Thursday, July 31, 2003
The 4-3 loss dropped Mahoning Valley's record to 18-24.
By BILL SULLIVAN
VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF
NILES - Two Batavia pitchers combined to limit the Mahoning Valley Scrappers to just three hits, as the Muckdogs recorded a 4-3 win at Cafaro Field Wednesday.
The entire story of the game wasn't the effectiveness of the Batavia pitchers, however.
Except for one brief spell early in the game, the Scrappers might have won the game.
After starting pitcher Juan Lara (1-2) struck out the first two hitters he faced, Batavia used a hit batter, a walk and three straight singles to take a 3-0 lead.
Undoing
It seemed the hit batter was Lara's undoing, that the Muckdogs capitalized on one inside pitch to score three times after two men were out.
"We talk about that a lot, getting two quick outs and then walking a guy and letting him score," Scrappers manager Ted Kubiak said. "After that he [Lara] pitched effectively."
But the damage was done.
Lara allowed seven hits and trailed 4-1 when he was lifted after four innings.
Honeudis Pereyra (three innings), Mark Harris (one inning) and Reid Casey (one inning) permitted just four singles and no runs in the final five innings for Mahoning Valley (18-24).
Although the Muckdogs (17-23) held the Scrappers in check most of the game, Mahoning Valley third baseman Kevin Kouzmanoff came up with an impressive homer on the first pitch in the bottom of the ninth inning.
"I was just looking for a good pitch to hit," said Kouzmanoff, "and I got it and I took advantage of it.
"It was a fastball, inside. It was the first fastball I hit all year. I got it."
The massive homer, which was gaining loft as it cleared the left-field fence, was his third of the season.
"We were right there, despite their 11 hits," said Kubiak. "We played well for only getting three hits.
"You have some games where you only get a few runs."
Stranded
When the Scrappers did get base runners, they had difficulty scoring them.
In the second inning, for example, the Scrappers turned a Ryan Goleski single and three walks into just one run when Josh Noviskey hit into a bases-loaded double play.
Again in the sixth, the Scrappers scored just once despite collecting a walk, a Kouzmanoff single, a passed ball and a wild pitch.
"Hopefully he learned," Kubiak said of Lara, who's been pitching well of late.
"He just couldn't get the ball inside. He had a game plan of what to do and he just couldn't put it into practice."
BATAVIASCRAPPERS
abrhbiabrhbi
Moran lf5011Conroy lf3000
Moss 2b4000Clmntr sb/ss4100
Hansen 1b4110Kzmnff 3b4121
Blalock rf4120Garko c3100
Headley dh4121Goleski rf3010
Bourn cf4020Snyder cf3000
Fisher 3b4022Noviskey 1b4000
Cortez c4110Threinen dh2000
DeLosSant ss2000Luneta ss0000
Suarez 2b3000
Totals354114Totals29331
Batavia300100000--4
Scrappers010001001--3
DP--Batavia 1, Scrappers 1. LOB--Batavia 11, Scrappers 4. HR--Kouzmanoff (3). SB--Blalock (3), Headley (9), DeLosSant (4). CS--Headley (8), Bourn (1), Goleski (4).
IPHRERBBSO
Batavia
Menocal W, 1-0622152
Libey S, 1311105
Scrappers
Lara L, 1-2474425
Pereyra330012
Harris110010
Casey100011
WP--Menocal, Lara, Casey. HBP--by Lara (Hansen), by Harris (DeLosSant). PB--Cortez 2. Umpires--Home, Alan Porter; Bases, Wade Page. T--2:40. A--4,034.
HOW THEY SCOREDFIRST INNINGBATAVIA 3, MAHONING VALLEY 0
Muckdogs -- J. Lara pitching. J. Moran and T. Moss struck out. B. Hansen was hit by a pitch. J. Blalock walked, sending Hansen to second base. J. Headley singled to right field, scoring Hansen and sending Blalock to second. M. Bourn singled to load the bases. K. Fisher singled to right field, scoring Blalock and Headley, and sending Bourn to third. J. Cortez lined out to second base. 3 runs, 3 hits, 0 errors, 2 LOB.
SECOND INNINGBATAVIA 3, MAHONING VALLEY 1
Scrappers -- V. Menocal pitching. R. Garko walked. R. Goleski singled, sending Garko to second. B. Snyder walked to load the bases. J. Noviskey grounded into a doubleplay, retiring snyder at second, sending Goleski to third and scoring Garko. S. Threinen walked. C. Suarez hit a fielder's choice to retire Threinen at second. 1 run, 1 hit 0 errors, 2 LOB.
FOURTH INNINGBATAVIA 4, MAHONING VALLEY 1
K. Fisher struck out. J. Cortez singled and took second base on a wild pitch. E. DeLosSant grounded out. J. Moran singled to right field, scoring Cortez. T. Moss hit a fielder's choice to retire Moran at second. 1 run, 2 hits, 0 errors, 1 LOB.
SIXTH INNINGBATAVIA 4, MAHONING VALLEY 2
Scrappers -- M. Conroy walked. J. Colmenter hit a fielder's choice, retiring Conroy at second base., Colmenter took second on a wild pitch. K. Kouzmanoff singled, sending Colmenter to third. Colmenter scored on a passed ball and Kouzmanoff took second base. Garko flied out to right field. 1 run, 1 hit, 0 errors, 1 LOB.
NINTH INNINGBATAVIA 4, MAHONING VALLEY 3
Scrappers -- Casey pitching. Kouzmanoff homered to left field. Garko popped out to second baseman. Goleski struck out. B. Snyder struck out but reached first on a passed ball. Noviskey struck out. 1run, 1 hit, 0 errors, 1 LOB.
sullivan@vindy.com