CAFARO FIELD Scrappers' slump reaches 10 games

Mahoning Valley lost a doubleheader to the Auburn Doubledays.
By BRIAN RICHESSON
VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF
NILES -- The Mahoning Valley Scrappers are in search of answers.
On July 13, manager Ted Kubiak held a closed-door meeting with his team, questioning its effort and hoping to motivate it, following a 15-4 loss to Lowell.
Fast forward nine days. The Scrappers' effort has been present, according to Kubiak, but the results remain absent.
Nothing changed in a five-hour slot Tuesday at Cafaro Field, where the Scrappers lost their ninth and 10th straight games, 7-3 and 6-2, to the Pinckney Division-leading Auburn Doubledays.
Ten again
The Scrappers haven't lost 10 straight games since the 2001 season, when they finished last in the division with a 26-49 record.
"We went from being one of the more competitive teams in the league down to putting ourselves in a pretty bad hole," said Scrappers outfielder Ryan Goleski, who went 2-for-3 in the first game.
"It takes a lot out of you when you give all you got and still come up short night after night," Goleski said.
Kubiak and his staff aren't panicking.
"When you go on a losing streak, everything compounds," Kubiak said. "The thing is not to get haywire and change anything because there's really not a whole lot different you can do.
"As long as they're giving an effort and doing what they can do out there, that's all you can ask," Kubiak said.
By sweeping the doubleheader, which was scheduled after Monday's rain-out, Auburn (28-7) increased its lead in the division to 13 games over the Scrappers (15-20).
"For a team like Auburn, who's been winning as many games as they have, it's really easy to stay up," Goleski said. "You have a little more confidence knowing you can go out there and win every day."
That hasn't been the case for the Scrappers, who fell behind in each game Tuesday and never could mount a serious comeback.
"It's just little things all over the place," Goleski said of reasons for the losing streak. "We're not getting timely hits, we're not making good pitches all the time, we're not fielding balls.
"Just about everything you can think of is going wrong."
Looking ahead
The Scrappers' road doesn't get any easier as they begin a three-game series tonight at home at 7:05 against Williamsport (23-10), which is a half-game out of first-place Brooklyn in the McNamara Division.
"We just need to win a game," Goleski said. "And after that win, build on it and maybe win two in a row. We need to see if we can snowball some wins down the road here."
Auburn pitching held the Scrappers to 13 hits for the two games. In addition to Goleski, Josh Noviskey and Jesus Colmenter each had two-hit games.
The Scrappers didn't have an answer for Auburn first baseman Vito Chiaravalloti, who hit two home runs in the second game and drove in four runs.
richesson@vindy.com
GAME 1
AUBURNMAHONING VALLEY
abrhbiab rhbi
Peralta 2b4222Conroy lf2001
Richmond c4001Colmenter 2b2000
Hill ss4021Kouzmanff 3b3010
Chiaravallti 1b3010Mulhern 1b3000
Porfirio cf4011Goleski rf3120
Johnston dh2210Garko c3112
Galloway rf3110Snyder cf3000
Snavely lf3110Noviskey dh3120
Cota 3b3132Lunetta ss3010
Mangioni ph1000
Davis rf0000
Totals317127Totals25373
Auburn1004101--7
Mahoning Valley0010002--3
DP--Auburn 2. LOB--Auburn 10, Mahoning Valley 3. HR--Garko. 2B--Noviskey, Peralta, Johnston, Cota. SB--Peralta. SF--Conroy, Richmond. SH--Snavely.
IPHRERBBSO
Auburn
Isenberg W, 3-1551102
Marcum222203
Mahoning Valley
Roehl L, 1-43 2-375543
Davis1 1-321111
Lincoln231104
WP--Lincoln. HBP--by Isenberg (Colmenter). Umpires--Tyler Funneman, home; John Gelatt, bases. T--2:19. A--NA.
HOW THEY SCORED
FIRST INNING
AUBURN 1, MAHONING VALLEY 0
Doubledays: Scott Roehl pitching. Juan Peralta singled to right, stole second. Paul Richmond struck out. Aaron Hill grounded out to first, Peralta to third. Vito Chiaravalloti walked, A.J. Porfirio singled to right, Peralta scored, Chiaravalloti to second. Clint Johnston walked to load the bases, Chiaravalloti to third, Porfirio to second. Mike Galloway grounded out to short. 1 run, 2 hits, 0 errors, 3 left.
