How would the Doubledays and starter Brett Cecil perform in the second game of the Best-of-3 series against a very good Brooklyn Cyclones team, knowing that the first league title in franchise history was only one win away?

Auburn 4 @ Brooklyn 1 – NY-Penn League Championship Series, Game 2

Brett Cecil started game 2 of the series for Auburn. He got off to a rocky start in the bottom of the first as the leadoff hitter for Brooklyn, Micah Schilling, hit a homer to left. The next batter singled and luckily Cecil was then able to induce a 6-4-3 double play off the bat of Ramon Castro, as cleanup hitter Jason Jacobs followed Castro with a double. J.R. Voyles grounded out, but Cecil gave up three hits in the first and was able to escape with only one run allowed thanks to a well-timed double play.

Auburn had their first baserunner in the second inning as Manny Rodriguez singled. Rodriguez was promptly erased by a Bradley Emaus double play and J.P. Arencibia then lined out. Cecil’s rocky start continued as he walked Brooklyn’s leadoff hitter of the second inning. However, Arencibia made a defensive contribution by throwing out the runner on a stolen base attempt and Cecil didn’t allow another baserunner that inning.

Both teams had 1-2-3 third and fourth innings. The Doubledays had only managed one hit all game by this point and the runner was erased by the next batter’s double play. Meanwhile, Cecil looked to be settling down nicely as of the last 6 batters he had retired half by strikeout and half on groundouts.

In the top of the fifth Rodriguez reached base for the second time in the game as he drew the first walk of the day off Cyclones pitcher Michael Antonini. Emaus struck out, continuing his poor afternoon, but he was lifted by Arencibia’s two-run home run. However, the next two batters – Baron Frost and Victor Santana – both struck out, to give Antonini three during the inning. Cecil struck out two Cyclones batters in the bottom of the inning, but his attempt at a three-up, three-down inning was spoiled by a bunt single. Nevertheless, Arencibia continued his strong day behind the plate by nabbing his second Cyclones baserunner of the evening.

With one out in the top of the sixth, Benjamin Zeskind singled and after Adam Calderone struck out, Darin Mastroianni hit a two-out homer to double Auburn’s run total from 2 to 4 and give the Doubledays a 3-run lead. Cecil had an easy sixth and seventh with two groundouts and a strikeout in each inning.

The Doubledays weren’t able to add an insurance run in the eighth, despite a leadoff walk from Luis Sanchez and they turned the lead over to Alan Farina, as Cecil had reached his pitch limit for the evening. Farina retired the first batter on a fly bal and then struck out two more Cyclones batters, stranding a two-out single by Brooklyn. Brad Emaus walked in the top of the ninth, but was caught stealing on a strike-‘em-out-throw-‘em-out double play by the Cyclones. Farina came out to pitch the ninth, collect the save and give Auburn the NY-Penn League Championship. He did it in style, striking out the side.

Congratulations to manager Dennis Holmberg and the entire Auburn Doubledays roster, coaching staff and management on the championship. This was the sixth straight trip to the postseason for Auburn under Holmberg and their first championship in franchise history. As Mike Green mentioned yesterday, Doubledays pitching coach Antonio Caceres had a fine season as Auburn finished second in the NY-Penn League in ERA and the pitching staff had a fantastic playoff run.

3 star selection

3rd star – Darin Mastroianni, 1-4, R, HR, 2 RBI, 4 TB

2nd star – JP Arencibia, 1-4, R, HR, 2 RBI, 4 TB, 2 Defensive CS

1st star – Brett Cecil, 7 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 8 K