Ejection, then dejection: Scrappers fall to Auburn

The 3 hour, 18-minute game included nine pitchers.
By BRIAN RICHESSON
VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF
NILES -- Mike Sarbaugh doesn't appear temperamental. Rather, he comes across as pleasant and relaxed.
"I try to keep my composure," the 37-year-old said.
But, as first-year manager of the Mahoning Valley Scrappers, it is Sarbaugh's duty to defend his team when he believes it has been wronged.
That philosophy earned Sarbaugh his first ejection as a manager in the Scrappers' 9-6 loss to the Auburn Doubledays on Tuesday at Eastwood Field.
Instant replay
The play in question came in the seventh inning when Auburn's Brian Hall appeared to hit a three-run home run over the left-field wall.
However, the home plate umpire held up two fingers, signaling a double. After a discussion with the base umpire, the home run was awarded and Auburn had a 6-4 lead.
That brought Sarbaugh out of the dugout and into the home plate umpire's face. During the heated argument, Sarbaugh often held up two fingers, revealing the basis for his appeal.
"That was my whole argument, that he called a ground-rule double," Sarbaugh said. "He was as plain as day running out there to see it."
Scrappers left fielder Mike Butia said Hall's hit cleared the wall and bounced off the mound in Auburn's bullpen.
"[The umpires] were indecisive about it; that's what [Sarbaugh] was really arguing," said Butia, a first-year player from James Madison University.
Upon being ejected, Sarbaugh walked toward the Scrappers' clubhouse and stopped to exchange words with the base umpire, drawing more cheers from the crowd.
"That [ejection] wasn't really to get the guys going," said Sarbaugh, who gave way to coach Jim Rickon. "It was just, if you're going to make the call, make the right call."
A coach for nine years in the Cleveland Indians organization, Sarbaugh admitted to being ejected from several games in the Eastern League and Carolina League.
"It's probably been one [ejection] a year," Sarbaugh said. "I don't think I got tossed last year."
Forcing a tie
The Scrappers (5-7) still seemed to respond to Sarbaugh's antics, tying the score in their half of the seventh inning. Butia hit an RBI single and Tim Montgomery hit a game-tying RBI double.
"We did a nice job coming back and tying it," Sarbaugh said. "There's fight left. These guys are fighting every night, so we'll be all right."
Auburn (9-3), the Pinckney Division leader, scored the winning runs against reliever Mark Harris (1-1) in the ninth inning.
"We didn't quite have enough in the tank," said Montgomery, who doubled twice.
Don't forget Cevette
The 3-hour, 18-minute game included nine total pitchers. Those substitutions overshadowed the effort of Scrappers starter Dan Cevette.
A left-hander from Elkland, Pa., Cevette allowed two runs on three hits in five innings, with five strikeouts and one walk. He left with the Scrappers leading 4-2 and was in position for the win until the seventh-inning collapse.
"Through 42/3, he was on," Sarbaugh said of his starter. "He hit a little speed bump to get that last out, but overall it was another good performance. He put us in a good position to win the game."
AUBURNMAHONING VALLEY
abrhbiabrhbi
Mathews cf4212Reyes dh3122
Klosterman ss2112Finegan ss3111
Nielsen rf4100Parker 3b5000
Hall 2b5124Butia lf5011
Lind lf5000Montgmry cf3121
Corrente c5000Encarnacn rf4000
Cannon 1b4000Pacheco 1b3100
Metropls dh2200Clem 2b4211
Macaluso 3b3230Toregas c3000
Totals34978Totals33676
Auburn000020403--9
Mahoning Valley001300200--6
E--Macaluso, Clem. DP--Auburn 1. LOB--Mahoning Valley 7, Auburn 6. HR--Hall. 2B--Montgomery 2, Macaluso, Mathews. SB--Reyes. CS--Macaluso.
IPHRERBBSO
Auburn
Wesley3 2-332111
Bell2 1-322232
Rodriguez2-302210
Rico W, 2-11 1-320000
Day S, 5100012
Mahoning Valley
Cevette532215
Jecman113323
Harris L, 1-1234313
Knox100001
WP--Wesley, Bell, Knox. HBP--Klosterman (by Cevette), Metropoulos (by Cevette), Macaluso (by Jecman), Mathews (by Jecman), Finegan (by Rodriguez). PB--Toregas. Umpires--Home, Shaun Francis; Bases, Jason Creek. T--3:18. A--3,707.
HOW THEY SCORED
THIRD INNING
MAHONING VALLEY 1, AUBURN 0
Scrappers: John Wesley pitching. Chris Clem reached on an error by the third baseman. Wyatt Toregas flied out to third. Argenis Reyes bunted for a single, Clem to second. Clem to third, Reyes to second on a wild pitch. Brian Finegan grounded out to second, Clem scored, Reyes to third. Brett Parker struck out. 1 run, 1 hit, 1 error, 1 left.
FOURTH INNING
MAHONING VALLEY 4, AUBURN 0
Scrappers: Wesley pitching. Mike Butia flied out to left. Tim Montgomery doubled down the left-field line, Teo Encarnacion flied out to right. Kristian Bell pitching. Fernando Pacheco walked, Clem singled to left, Montgomery scored, Pacheco to second. Toregas walked to load the bases, Pacheco to third, Clem to second. Reyes singled to right, Pacheco, Clem scored, Toregas out 9-6-5. 3 runs, 3 hits, 0 errors, 1 left.
FIFTH INNING
MAHONING VALLEY 4, AUBURN 2
Doubledays: Dan Cevette pitching. David Corrente struck out. Chip Cannon struck out. Joey Metropoulos hit by a pitch, Mike Macaluso singled to left, Metropoulos to second. Aaron Mathews doubled off the right center field wall, Metropoulos, Macaluso scored. Ryan Klosterman hit by a pitch. Eric Nielsen grounded out to first. 2 runs, 2 hits, 0 errors, 2 left.
SEVENTH INNING
AUBURN 6, MAHONING VALLEY 6
Doubledays: Mark Jecman pitching. Metropoulos walked, Macaluso hit by pitch, Metropoulos to second. Mathews hit by pitch, Metropoulos to third, Macaluso to second. Klosterman walked, Metropoulos scored, Macaluso to third, Mathews to second. Mark Harris pitching. Nielsen struck out. Macaluso caught stealing at home when ball rolls away from catcher, Mathews to third, Klosterman to second. Brian Hall homered over the left-field wall, Mathews, Klosterman scored. Adam Lind struck out. 4 runs, 1 hit, 0 errors, 0 left.
Scrappers: Jayson Rodriguez pitching. Toregas grounded out to first. Reyes walked, Finegan hit by pitch, Reyes to second. Parker flied out to the pitcher. Erik Rico pitching. Butia singled to right, Reyes scored, Finegan to second. Montgomery doubled down the left-field line, Finegan scored, Butia to third. Encarnacion grounded out to short. 2 runs, 2 hits, 0 errors, 2 left.
NINTH INNING
AUBURN 9, MAHONING VALLEY 6
Doubledays: Harris pitching. Macaluso doubled to right, advanced to third on a passed ball. Mathews reached on an error by the second baseman. Klosterman singled to right, Macaluso scored, Mathews to second. Nielsen walked to load the bases, Mathews to third, Klosterman to second. Matt Knox pitching. Hall grounded out to second, Mathews scored, Klosterman to third, Nielsen to second. Lind hit into a fielder's choice, Klosterman out 1-3-2, Nielsen to third, Lind to second. Nielsen scored on a wild pitch, Lind to third. Corrente struck out. 3 runs, 2 hits, 1 error, 1 left.
richesson@vindy.com