TROY - The Tri-City ValleyCats' roster is built for Joseph L. Bruno Stadium, where the team has won its last seven home games.
Zach Biermann wasn't always a good fit in left field at "The Joe," but he's looking more comfortable there and helped close a sweep over the Sussex County Miners on Sunday.
Brad Zunica hit the go-ahead homer in the sixth inning and Biermann made a running catch in left-center to preserve a 4-3 victory before a crowd of 2,419.
Zunica's opposite-field solo blast into the left field bullpen broke a 3-3 tie and gave the ValleyCats (33-31) their 69th homer of the season, tied with the New York Boulders for the lead in the Frontier League.
"I think our team is built around this ballpark," Tri-City manager Pete Incaviglia said. "You try and build a team around your ballpark and I think guys like playing here. I think the fans have kind of gotten behind us and the crowds are getting bigger and nothing motivates a player more than people in the stands."
Incaviglia elaborated on how the roster construction suits Bruno Stadium.
"The ball carries better here than I thought, so I think we have a lot of guys 1 through 9 in the lineup that can hurt you," Incaviglia said. "If you make a mistake, they can hurt you. When you go to Sussex (County's ballpark), the ball doesn't really go anywhere. We're not built for Sussex. They're a little more speed, steal bases. They're a little bit different team. Our team fits what we have here in the friendly confines of Joe Bruno Stadium."
Tri-City closer Trey Cochran-Gill nailed down his 17th save, but not before some anxious moments in the ninth inning. He put runners on first and second with one out. Then Sussex County's Martin Figueroa hit a deep fly to left-center. Biermann ran the ball down in the gap to make the catch for the second out.
"I was just telling myself, because they've been trying to go opposite field the whole way, especially with two strikes, they've been trying to punch it through that gap," he said. "I said the ball's hit to me, I've got to make a play, help my team out. I went back on it and it just kept going and I heard (Denis) Phipps in center field, he's like, 'You've got room, you've got room.' I was like, 'Good, because I know where I'm at right now.'"
Cochran-Gill then retired Jackie Urbaez on a shallow fly to Biermann to end it.
This is Biermann's second stint with the ValleyCats. He was with the team in 2019 and had trouble making the conversion from first base to outfield.
"Way better, way more comfortable," Biermann said. "When I was here two years ago. I was a first baseman primarily for the last four or five years ... Maybe the night (before a game), they're like, 'You're playing leftfield tomorrow,' and I'm like, 'I don't even have a (outfielder's) glove.' That was my experience level in the outfield. This year, I've put a lot of work into it in the offseason, just doing what I can."
Zunica's homer was his second in as many days and eighth of the season. Incaviglia said again he can't understand how Zunica, a former Padres farmhand, is still with the team and not back in affiliated ball.
"The fan support has been great all year," Zunica said. "It's obviously a lot better now that we're playing better in front of them and feeding off their energy and our energy in the clubhouse is great as well."
Tri-City starter Parker Kelly pitched 4 1/3 innings before leaving with a blister.
Incaviglia watched the game online from his office while serving the first-game of a two-game suspension for his altercation with Sussex County manager Bobby Jones on Friday night. Jones also got two games and sat out Sunday. They'll each serve the second game next Friday when the teams meet again in Troy.
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ValleyCats finding the right fit at Bruno Stadium - Times Union
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