NYP LEAGUE 'Cutters hand Scrappers 4-1 loss

Williamsport scored three runs in the seventh inning.
By BILL ALBRIGHT
VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT
WILLIAMSPORT -- After dodging a few bullets, the Williamsport Crosscutters posted three runs in the seventh inning to defeat the Mahoning Valley Scrappers 4-1 Saturday before a standing-room crowd of 4,301 at Bowman Field.
"That is what it is all about -- making a big play to get out of an inning," said Williamsport skipper Tony Beasley about the near-misses. "Our pitching came through a couple of times to keep us out of a big inning."
While starting pitchers Marcos Mendoza and Carlos De La Santos were hooked up a pitcher's duel, the two teams traded single runs, both coming in a rather bizarre fashion.
The Scrappers put together a fielder's choice, a throwing error and a wild pitch for their first run in the third.
Rally: The Cutters came back in the fourth to tie the game on a single, back-to-back wild pitches and a throwing error. With the Scrappers' Mendoza in the clubhouse after reaching his pitch count, the Scrappers had De La Santos in trouble in the fifth, but couldn't capitalize.
With one out, Curtis Gay singled to center and Maximo Made doubled to left. De La Santos went to work, retiring Dennis Malave on a short fly to left before getting Bryce Uegawachi on a comebacker.
The Scrappers had another golden opportunity in the seventh with runners on first and second with one out. Again, they couldn't come up with the big hit.
"Situational hitting is getting basehits with runners in scoring positions and we didn't do that tonight," Scrappers manager Dave Turgeon said. "We had two opportunities with runners on third base or in scoring position with less than two outs and didn't score either time."
Strong start: Following Mendoza's departure, Mark Turnbow was superb, retiring the first seven Williamsport hitters he faced and wracking up three strikeouts.
"He had a couple of rough stretches where he gave up some runs, but with tonight's performance, he can hopefully build on some confidence," Turgeon said. "We thought about running him out there for the next inning, but I felt that he did a good job while he was out there and why push it."
The Crosscutters all but put the game away with three runs in the bottom of the seventh.
Key hits in the frame were a double by Walter Young, a single by Pittsburgh's top draft pick John Van Benschoten and a two-run triple by Jose Bautista.
"We weren't doing much offensively, but in the seventh inning, we got a couple of key hits," Beasley said.
Couldn't score: Although the Scrappers fell for the 19th time in 25 games, they didn't go without making some noise. In the ninth, they had runners on first and third with one out, but again, couldn't dent the plate.
"We brought the tying run to the plate twice in the last inning and couldn't put the ball in play," Turgeon said. "But I thought we played pretty good baseball and those things are going to happen."
MAHONING VALLEYWILLIAMSPORT
abrhbiabrhbi
Malave lf3110Duffy cf4010
Thompson lf1000Cuello 2b4110
Peshke ph1000Shelton c1000
Uegawachi ss4000Young 1b4110
Quintana rf4010VnBnschtn dh2110
Morton dh4000Bautista 3b3112
Van Every cf4000Hudnall lf3000
Bastardo c3000Asprilla ss2000
Finnerty 3b4010Cabrera rf3000
Gay 1b4030
Made 2b2010
Totals34170Totals26453
Mahoning Valley001000000--1
Williamsport000100300--4
E--Bastardo, DeLos Santos 2. DP--Mahoning Valley 1. LOB--Mahoning Valley 9, Williamsport 3. 2B--Made, Young. 3B--Bautista. SB--Quintana. CS--Cuello. SF--Asprilla.
IPHRERBBSO
Mahoning Valley
Mendoza3 2-321033
Turnbow2 1-300003
Martin, L133392
Colvard100011
Williamsport
DeLos Santos651007
Gilchrist, W210015
Burruezo1-310011
Miller, S2-300002
WP--DeLos Santos., Mendoza. Umpires--Plate, Rice; Bases, McCrery. T--2:38. A--4,301.
HOW THEY SCOREDTHIRD INNINGSCRAPPERS 1, CROSSCUTTERS 0
Scrappers: Dennis Malave reached on a fielder's choice, went to third on a two-base throwing error by Williamsport pitcher Carlos De La Santos and scored when De La Santos uncorked a wild pitch.
FOURTH INNINGSCRAPPERS 1, CROSSCUTTERS 1
Crosscutters: Domingo Cuello singled to center, went to second and third on respective wild pitches by Marcos Mendoza and scored on a throwing error by Scrapper catcher Angel Bastardo.
SEVENTH INNINGCROSSCUTTERS 4, SCRAPPERS 1
Crosscutters: Walter Young doubled to left-center and John Van Benschoten singled to left, moving Young to third. Young and Van Benschoten scored on Jose Bautista's two-run triple to right-center. Bautista scored on a sacrifice fly to center by Arelino Asprilla.