EASTWOOD FIELD Friday night lights: Scrappers win opener

The New York-Penn League opener was an electric experience for young players.
By BRIAN RICHESSON
VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF
NILES -- It wasn't this good in extended spring training. It wasn't this good in college.
Players within the Cleveland Indians organization are uniting at Class A short-season Mahoning Valley, where they're discovering that being a professional has its privileges.
Here's a sample:
Scrappers third baseman Chris Gimenez, a 19th-round draft pick from the University of Nevada: "This is definitely new to me. It's just a feeling that you can't really describe. To be in this situation with this many fans, it's just surreal, really."
Scrappers first-year manager Mike Sarbaugh: "A lot of these players have been in Florida for the last two months, and they're playing at 1 in the afternoon with no lights and no fans. Tonight, first night under the lights with the fans, everybody was just really [fired] up."
Festive atmosphere
For the first time in their six-year history, the Mahoning Valley Scrappers opened the New York-Penn League season at home, and they made this one count.
Argenis Reyes singled home the go-ahead run in the sixth inning as the Scrappers defeated the 2003 Pinckney Division champion Auburn Doubledays 3-2 in front of 7,274 fans Friday at Eastwood Field.
The Scrappers took advantage of reliable pitching from starter Richard De Los Santos and relievers Mark Harris, Chip Southerland and Todd Pennington.
"He was on an 80-pitch count, and he gave us what we asked for," Sarbaugh said of the right-handed De Los Santos, who underwent elbow surgery in 2002.
De Los Santos, who pitched last season at Rookie League Burlington, allowed one run on three hits in five innings for the win, and Pennington, on a rehabilitation assignment from Double-A Akron, got the save.
"It's the way we drew it up from the start," said Sarbaugh, a hitting coach with Akron the past four years. "I know that's not going to happen every night, but it was great for everything to fall into place."
Mike Butia went 4-for-4, including a two-run single that put the Scrappers ahead 2-1 in the fifth inning. Auburn tied the score in the sixth before Reyes, who joined the team earlier in the day, came to the plate.
"He's a guy who makes things happen," Sarbaugh said. "He can bunt, he can run, he can put the bat on the ball. He's a guy we can really use at the top of the lineup to set the tone for the club."
Through interpreter and teammate Fernando Pacheco, Reyes added, "The fans were the main thing. I loved the way they cheered me and pumped me up."
Contributor
Brett Parker doubled and singled for the Scrappers, who relaxed in their clubhouse after the game; some remembered their first professional baseball experience.
"I had a little bit of jitters, but once the game started I figured, 'Hey, this is still the same game you've played since Little League,' " said Gimenez, who had an ice pack on his left shoulder after getting hit twice by pitches.
"There's nothing really different about it," he added, "so you just have to settle yourself down and make plays if you get the chance to."
DOUBLEDAYSSCRAPPERS
abrhbiabrhbi
Macaluso ss4000Reyes dh5011
Acey 2b3220Clem 2b4110
Esposito 3b4020Parker ss4120
Neilsen lf3000Butia lf4042
Corrente c4011Encarnacn rf4010
Cannon 1b4010Gimenez 3b1000
Mangioni rf4010Cruz cf2100
Mathews cf3010Pacheco 1b4010
Hicks dh4000Toregas c3000
Finegan pr/ss0000
Totals33281Totals313103
Auburn000101000--2
Mahoning Valley00002100x--3
E--Parker, Toregas. DP--Auburn 3, Mahoning Valley 2. LOB--Mahoning Valley 10, Auburn 8. 2B--Parker. SB--Mathews, Cruz. SH--Mathews.
IPHRERBBSO
Auburn
Harper340010
Wesley L, 0-1343312
Dalton1 1-310012
Rico2-310000
Mahoning Valley
De Los Santos W, 1-0531113
Harris231112
Southerland110001
Pennington S, 1110002
HBP--by Harper (Gimenez), by Harper (Toregas), by Harper (Gimenez), by De Los Santos (Neilsen). WP--Harris, Wesley. Umpires--Home, Victor Carapazza; Bases, Tom Clarke. T--2:31. A--7,274.
HOW THEY SCORED
FOURTH INNING
AUBURN 1, MAHONING VALLEY 0
Doubledays: Richard De Los Santos pitching. Jermy Acey walked, Vincent Esposito singled to center, Acey to third. Eric Nielsen hit by pitch, Esposito to second, to load the bases. David Corrente hit into a 4-6-3 double play, Acey scored. Chip Cannon grounded out to first. 1 run, 1 hit, 0 errors, 1 left.
FIFTH INNING
MAHONING VALLEY 2, AUBURN 1
Scrappers: John Wesley pitching. Chris Clem singled to right, Brett Parker doubled to center, Clem to third. Mike Butia singled to right, Clem, Parker scored. Teodoro Encarnacion hit into a 5-4-3 double play. Chris Gimenez grounded out to the pitcher. 2 runs, 2 hits, 0 errors, 0 left.
SIXTH INNING
MAHONING VALLEY 3, AUBURN 2
Doubledays: Mark Harris pitching. Acey singled to right, advanced to second on a wild pitch. Esposito, Neilsen struck out. Corrente singled to left, Acey scored. Cannon singled to left, Corrente to second. Jared Mangioni grounded out to second. 1 run, 3 hits, 0 errors, 2 left.
Scrappers: Wesley pitching. Jose Cruz walked, Fernando Pacheco flied out to right. Wyatt Toregas struck out. Cruz stole second. Argenis Reyes singled to left, Cruz scored. Clem flied out to center. 1 run, 1 hit, 0 errors, 1 left.
richesson@vindy.com