Home opener spoiled by loss

Auburn scored three runs in the eighth to beat the Scrappers 4-1 before 5,600 fans at Cafaro Field.
& lt;a href=mailto:richesson@vindy.com & gt;By BRIAN RICHESSON & lt;/a & gt;
VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF
NILES -- Playoff spoilers and party crashers. The Auburn Doubledays just can't get enough.
One year after ruining the Mahoning Valley Scrappers' postseason hopes on the New York-Penn League's final day, Auburn stuck it to them again. This time in the home opener Friday at Cafaro Field.
The defending Pinckney Division champion Doubledays stung reliever Shane Wallace for three runs in the eighth inning to break a tie and defeat Mahoning Valley 4-1.
It was the Scrappers' first loss this season after sweeping a three-game series in Batavia. Auburn remained unbeaten after four games.
"Opening night jitters, good [Auburn] pitching," Scrappers manager Ted Kubiak said. "Hopefully we'll be more relaxed tomorrow."
Kubiak managed Mahoning Valley to Pinckney Division championships in the 1999 and 2000 seasons. He remembers opening-day crowds having a positive effect on his teams.
But this season?
"They just looked tight at the plate," said Kubiak, whose team played in front of 5,600 opening-day fans, "but that just could have been because of the pitching" they faced.
Strong pitching
Three Auburn pitchers held the Scrappers to three hits while striking out 11. The only run they allowed came on a wild pitch in the fifth inning to tie the score 1-1.
Auburn right-handed starter Charles Talanoa retired the first eight batters he faced, and Danny Core and Bubbie Buzachero followed with scoreless relief.
"We just didn't put the sticks together," Scrappers third baseman Kevin Kouzmanoff said. "It goes in phases like that. Sometimes it takes three or four hits to get things going."
Instead, the Scrappers only managed singles by Ceasar Suarez, Anthony Luneta and Ryan Mulhern.
"We looked different than we did in Batavia," Kubiak said.
Scrappers starter
Scott Roehl, who pitched at the University of Arkansas, made his first start as a professional and went four innings. He allowed one run on three hits, striking out two and walking one.
"With the big crowd, there were a lot of mixed emotions," Roehl said. "But once I settled in, I felt better and I started calming down a little bit."
Crowds at Arkansas, Roehl said, average around 3,000 fans per game.
"The crowd didn't bother me as much as pitching [in the pros] for the first time," he said of Friday's start. "As long as a pitcher can hit his spots, you can be successful."
Four relievers followed Roehl to the mound, but it was the left-hander Wallace, coming off elbow surgery last year, who took the loss.
In the eighth, Auburn singled four straight times off Wallace, who started the inning by hitting the leadoff batter.
"Late innings are crucial and you can't make mistakes," Kubiak said, "but it happens."
Staying positive
Kubiak was upbeat following the game, confident his batters would get back into a groove. He recounted the memories of his previous two opening days at Cafaro Field.
"Any place that you go and it's comfortable, it makes it easy," Kubiak said. "It's still good here. It's the same old thing."
With one exception on the eve of summer.
"It was cold tonight," he said of the 55-degree temperatures. "Geez."
AUBURNMAHONING VALLEY
abrhbiabrhbi
Peralta ss3110Johnson cf4000
Roberts 3b5121Luneta 2b4010
Galloway rf4110Mulhern dh4010
Chiaravallti 1b3011Kouzmnoff 3b4000
Porfirio cf4021Herrera c2100
Snavely lf4010Goleski rf2000
Kratz c4010Conroy lf3000
Arnold 2b4000Parker ss2000
Johnston dh2000Suarez 1b3010
Siriveaw ph1110Colmenter ph1000
Totals344103Totals29130
Auburn100000030--4
Mahoning Valley000010000--1
E--Herrera. DP--Mahoning Valley 3. LOB--Auburn 7, Mahoning Valley 3. SB--Peralta. SH--Peralta.
IPHRERBBSO
Auburn
Talanoa421124
Core W, 1-0410005
Buzachero100002
Mahoning Valley
Roehl431112
Pereyra210001
Lincoln110003
Wallace L, 0-1143300
White110012
WP--Core, Pereyra. HBP--by Wallace (Siriveaw). Umpires--Tim Donald, home; Alan Porter, bases. T--2:35. A--5,618.
HOW THEY SCORED
FIRST INNING
AUBURN 1, MAHONING VALLEY 0
Doubledays: Scott Roehl pitching. Juan Peralta singled to center, stole second. Ryan Roberts singled to right, Peralta to third. Mike Galloway hit into a double play, Roberts out at second, Galloway out at first. Vito Chiaravalloti grounded out to second. 1 run, 2 hits, 0 errors, 0 left.
FIFTH INNING
AUBURN 1, MAHONING VALLEY 1
Scrappers: Charles Talanoa pitching. Javier Herrera walked, Ryan Goleski walked. Danny Core pitching. Mike Conroy hit into a fielder's choice, Goleski out at second, Herrera to third. Brett Parker struck out. Herrera scored on a wild pitch, Conroy to second. Ceasar Suarez struck out. 1 run, 0 hits, 0 errors, 1 left.
EIGHTH INNING
AUBURN 4, MAHONING VALLEY 1
Doubledays: Shane Wallace pitching. Nom Siriveaw was hit by pitch, went to second on a sacrifice bunt by Peralta. Roberts singled up the middle, Siriveaw scored, Roberts to second on the throw. Galloway singled in the infield. Chiaravalloti singled to left, Roberts scored, Galloway to second. A.J. Porfirio singled to left, Galloway scored, Chiaravalloti to second. Christian Snavely hit into a double play, Porfirio out at second, Snavely out at first. 3 runs, 4 hits, 0 errors, 1 left.
& lt;a href=mailto:richesson@vindy.com & gt;richesson@vindy.com & lt;/a & gt;