Scrappers blow 5-1 lead, fall to Auburn

Mahoning Valley is two games out of a wild-card playoff spot.
AUBURN, N.Y. -- The Mahoning Valley Scrappers couldn't hold a four-run lead Friday night and lost to the Auburn Doubledays 11-6 at Falcon Park.
Mahoning Valley (31-30) had built a 5-1 advantage after three innings of the New York-Penn League game, but Auburn (43-14) scored five runs in the fourth inning to gain momentum.
The Pinckney Division-leading Doubledays then broke away from a 6-6 tie with five unanswered runs to pin Mahoning Valley with its second straight defeat.
Ryan Klosterman's sacrifice fly in the sixth inning proved to be the winning run for Auburn.
Drop second straight
The Scrappers had won the first game of the series, 14-5, before dropping the next two, including Thursday night's 14-5 loss.
Mahoning Valley, two games out of the league's wild-card spot, recorded 10 hits in the game as each batter reached base. Teo Encarnacion led the way with two hits, including a triple, and two RBIs.
The Scrappers trailed 8-6 in the eighth inning when Roger Lincoln relieved Scott Roehl and surrendered a three-run home run to Chip Cannon, creating the final margin.
Cannon had two hits and drove home five runs for the Doubledays.
Scrappers third baseman Chris Gimenez was hit by pitch for the 22nd time this season, increasing his single-season league record. He also tripled.
Scott Roy (1-0), Auburn's fourth reliever, earned the victory, while Mahoning Valley's Matt Knox (3-3) took the loss.
Returns home tonight
Mahoning Valley returns to Eastwood Field tonight to begin a six-game homestand, against the Jamestown Jammers and Aberdeen Ironbirds.
Justin Hoyman (0-0, 2.25), the Cleveland Indians' second-round draft pick, is scheduled to start for the Scrappers against Jamestown's Jason Vargas (3-1, 1.96).
SCRAPPERSAUBURN
abrhbiabrhbi
Reyes cf5110Klosterman ss4222
Finegan ss4010Cannon 1b5125
Gimenez 3b4110Hall 2b5021
Butia lf4111Thigpen c4110
Toregas c4111Lind lf3110
Parker 2b4110Nielsen rf3111
Matulich dh4011Esposito 3b3211
Pacheco 1b4110Metropls dh3100
Encarnacion rf4022Mathews cf4221
Totals376105Totals34111211
Scrappers122010000--6
Auburn10050104x--11
E--Klosterman. LOB--Scrappers 6, Auburn 5. HR--Cannon. 3B--Gimenez, Encarnacion, Mathews. 2B--Butia, Klosterman, Hall, Nielsen. SF--Klosterman, Lind. SB--Klosterman.
IPHRERBBSO
Scrappers
Hiraldo3 2-356600
Knox L, 3-32 1-331103
Roehl 1 2-323312
Lincoln1-321100
Auburn
Janssen485504
Neylan2-311000
Hill1 1-310010
Roy W, 1-0200001
Day100001
PB--Thigpen 2. HBP--by Hiraldo (Nielsen, Thigpen, Metropoulos), by Roy (Gimenez). WP--Hiraldo, Janssen. T--2:56. A--1,173.