June 28, 2007 — The Yankees' five-gave losing streak came to an end Tuesday night with an 8-1 win against the second-place Monarchs behind a four-hit pitching effort by teenage lefty Angel Cruz.
The last time the Yankees won a game in the Raphael Jackson AA Baseball league they were in second place. Five straight losses found them fourth in the five-team league.
After giving up a lead-off single to Leon Lang, the Monarchs' lead-off hitter, Cruz settled down and kept them off balance and off the board until the fourth inning.
The Yankees, on the other hand, got all the runs they would need in the bottom of the first, plating two runs on an RBI ground out by Real Sackey and an error by the Monarchs' first baseman, Jose Robles, after the Monarchs failed to score in the top of the inning.
The Yankees extended their lead to 5-0 in the bottom of the second, scoring three runs on an RBI single by Omari Eastman and two wild pitches.
After a scoreless third, the Monarchs scored the only run they would plate on the night in the top of the fourth on an RBI single off the bat of Malcolm McGregor, bringing the score to 5-1. The Yankees responded with two runs in the bottom of the inning on a two-run single off the bat of Leroy Simmond to push their lead to six at 7-1.
The Yankees scored the final run of the game in the bottom of the fifth on sacrifice fly off the bat of Jose Morales for an 8-1 advantage.
After a 1-2-3 top of the fifth, Cruz's night was done. Manager Steve Simmonds turned the ball over to his flame-throwing closer, Leroy Simmonds Jr., to start the sixth. Simmonds Jr. gave up a hit to the first hitter he faced, then went on to overpower all other comers the rest of the way. It was his first outing of the season after a long injury layoff, and he looked like he never left. The game was called after the seventh inning because of time constraints.
Cruz picked up the win on the hill for the Yankees while Khalid Mathew took the loss for the Monarchs. Top hitters for the Yankees were Eastman, 2 for 4 with one RBI, and Simmonds Jr., 1 for 4 with two RBIs. For the Monarchs, McGregor went 1 for 3 with one RBI and Leon Lang went 2 for 4.
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