SCRAPPERS Struggles continue in loss

Williamsport tied the game in the ninth inning before winning it in the 10th.
By BILL ALBRIGHT
VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT
WILLIAMSPORT -- The good news from Bowman Field Monday night was that the Mahoning Valley Scrappers finally scored some runs.
The bad news was that the Scrappers saw their three-run lead evaporate into a frustrating 4-3 New York-Penn League loss to the Williamsport Crosscutters in 10 innings.
On top early: After scoring just two runs in the first two games of the series, the Scrappers equaled that number by scoring single runs in the first and fourth frames.
"You know, the guys played a good ball game," said Scrapper manager Dave Turgeon. "The pitchers pitched well, we played pretty good defense other than a flat ball out in left field that got by.
"The simple fact is that we just didn't score enough runs. You can sit here and analyze it piece by piece, but if we just start swinging the bats a little bit, we'll be fine."
Starting pitcher Luke Field had a no-hitter through five innings, allowing just two runners to reach second base while walking three.
He struck out four of the first five Crosscutter hitters and finished with seven in 61/3 innings.
When he departed, Field had lost his no-hitter and shutout on one pitch when Domingo Cuello hit his first homer of the season, a two-run, opposite field shot to left.
"[Field's] effort is a good sign for him, especially coming off a shaky outing his last time out," said Turgeon. "He has strong outing after strong outing and really, he has only had one bad one. He has been consistent and tonight, he did what he usually does and that is throw down hill, throw strikes and attack the hitters."
One-man show: John Van Every was practically a one-man show offensively for the Scrappers.
Van Every drove in Miguel Quintana with the game's first run on a RBI single in the first, then hit solo homers in the fourth and sixth innings to give Mahoning Valley a 3-0 lead.
"That was an outstanding game for [Van Every], especially after being rather non-aggressive with the bat in his last three games," said Turgeon. "We talked to him and talked to him about the only way to get through a rough period is to swing your way through it, and he went up there tonight and became more confident with each at-bat."
Van Every admitted he went back to the things that treated him well earlier in the season.
"I changed my approach [to hitting] by trying to look for a fastball early in the count," said Van Every. "If I get one, I am just trying to hammer it and make things happen.
"I have been taking a lot of pitches lately. My approach all along has been to try and hit early in the count because a lot of the time, the first pitch you see might be the best one you will get. I have gotten away from that, but tonight I went back to that and it seemed to work."
Williamsport tied the game in the ninth inning, when Walter Young led off with a triple to center in front of the diving Van Every. John VanBenschoten, who had struck out his three previous times, hit a RBI double to left.
In the 10th, the Crosscutters had runners on second and third with one out when Turgeon chose to have Jorge Cortes walked intentionally. Young followed with a grounder to the right side that allowed Matt Meath to score the game-winner.
The final game of the series will be played tonight, before Mahoning Valley goes to Batavia for two games. Tonight, the Scrappers will go send Victor Kleine (1-1, 2.45), against Williamsport's Ian Oquendo (1-0, 1.93).
MAHONING VALLEYWILLIAMSPORT
abrhbiabrhbi
Colmenter ss5010Meath cf3210
Peshke 3b5010Cuello 2b5122
Quintana rf4110Cortes lf4010
Morton dh5000Young 1b5111
Van Every cf4233VnBnschtn dh4011
Gay 1b3010Veleber dh0000
Shelton c3000Shelton c3000
Scott c 3000Hudnall 3b0000
Bautista 3b3010Aliendo rf4000
Thompson lf4000Asprilla ss4000
Made4010
Totals37383Totals35474
Mahoning Valley1001010000--3
Williamsport0000020011--4
1 out when winning run scored.
E--Thompson, Hudnall, Searles, Biddlestone. DP--Mahoning Valley 1, Williamsport 2. LOB--Mahoning Valley 7, Williamsport 8. 2B--Quintana, Cuello, VanBenschoten. 3B--Young. HR--Van Every 2, Cuello. SB--Colmenter, Shelton, Bautista. CS--Gay.
IPHRERBBSO
Mahoning Valley
Field 5 1-322247
Curtin1 2-310002
Cooper221103
Colvard, L1-321110
Williamsport
Searles663215
Biddlestone, W420024
WP--Field. Umpires--Plate, Rice; Bases, McCreary. T--3:02. A--1,162.
HOW THEY SCOREDFIRST INNINGSCRAPPERS 1, CROSSCUTTERS 0
SCRAPPERS -- With two outs, Miguel Quintana doubled to left, went to third when Rickie Morton reached on a throwing error by Crosscutter third baseman Josh Hudnall and scored on John Van Every's RBI single to left.
FOURTH INNINGSCRAPPERS 2, CROSSCUTTERS 0
SCRAPPERS -- Van Every led off with a solo homer to right field.
SIXTH INNINGSCRAPPERS 3, CROSSCUTTERS 0
SCRAPPERS -- Van Every belted another solo homer to right, his second of the game.
CROSSCUTTERS Matt Meath walked and scored when Domingo Cuello belted a two-run homer to left, his first of the season.
NINTH INNINGSCRAPPERS 3, CROSSCUTTERS 3
CROSSCUTTERS -- Walter Young tripled to center and scored on John VanBenschoten's RBI double to left.
10TH INNINGCROSSCUTTERS 4, SCRAPPERS 3
CROSSCUTTERS -- Meath singled to deep short, went to third on Cuello's double to left-center and scored when Junior Young's ground ball was mishandled by Scrapper first baseman Curtis Gay.