Sunday, July 18, 2004
Staten Island pitching kept six on base.
STATEN ISLAND, N. Y. -- The inability to advance runners in scoring position led to a 4-2 loss by the Mahoning Valley Scrappers to the Staten Island Yankees Saturday.
Each team had 10 hits but the Scrappers stranded six runners in scoring position in the New York-Penn League game.
The Scrappers (14-15) had won six of their previous seven outings while Staten Island (7-18) has the worst record in the league.
Argenis Reyes, who went 3-for-5 for the Scrappers, led off the game with a single and went to second on a ground ball.
He did not advance but the Yankees scored twice in second frame.
In the third with two outs, Reyes singled and stole second but the next batter grounded out.
Another chance
Wyatt Toregas led off the fourth with a single and Chris Gimenez singled him to second but the next two hitters failed to move them along.
With two out in the fifth inning Reyes singled again and stole second. Marshall Szabo singled him home to cut the lead to 2-1.
Mike Butia led off the sixth inning with a walk and went to third on a hit-and-run play by Gimenez. The next three hitters struck out.
The Yankees bundled a double, a walk and two groundouts to score another run in the seventh inning, increasing their lead to 3-1.
Butia doubled with one out in the eighth inning and scored when Tim Montgomery reached on a fielding error.
Montgomery reached second on a single by Teo Encarnacion but got no further.
The Yankees scored their final run in the last of the eighth.
Scott Lewis (0-1), who was selected in the third round of June's draft by the Indians and a former player at Ohio State, started for the Scrappers.
He was lifted after reaching his pitch count with one out in the second inning.
Although Lewis allowed two earned runs, he struck out four of the seven Yankees he faced.
Paul Lubrano (3.2 innings, four hits, zero runs) and Mark Jecman (three innings, four hits, two runs) were effective in relief.
In addition to Reyes with his three singles, Gimenez hit safely twice.
The Yankees have won three in a row.
T.J. Beam got the win for the Yankees and Grant Plumley had a double and a RBI single in front of 4,669.
The teams play again today ay 5:05 p.m.