourt's two-run blast over the left-field fence, his third home run of the season.

The Dirty Birds struck for their first two runs in the top of the third inning on a two-out two-run single by Engel Beltre. His knock plated Nick Heath (walked) and Diego Goris (doubled) to halve the Charleston deficit to 4-2.

Staten Island got the two runs right back in the bottom of the third when Mariel Bautista bashed his third home run of the season. His two-run shot also scored Justin O'Connor to up the Wild Turkey's advantage to 6-2.

Despite Staten Island's early barrage, Charleston clawed back to briefly tie the game at 6-6 before the Wild Turkey's sixth-inning rally. Yovan Gonzalez singled home Anfernee Seymour in the fourth to cut the Wild Turkey's lead to 6-3. Engel Beltre and Alfredo Gonzalez delivered back-to-back home runs in a three-run top-of-the-fifth inning rally to deadlock the game at 6-6.

Reynoso (4-3) picked up the win for his perfect two-inning effort, while Peden (0-4) was slapped with the loss after allowing two runs in the sixth inning.

Isaac Sanchez, who was traded before the game from the FerryHawks to the Dirty Birds in exchange for Francisco Carillo, pitched a scoreless seventh inning after switching clubhouses.

Staten Island (22-47) and Charleston meet for the middle game on Saturday evening at SIUH Community Park. RHP Dakota Freese matches up against LHP Ryan Lawlor with first pitch scheduled for 6:00 PM. The FerryHawks Pregame Show begins at 5:45 PM.

Postgame Notes: The FerryHawks have matched their longest winning streak of the season (4 games, 5/10 - 5/15)...Staten Island's bullpen has not allowed a run in the last 16.0 innings...Antoine Duplantis & Javier Betancourt each recorded three-hit games...Dilson Herrera (2 RBI) has eight RBI in eight July Games

FerryHawks Motto:The Staten Island FerryHawks are a Major League Baseball partnered franchise that will play in the high-quality Atlantic League in the Spring of 2022. Our mission is to create a home for everyone in the Staten Island community and solidify a fun and exciting family experience that fans will never forget. The FerryHawks will play their home games at the newly improved baseball stadium next to the Staten Island Ferry along Richmond Terrace in Downtown Staten Island. We are excited to have you and become part of our FerryHawk Family. Please visit https://ferryhawks.com. #RallyBackStatenIsland

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Atlantic League Stories from July 9, 2022


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