Put a ring on it (Valleycats 2, Yankees 1)

After rain postponed Sunday's home opener, the Tri-City Valleycats took the field at Bruno Stadium under sunny skies tonight, facing off against the Staten Island Yankees. The Baby Bombers, like the 'Cats, were 0-2 entering play. Someone had to win, and someone had to lose and join Good Time Charlie in singing the blues.

Lupe Chavez started for the 'Cats, and, for the most part, demonstrated some serious resiliency. He pitched five scoreless innings, allowing only two hits while striking out five and walking three.

Brian Keller, on a rehab assignment, started for Staten Island, and went six innings, allowing only three hits. He, too, kept escaping trouble, and it looked like he would pick up the win after the Yankees scored the game's first run in the seventh off Jervic Chavez without the benefit of a hit. Jervic, no relation to Lupe, was wilder than the wind, walking three. Carlos Narvaez, who drew one of those walks, scored on a wild pitch, giving the Yankees a 1-0 lead.

It stayed that way until the bottom of the ninth. Josh Maciejewski, who relieved Keller in the seventh, had been cruising. With one out, Yeuris Ramirez took him over the left-center field wall for a tying home run, and the stadium erupted in cheers.

In the tenth, extra innings rules introduced a year or so ago kicked in, with each team having a runner at second to start the inning. The Yankees could do nothing, and for whatever reason, Maciejewski stayed on to pitch the home half. Deury Carrasco was inserted to run for Joe Perez. He promptly stole second. With one out, Maciejewski sent everyone home with a wild pitch that enabled Carrasco to come home with the winning run. The Valleycats pick up their first win of the season, 2-1, in a game that was played in a tidy, speedy 2:37. The New York Yankees were in the eighth inning of their game vs. Tampa Bay in the Bronx when the game ended at Bruno Stadium. Go figure.

The Valleycats are on the road the next three nights, as they'll visit Aberdeen before returning home on Friday for a rematch with the first place Vermont Lake Monsters.