ASTROS TOP CYCLONES FOR F23 TITLE
Putnal betrayed by his defense again as Cyclones allow 5 unearned runs, fall 8-5

January 15, 2024 - On a cold January afternoon in Houston, the #1 seed Houston Cyclones faced the #2 seed Northside Astros for the HHL 35+ Division Championship. The Cyclones got off to an early 1-0 lead in the first inning when Guy Koenig scored on a SAC FLY by Craig Baser. A single by Guy and a double by Josh Granados set up Craig for the RBI.  The Cyclones would add to their lead in the 4th inning as Guy scored once again on a 2-out RBI single by Juan Zuniga. 

On the other side of  the ball, starting pitcher Justin Putnal held the Astros to only a couple of hits through the first 4 innings. However in the 5th inning, things almost got  away from the Cyclones as the Astros, after a lead off walk and a fielder's choice, strung together 5 consecutive hits to go ahead 3-2 and then consecutive errors gave the Astros a couple of more runs to make it 5-2.

But the Cyclones came storming back in the bottom of the 5th inning when BJ Galvan led off the inning by reaching on an error.  After one out, the Cyclones 4 consecutive hits to tie the game at 5 after 5.

It was from this point on where the defense failed Justin and the offense could not find their groove again. The defense coughed up an unearned run in each of the 6th, 7th and 8th innings giving the Astros an 8-5 lead heading into the bottom of the 8th inning.  In the bottom of the 8th and final inning, the Cyclones would get the first 2 runners on before quietly giving up their last 3 outs to end the game.

Jonathan Mikus secures the force play vs. Astros on January 14, 2024

Justin Putnal delivers a fastball vs. Astros on January 14, 2024

CYCLONES ADVANCE TO CHAMPIONSHIP GAME
Cosme hurls complete game, Cyclones Offense hits double digit runs again

November 20, 2023 - It had flashbacks to last season's playoff game where the Cyclones couldn't get out of their own way and allowed errors to be the defining theme of their playoff run.  It appeared that way for an inning at least, but once the jitters simmered down, the Cyclones went to work on holding down the defense and letting their vaunted offense take control. After allowing 3 unearned runs in the first inning, starting pitcher Dean Cosme had 1-2-3 innings in the 2nd and 3rd innings and allowed a 2 out hit in the 4th. Cosme allowed an earned run in the 5th after allowing a 1 out single came around to score on a stolen base and an RBI single. After a relatively quiet 6th and 7th innings, Cosme allowed another earned run after having a bit of control issues in the 8th inning.  Cosme gave up back-to-back singles to start off the inning and then allowed back-to-back walks force in a run. After getting the leadoff batter for the Rangers to pop to 3rd, Cosme induced a 1-2-3 double play to end the threat. A 1-2-3 9th inning secured the complete game victory. Kudos goes out to Juan Zuniga for a well called game behind the plate and to the defense that settled in after a shaky 1st inning.

Dean Cosme delivers a pitch vs. Rangers on November 19, 2023
Photo credit: Albert Van Dellen

STRONG FINISH
Cyclones, Cosme firing on all cylinders as Cyclones pick apart Rangers 15-2, gain forfeit W over Marauders

November 6, 2023 - It was supposed to be a double header Sunday but ended up a single game day as the Marauders forfeited their final game of the season and spared the Cyclones from having to play a split double header. In the game that they did play, the Cyclones wasted no time in getting the scoring started as they took a 5 run lead after 1 inning as the Cyclones capitalized on the Rangers starting pitcher's wildness scoring 3 out of the 5 runs on walks. The Cyclones would add 8 more runs in the 4th inning as the Rangers could no longer contain the Cyclones offense.  In the 5th inning the Cyclones added another 3 runs and the game ended after 7 innings with a Cyclones 15-2 victory.

Starting pitcher Dean Cosme continued his stellar season going the distance again and this time only allowing 2 runs (1 earned) 5 H, 4 K and 1 BB. Guy Koenig made his anticipated return to the Cyclones lineup on Sunday.  And while his final line of 1 for 4 wasn't anything to write home about, it was the 1 hit that had everyone shaking their heads. After lining a sharp single to left centerfield, the centerfielder for the Rangers thought it would be smart to try and get a lollygagging Guy Koenig out at first. BIG MISTAKE. Guy, took offense to the attempt and made the decision he would show them! And showing them, he did.  He promptly stole second base. Then a few pitches later Guy stole 3rd base. A few pitches after that the pitcher for the Rangers uncorked a wild pitch that their catcher blocked nicely but got too far out in front of him and here came Guy to advance on the wild pitch and score another run for the Cyclones. 

