NEW YORK-PENN LEAGUE Scrappers' rally fails

An early 12-0 deficit was trimmed to 12-8 against Hudson Valley.
By BILL SULLIVAN
VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF
NILES -- About the time that Abner Doubleday was writing the first rules of baseball, somebody must have observed that a team will grow into a reflection of its manager.
Those managers who see good things, even when times look bleak, can instill a winning attitude in a team.
When the Hudson Valley Renegades opened a 12-0 lead in the sixth inning over the Mahoning Valley Scrappers Wednesday at Cafaro Field, Manager Chris Bando never wavered.
The result was a near comeback as the Scrappers rallied to lose by just 12-8 in the New York-Penn League game.
Obviously Bando found the right words to breathe confidence in the Scrappers (4-5), who easily could have sat out the rest of the dance.
Not with Bando in charge.
"We got a lot of fight in us and it showed the character of the ball club," Bando said. "That's what winning ball clubs do, they never quit, regardless of the score."
Renegades jump out early
The Renegades (5-4) jumped all over Scrappers starter Shane Wallace (1-1), getting eight hits in just four innings for a 4-0 lead.
Joey Gomes hit a homer in the first inning and Felix Nunez led off the second with a homer against Wallace.
"He struggled throwing strikes," Bando said of Wallace. "That's going to happen out there.
"Shane, for the most part, is going to be better than he was. It's part of him getting stronger as well."
When Shawn Riggans homered in the fifth to make it 6-0 and Brent Cordell added a three-run homer for a 12-0 front in the sixth, it would have been easy for the Scrappers to give up.
Two relief pitchers gave up eight runs in just three innings.
"Unfortunately our pitchers didn't hold them down the way we hoped," Bando said.
But he still thought his team had a chance.
"We didn't quit," Bando said. "They battled back and made a statement."
Tough in the pinch
Six pinch hitters produced a thrilling comeback for Mahoning Valley, which seemed listless at the plate early.
Kenton Myers doubled in the first Scrappers run in the sixth, followed by a run-producing triple by Matt Knox.
"A lot of guys got to contribute and swing the bat tonight," Bando said. "That's going to make us a better club down the road."
Hose Gomez, batting just .143, hit a three-run homer in the seventh to cut the gap to 12-5.
Then in the eighth Jeff Haase homered, Knox doubled and Bryce Uegawachi got his second hit to make it 12-7.
Angel Abreu followed with an RBI single but the team could not score any more to cap an improbable comeback.
Bando never stopped believing and the fans who stayed to the end of the 26-hit, 3-hour game anticipated a victory.
"They weren't bored, they were entertained," Bando said of the fans. "Hopefully we'll keep entertaining them the rest of the year."
HUDSON VALLEYSCRAPPERS
abrhbiabrhbi
Nikolic cf4000Larkin 2b2000
Riley 2b4000Abreu ss2011
Dorsey 2b2000Van Every cf1000
Gomes rf3331Gomez cf2213
Blount rf1000Baxter 1b2000
Riggans dh4212Manfrdona 1b3010
Harrison 3b4210Wallace c2000
Nunez 1b5333Myers c3111
Robertson lf5010Haase 3b31211
St. Clair ss5020Peavey dh1000
Knox ph3121
Guglielmlli 3b4000
Conroy lf4120
Uegawachi ss3221
Totals4012149Totals378128
Hudson Valley120144000--12
Mahoning Valley000002330--8
E--Haase, S. Wallace. DP--Renegades 1, Scrappers 2. LOB--Renegades 10, Scrappers 7. 2B--Nunez, Knox, Myers. 3B--Knox. HR--Gomes, Riggans, Nunez, Cordell, Gomez, Haase. SB--Nikolic.
IPHRERBBSO
Hudson Valley
Veras420034
Porchasha W, 1-03 2-388912
Beaven1 1-320002
Mahoning Valley
S. Wallace L, 1-1484312
Culp2-324432
Martin2 1-334411
Blethen210004
Umpires--Home: Chris Thomas, bases: Matt Kellam. T: 3:12. A--3,963.
HOW THEY SCOREDFIRST INNINGHUDSON VALLEY 1, MAHONING VALLEY 0
Renegades: Adam Nikolic struck out. Ryan Riley flew out. Joey Gomes homered to left. Shawn Riggans walked. Vincent Harrison grounded out. 1 run, 1 hit, 0 errors 0 left.
SECOND INNINGHUDSON VALLEY 3, MAHONING VALLEY 0
Renegades: Felix Nunez homered to center. Brent Cordell hit by pitch. Cedric Robertson singled Cordell to second. Jason St. Clair single, Cordell to third, Robertson to second. Nikolic hit into 4-6-3 double play, Cordell scored, St. Clair out at second. Riley grounded out. 2 runs, 3 hits, 0 errors, 0 left.
FOURTH INNINGHUDSON VALLEY 4, MAHONING VALLEY 0
Renegades: Cordell singled. Robertson flew out. St. Clair singled Cordell to second. Nikolic flew out. Cordell scored from second on pitcher's pick-off throwing error, St. Clair to third. Riley struck out. 1 run. 2 hits, 1 error, 1 left.
FIFTH INNINGHUDSON VALLEY 8, MAHONING VALLEY 0
Renegades: Todd Culp to pitch for Shane Wallace. Gomez walks. Riggans homered to center, Gomez scored. Harrison walked. Nunez doubled in Harrison. Cordell walked. Robertson struck out. St. Clair struck out. Nikolic hit by pitch, Nunez to third, Cordell to second. Kevin Martin in to pitch for Culp. Nunez scored on a balk, Cordell to third, Nikolic to second. Riley grounded out. 4 runs, 2 hits, 0 errors, 2 left.
SIXTH INNINGHUDSON VALLEY 12, MAHONING VALLEY 2
Renegades: Gomes singled. Riggans hit by pitch, Gomes to second. Harrison flew out. Nunez singled, Gomes scored, Riggans to third. Cordell homered to center, Riggans, Nunez scored. Robertson grounded out. St. Clair grounded out. 4 runs, 3 hits, 0 errors, 0 left.
Scrappers: Hose Gomez, batting for Jonathan Van Every, hit by pitch. Sean Manfredonia, hitting for Andy Baxter, flew out. Kenton Myers, batting for David Wallace, doubled in Gomez. Jeff Haase, hitting for Brian Wright, struck out. Myers to third on a balk. Matt Knox, hitting for Bill Peavy, tripled in Myers. Brad Guglielmelli struck out. 2 runs, 2 hits, 0 errors, 1 left.
SEVENTH INNINGHUDSON VALLEY 12, MAHONING VALLEY 5
Scrappers: Mike Conroy singled. Bryce Uegawachi walked. Angel Abreu, batting for Shaun Larkin, flew out. Gomez homered, scoring Conroy and Uegawachi. Manfredonia flew out. 3 runs, 2 hits, 0 errors, 0 left.
EIGHTH INNINGHUDSON VALLEY 12, MAHONING VALLEY 8
Scrappers: Haase homered. Knox doubled. Guglielmelli flew out. Conroy grounded out, Knox to third. Uegawachi singled in Knox. Uegawachi to second on a wild pitch. Abreu infield single scored Uegawachi. Gomez grounded out. 3 runs, 4 hits, 0 errors, 1 left.