The Tribune

By RENALDO DORSETT

Tribune Sports Reporter

rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

WARREN Saunders hit his first home run for the Brooklyn Cyclones while BJ Murray overcame a slow start to emerge as an offensive leader for the Myrtle Beach Pelicans in Single A Baseball.

Saunders hit a solo shot in the Cyclones’ 8-4 win over the Jersey Shore Blue Claws Saturday night at ShoreTown BallPark in CLakewood, New Jersey.

Saunders extended his hit streak to three games and bring his batting average to .222. with the New York Mets affiliate High A affiliate.

The Cyclones are 22-26, fourth in the South Atlantic League North division.

After starting the season 3-28 through the first nine games, he had a strong conclusion to conclude April in the series against the Bowling Green Hot Rods.

In game two, he went 2-4 with a pair of doubles on April 28 and took that momentum into the series against Aberdeen when he had his multi-hit game. That run continued in May with his first three-hit game, when he went 3-4 and scored a triple with a run in a 3-2 loss to the Wilmington Blue Rooks.

The 23-year old 6’3” utility player has a .300 OBP with 16 hits and three RBI with seven runs thus far this season.

In the preseason, Saunders received the call up to join the New York Mets for Spring Training in the Grapefruit League with a sharp line drive to left field for his first hit with the big league club.

In 2021, he spent the season with the St Lucie Mets in the Low-A Southwest League where he hit .249 with a .632 OPS, 44 RBI and three home runs.

Murray has had a stellar series for the Pelicans in their five-game set against the Delmarva Shorebirds. He hit .529 (9-17) with four multi-hit games as the Pelicans took a 3-2 series advantage.

He opened 2-4 with an RBI and a run in a 7-5 win, 2-2 with three runs in an 11-5 win, 2-4 with a double and two runs in a 2-1 loss and finally 1-2 with two runs and an RBI in a 9-8 loss. Murray had an 0-8 start to his first season at the Low-A level but the Chicago Cubs prospect now leads the teams in doubles with 11 and is second with a .333 batting average.

He is also tied for fifth on the team with three home runs and third with 24 RBI.

He previously earned Player of the Game honours when he finished 2-3 with a home run, double, an RBI and three runs scored in the Pelicans’ 9-1 win over the Columbia Fireflies, April 30 at TicketReturn. com Field in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.

Murray was selected by the Cubs with the 22nd pick in the 15th round, no. 454 overall in the 2021 MLB Draft and spent his first season in the Arizona Complex League.

Through 16 ACL games, he hit .286, slugging .482 with a .826 OPS, 16 hits, including two home runs, three doubles, a triple, 12 runs scored an eight RBI.