THIRD INNING
AUBURN 1, MAHONING VALLEY 1
Scrappers: Kurt Isenberg pitching. Josh Noviskey doubled to left, Anthony Lunetta singled to center, Noviskey to third. Mike Conroy flied out to right to sacrifice Noviskey home. Jesus Colmenter grounded into a fielder's choice, Lunetta out at second. Kevin Kouzmanoff singled to right, Colmenter to second. Ryan Mulhern flied out to center. 1 run, 3 hits, 0 errors, 2 left.
FOURTH INNING
AUBURN 5, MAHONING VALLEY 1
Doubledays: Roehl pitching. Johnston walked, Galloway singled to center, Johnston to second. Christian Snavely bunted to sacrifice Johnston to third, Galloway to second. Carlo Cota walked to load the bases, Peralta doubled to right, Johnston, Galloway scored, Cota to third. Richmond flied out to left to sacrifice Cota home. Hill singled to center, Peralta scored. Chiaravalloti singled to right, Hill to second. Matt Davis pitching. Porfirio grounded into a fielder's choice, Chiaravalloti out at second. 4 runs, 4 hits, 0 errors, 2 left.
FIFTH INNING
AUBURN 6, MAHONING VALLEY 1
Doubledays: Matt Davis pitching. Johnston doubled to right, Galloway struck out. Snavely flied out to center. Cota doubled to left center, Johnston scored. Peralta walked, Richmond flied out to right. 1 run, 2 hits, 0 errors, 2 left.
SEVENTH INNING
AUBURN 7, MAHONING VALLEY 3
Doubledays: Roger Lincoln pitching. Jarad Mangioni struck out. Snavely singled to center, advanced to second on a wild pitch. Cota doubled to right, Snavely scored. Peralta grounded out to third, Cota to third. Richmond struck out. 1 run, 2 hits, 0 errors, 1 left.
Scrappers: Shaun Marcum pitching. Goleski singled in the infield, Ryan Garko homered over the left-field wall, Goleski scored. Brad Snyder struck out. Noviskey grounded out to short. Lunetta grounded out to short. 2 runs, 2 hits, 0 errors, 0 left.
GAME 2
AUBURNMAHONING VALLEY
abrhbiab rhbi
Peralta 2b2021Conroy lf4010
Cota 3b4111Colmenter 2b3020
Hill ss4110Mulhern 1b3000
Chiaravallti 1b4234Goleski rf3000
Porfirio cf4010Garko dh3010
Snavely lf2000Snyder cf3110
Kratz c3010Chauncey c1100
Mangioni dh3110Suarez 3b3000
Davis rf3110Lunetta ss3012
Totals296116Totals26262
Auburn0041100--6
Mahoning Valley0002000--2
DP--Auburn 2, Mahoning Valley 1. LOB--Auburn 5, Mahoning Valley 5. HR--Chiaravalloti 2. 2B--Colmenter, Mangioni, Snyder, Lunetta. CS--Peralta. SH--Peralta.
IPHRERBBSO
Auburn
James330016
Core W, 3-0332203
Buzachero100000
Mahoning Valley
Brandenburg L, 0-24105504
Weaver211122
Pereyra100001
WP--James, Brandenburg. HBP--by Core (Chauncey). Umpires--John Gelatt, home; Tyler Funneman, bases. T--2:03. A--3,754.
HOW THEY SCORED
THIRD INNING
AUBURN 4, MAHONING VALLEY 0
Doubledays: Adam Brandenburg pitching. Morrin Davis singled in the infield, Juan Peralta bunted to sacrifice Davis to second. Davis to third on a wild pitch. Carlo Cota singled to right, Davis scored. Aaron Hill singled to right, Cota to second. Vito Chiaravalloti homered over the left-field wall, Cota, Hill scored. A.J. Porfirio singled to left, Christian Snavely hit into a 6-4-3 double play. 4 runs, 5 hits, 0 errors, 0 left.
FOURTH INNING
AUBURN 5, MAHONING VALLEY 2
Doubledays: Brandenburg pitching. Eric Kratz flied out to first. Jarad Mangioni doubled to right, Davis struck out. Peralta singled to center, Mangioni scored. Cota flied out to center. 1 run, 2 hits, 0 errors, 1 left.
Scrappers: Danny Core pitching. Ryan Garko struck out. Brad Snyder doubled to left, Clint Chauncey was hit by pitch, Ceasar Suarez flied out to right. Anthony Lunetta doubled to left, Snyder, Chauncey scored. Mike Conroy lined out to short. 2 runs, 2 hits, 0 errors, 1 left.
FIFTH INNING
AUBURN 6, MAHONING VALLEY 2
Doubledays: Joe Weaver pitching. Hill grounded out back to the pitcher. Chiaravalloti homered over the left-field wall. Porfirio grounded out to short. Snavely walked, Kratz struck out. 1 run, 1 hit, 0 errors, 1 left.