Yuck! Mistakes doom Scrappers

Tri-City needed just two hits to score eight runs.
By KURT SNYDER
VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER
NILES -- The Tri-City Valley Cats spent Friday trying to find out how many runs they could score with only two hits.
The answer proved to be eight as the Valley Cats took an 8-4 lead in the seventh inning on the strength of just two hits. Tri City hung on for an 8-5 win over the Class A Mahoning Valley Scrappers at Eastwood Field in front of a sellout crowd.
Ten walks, three errors, three passed balls and one wild pitch provided the Valley Cats with all of the help they would need despite only three hits. It was the third straight game the Scrappers have committed three errors.
"The linescore speaks for itself," Scrappers manager Mike Sarbaugh said. "Just not making the plays. It looked like we were on our heels at times."
The Valley Cats broke a 4-4 tie with two runs in the top of the fifth without the use of a hit thanks to two walks, a wild pitch and a passed ball all while Scrappers right-hander Matt Haynes was on the mound.
The Valley Cats added two more in the seventh without a hit against Mike Hernandez, thanks to two Omar Casillas' passed balls.
"You keep getting guys on base, it keeps the pressure on him," Sarbaugh said of Casillas.
Tough start
Scrappers left-handed starter Tony Sipp, hurt by a four-run first inning, was pulled with two outs in the fourth inning. He allowed just two hits but walked four. His throwing error in the first inning also contributed to two of the runs.
Mario Garza, who leads the league in RBIs, opened the scoring for Tri-City in the first inning as he drove in three runs with a bases-clearing double to right-center. Garza scored two batters later on a groundout to short to give the Valley Cats an early 4-0 lead.
The Scrappers cut the lead to 4-3 in the second inning with two outs. Omar Casillas drove in his first run of the year with a single to left. He scored when Brian Finegan doubled to the wall in left-center, and Finegan scored a batter later when shortstop Ben Zobrist committed a throwing error on Argenis Reyes' infield single.
The Scrappers tied the game in the third when Chris Gimenez hit his team-leading seventh home run.
"You got a lot of game left, so you just want to keep playing hard," Finegan said of the early deficit. "We got down early, got some people on base and drove them in."
Defensive struggles
But the defensive struggles overshadowed a 2-for-4 night for Finegan. He committed three errors Wednesday night and committed errors in each of the final two games of the series. He said he has to come out of his fielding slump.
"Every ground ball it seems to take a different hop than what you're used to -- nothing's true," Finegan said. "It might be different tomorrow, just like a hitting slump. It only takes one ground ball."
After the Valley Cats took their 8-4 lead, the Scrappers tried to get back into the game in the seventh inning with a Mike Butia RBI single to center. The single cut the lead to 8-5, and it gave Butia a team-leading 25 RBIs.
The Scrappers had another opportunity in the eighth, but Finegan grounded into a 6-4-3 double play with runners at first and second. The Scrappers also left a man on base in the ninth.
"On offense, we have put better ABs there toward the end of the game," Sarbaugh said. "We had some opportunities, but we just didn't cash them in."
TRI-CITYMAHONING VALLEY
abrhbiabrhbi
Sutton 2b4210Reyes cf5120
Ash dh2200Parker 3b5000
Zobrist ss3200Gimenez 1b4111
Garza 1b5114Butia lf5021
Pence cf4000Montgmry rf3000
Koch c4001Pacheco dh3110
Barganier rf3010Clem 2b4010
Averill 3b3000Casillas c3111
Cooper lf1100Finegan ss4121
Totals29835Totals365104
Tri-City400020200--8
Mahoning Valley031000100--5
E--Zobrist, Englebrook, Brown, Clem, Finegan, Sipp. DP--ValleyCats 1. LOB--ValleyCats 6; Scrappers 8. 2B--Garaza, Clem, Finegan. HR--Gimenez. SH--Ash. SB--Zobrist, Cooper, Reyes 2, Finegan. CS--Pence, Barganier, Reyes.
IPHRERBBSO
Tri-City
Englebrook253203
Murdy221111
Brown W, 2-1321006
Estrada S, 5210011
Mahoning Valley
Sipp3 2-324243
Haynes2 1-302123
Hernandez2-302021
Lincoln2 1-310023
HBP--by Murdy (Montgomery), by Hernandez (Cooper), by Estrada (Gimenez). Bk--Sipp. PB--Koch 2, Casillas 3. Umpites--home: Phil Mulroe, 1st: John Gellat. T--3:13. A--6,173.
HOW THEY SCORED
FIRST INNING
Tri-City 4, Mahoning Valley 0
Valley Cats: Sutton singled to short. Ash walked, Sutton to second. Zobrist reached on pitcher's throwing error, Sutton to third, Ash to second. Garza doubled to right-center, Sutton, Ash, Zobrist scored. Pence flied out to right, Garza to third. Koch grounded to short, Garza scored. Barganier struck out looking.
SECOND INNING
Tri-City 4, Mahoning Valley 3
Scrappers: Montgomery flied to left-center. Pacheco singled to center. Clem reached on pitcher's throwing error, Pacheco to second. Clem retired first baseman to shortstop, Pacheco to third. Casillas singled, Pacheco scored. Finegan doubled to left-center, Casillas scored. Reyes singled to short, Finegan to third. Finegan scored on shortstop's throwing error. Reyes caught stealing catcher to second baseman.
THIRD INNING
Tri-City 4, Mahoning Valley 4
Scrappers: Parker lined to left. Gimenez homered to left. Butia popped to third. Montgomery was hit by a pitch. Montgomery to second on wild pitch. Pacheco walked. Clem grounded to third.
FIFTH INNING
Tri-City 6, Mahoning Valley 4
Valley Cats: Sutton struck out looking. Ash walked. Zobrist walked, Ash to second. Ash to third, Zobrist to second on wild pitch. Garza grounded out first baseman to pitcher, Ash scored, Zobrist to third. Zobrist scored on wild pitch. Pence struck out swinging.
SEVENTH INNING
Tri-City 8, Mahoning Valley 5
Valley Cats: Cooper hit by a pitch. Sutton reached on fielder's choice to second, Cooper to second on second baseman's throwing error. Ash sacrifice bunt first baseman to second baseman, Cooper to third, Sutton to second. Cooper scored on passed ball, Sutton to third. Zobrist walked. Garza struck out swinging. Zobrist stole second. Pence walked, Sutton scored, Zobrist to third on passed ball. Pence caught stealing catcher to second baseman.
Scrappers: Reyes reached on pitcher's fielding error. Reyes to second on passed ball. Parker struck out swinging. Gimenez grounded to second, Reyes to third. Butia singled to center, Reyes scored. Montgomery struck out swinging.
ksnyder@vindy.com