Dre Vappie watches his hit vs. Rangers on November 5, 2023

DIAMOND DUEL
Cosme goes the distance in quality start but it wasn't enough as Roughnecks silence Cyclones bats

October 30, 2023 - From the onset, it appears as this game would come down to who made the most mistakes or better yet, who made the first mistake. That honor would go to the Cyclones on both counts.  But it wasn't as simple as that. Cyclones starting pitcher Dean Cosme knew he had to pitch carefully to the Open Division team that was thus far undefeated on the season.  The Roughnecks knew they just had to do what they do in order to come away victorious. For both teams, it was going the way they wanted it to until Cosme and the Cyclones blinked first. 

Cosme allowed a run to come across in the top of the 5th inning as a 1 out single found his way to 3rd base  and scored on a Sac Fly to left field.  But the Cyclones would answer back in the bottom of the 5th as Ray Mariano walked to open the 5th inning. Outfielder Albert Van Dellen then hit an opposite field double to score Mariano and tie the game at 1 all. The Roughnecks struck back in the top of the 6th inning with a 1 out triple and a sac fly. The Cyclones had several opportunities to chip away at their deficit, but untimely double plays would end whatever rally the Cyclones would muster. The Roughnecks added an unearned run in the top of the 7th inning and it was more than enough to finalize the demise of the Cyclones in this game.

Rudy Casanova swings at a pitch vs. Roughnecks on October 29, 2023

CYCLONES STIFLE ASTROS
Justin Putnal pitched a gem, while the offense continued its hot streak with an 8 run first inning

October 9, 2023 - Since their 10-5 loss to the Northside Astros on September 10th, the Cyclones offense has kicked it up a notch, scoring 50 runs over a 4 game span which is eerily reminiscent to their Fall 2022 campaign when after a 8-0 loss to their rivals the Expos, the Cyclones went on a run where they scored no less than 10 runs a game for 5 consecutive games on their way to the Fall 2022 Championship.  Could history be repeating itself.  In this case, the Cyclones sure hope so.

Also looking eerily similar to their Fall 2022 selves was Justin Putnal who hurled a gem on Sunday pitching 6 innings allowing only 1 run while scattering 8 hits, striking out 6 and walking 2. It was Justin's first win of the season and hopefully the beginning of several more heading into the last half of the season for the Cyclones.

The offense has also kicked it up a notch even without stalwarts Guy Koenig, Hector Rios and BJ Galvan all not attending the game.  But that didn't deter the Cyclones as Josh Granados had 3 hits including a double, 2 RBI and 2 Runs Scored while his buddy Dre Vappie had 2 hits, 3 RBI and 2 Runs Scored. Almost everyone else got in on the scoring game as the final score was 15-1 Cyclones over the Northside Astros.

Justin Putnal delivers a pitch vs. Astros on October 8, 2023

SLEEPING GIANTS AWAKEN
Cyclones score 5 runs in the 7th inning to snap out of the doldrums to defeat the Rangers 8-3

October 2, 2023 - Starting off slow would be the term used to describe what the Cyclones did on Sunday.  The Rangers jumped tp a quick start tagging starting pitcher Dean Cosme for 2 runs in the first inning and another in the second inning.  But that would be all that Cosme would allow for the next 6 innings as he shut down the Rangers to allow for the offense to get back in the game.

After chipping away at their lead by closing within 1 run in the fifth inning, the Cyclones pounced in the seventh inning plating 5 runs and another in the eighth to give the Cyclones the 8-3 victory on this day. Player of the Game goes to Albert Van Dellen who went 3-3 with 1 BB, 2 Runs and 1 RBI to lead the Cyclones.

Hector Rios takes a lead from 2nd Base vs. Rangers on October 2, 2023

ONE AND A HALF WINS
7-run 6th inning highlights come from behind tie in Game 1, stomp Marauders in Game 2

September 25, 2023 - In Game 1 of of Sunday's double header the Houston Cyclones offered glimpses of the dominating team they can be. In the same game, they also offered glimpses of the of the frustrating team they could be as well. A tale of two teams in one game led to an 11-11 tie with the first place Astros. In the first inning, the Cyclones, led by starting pitcher Justin Putnal, coughed up a couple of runs on a looping line drive to right field that Dre Vappie laid out for but could not quite reach in time.  In the second inning, the Cyclones answered back with a 4 run inning to take a 4-2 lead. In the 3rd and 4th innings, the Cyclones allowed 4 and 5 runs respectively as errors doomed Justin's start. He lasted 3-2/3 innings before being lifted for Albert Van Dellen. 

Van Dellen finished off the 4th inning and went back out for the 5th inning as well.  After getting the first 2 outs, the late morning heat began to affect Van Dellen and he became a little wild, loading the bases on a walk, a hit and a hit batsman before getting the final out of the inning on a comebacker that saw Van Dellen get the out from a sitting position next to the mound. The next inning would be quiet and the game would end in an 11-11 tie making it the first time in the 14 year history of the Cyclones that they would have 2 ties in one season.

Game 2 however was a different story altogether.  It began as if was going to be a shootout with the Marauders scoring 3 runs on their top half of the first inning and the Cyclones responding back with 5 runs of their own.  But both teams cooled off and Cyclones starting pitcher Dean Cosme regained his form to hold the Marauders to only 2 more runs the rest of the game while the Cyclones were quiet until the 5th inning as they got a pair of runs on a Tom West double and then broke it open in the 6th inning sending 14 batters to the plate and scoring an additional 8 runs to finish off the twin bill with a 16-5 victory.

Ruben Gomez lines an RBI double vs. Marauders on September 24, 2023

ERROR-IZED
Litany of errors doom Cyclones as they fall to the Astros 10-5 in first regular season loss in 11 months

September 10, 2023 - An old ex showed up at Meyer Park on Sunday and spread her stench throughout the Cyclones dugout that it was too much to overcome with even the best of intentions. An while this is all an analogy of what happened on Sunday to the Cyclones, it is a stark reminder that with a flick of the switch, things can go from Titletown to Basementville in a matter of seconds.

While it's not too late to turn things around, the Fall 2023 Cyclones seem to be stuck in a haze of mediocrity that hasn't been seen in about 1 year. This game was a reminder that while the Cyclones still may be the front runners for the championship, there's still a long way to go and if things don't change, another loss in the playoffs may await them.

6 errors over the span of 5 innings led to 7 runs scoring for the Astros forcing the Cyclones to play catch up the whole game in what became insurmountable odds as when the Cyclones got the game to 6-5 after three innings, the errors just kept allowing run after run. It was a collective effort that was more like a team wide epidemic than just a position or two. The Astros for their part, shut down any potential threat from the Cyclones after the 4th inning and emerged victorious 10-5.

Ray Mariano takes an AB vs. Astros on September 10, 2023

AND AWAY WE GO!
Cyclones batter Rangers for a 12-4 Opening Day victory

August 21, 2023 - The quest for another championship began in earnest on Sunday morning for the Cyclones as they opened their season against the Rangers in the 35+ Division of the Houston Hardball League. In a game that was moved from it's original 3:00 pm start time to 9:00 am in order to keep everyone from melting in the 107° heat, the Cyclones cruised to a 12-4 victory scoring 10 runs in the first two innings of the game, 5 in each the first and second. With a mix of solid hitting, and untimely errors on the part of the Rangers, the Cyclones were able to capitalize early in the game and keep the Rangers at bay.

The Cyclones offense was led by Player of the Game Craig Baser who lined 2 hits in his 4 plate appearance plating 4 RBI and scoring twice as well. Also contributing to the hit parade were Ruben Gomez and Juan Zuniga with a pair of hits each and Guy Koenig with a hit and 2 rare walks as well as 2 RBI. Sunday also saw the return of longtime Cyclones Priamo Reyes back to the fold after taking a couple of seasons off. Priamo's promptly lined a single to left in his first at bat and then as he's been accustomed to, was hit by a pitch in his second at bat.  Priamo is the career Cyclones leader in HBP by a mile having been hit 22 in 71 career games for the Cyclones.

On the other side of the ball, the Cyclones received a solid start from Manager Dean Cosme, who got the W going 5 innings, allowing 3 runs (0 earned) on 2 hits and 1 walk.  Albert Van Dellen came on in relief and allowed a single unearned run on a couple of hits while striking out 2 batters in his lone inning of relief. Defensively, the Cyclones have some things to work on as they had 6 errors in the game which all but 1 contributed to the Rangers scoring their 4 runs.

Craig Baser lines one of his two 2-RBI hits vs. Rangers on August 20, 2023

Dean Cosme about to hurl a fastball vs. Rangers August 20, 2023

FALL SEASON IS UPON US!
Cyclones eager to put disappointment of last season's failure behind them.

August 16, 2023 - It was supposed to culminate with back-to-back championships. It ended with heads hung low and the rotten stench of failure permeating their subconscious. It was supposed to be a perfect season. Instead, it was a perfect collapse from a high held perch that no one saw coming. The lineup was right.  The defense all but it's best.  But in the end, it wasn't meant to be and the Houston Cyclones will begin anew their quest for the title.  Instead of being the defending champs and the hunted, they now resume their position of hunters.  It's a familiar position as only one team can hoist the title when it's all said and done.  But this time, there's an electricity in the air accompanied by a breeze...there's a storm coming...