Scrappers pull past Jammers, snap skid

The win assured that Mahoning Valley won't finish last in the Pinckney Division.
By JOHN BASSETTI
VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF
NILES -- Mahoning Valley may have lost a good player, but it won the game Wednesday night to snap an eight-game losing streak and avert the cellar of the New York-Penn League's Pinckney Division.
Actually, outfielder Jose Constanza's elevation to Kinston of the Carolina League on Wednesday morning didn't have a negative effect later as the Scrappers rode the four-hit pitching of starter Joe Ness to a 6-1 victory over the Jamestown Jammers.
Ness (4-2) carried the Scrappers for five innings before Thomas Cowley pitched three scoreless innings and Dustin Roddy finished off the Jammers before a crowd of 3,319 at Eastwood Field. Both Ness and Cowley registered four strikeouts.
Reaction, relief
"It feels good, especially at home and especially since we struggled a little bit down the stretch," said right fielder Chad Longworth, who had two of Mahoning Valley's nine hits.
Longworth said it was the best the Scrappers (33-42) have swung the bat, collectively, during his three weeks with the club.
"Anytime we can pitch like that we got a shot to win the game," Longworth said.
Mahoning Valley stayed ahead of the last-place Jammers (30-44) in the division. The teams play again tonight in the Scrappers' season finale.
Evandy De Leon had the game's lone homer, a solo smash in the seventh. It was De Leon's sixth and tied him with P.J. Hiser for the team lead. Hiser had Mahoning Valley's only other extra-base hit, a triple in the eighth.
"Everything worked tonight," Scrappers manager Rouglas Odor said. "This is what we couldn't do the last couple weeks and it was nice to see that."
A complete game
Complete games were what the Scrappers did through most of the first half of the season and part of the second half, but not since.
"It's nice to see the players finish the season on a good note," Odor said.
"The last two weeks we struggled and were not able to do what we did tonight. We were able to make adjustments at the plate, focus and concentrate. We did better play with runners in scoring position."
De Leon, Longworth, Hiser and Cirilo Cumberbatch all had two hits. Cumberbatch and Longworth also had two RBIs. Longworth said it was one of his better contributions, offensively.
"I think my swing is coming around. I'm not trying to do too much," he said.
Catcher David Reifenberger, who twice threw out Jammers attempting to steal second, had Mahoning Valley's other hit.
On the receiving end of those throws to second base was shortstop Jose Chavez, who was involved in one of two double plays early in the game. Chavez also made a key defensive stop in the last inning when he rushed to field Jamar Walton's grounder up the middle. After reaching low to stop the hard-hit ball, Chavez did a 360-degree turn and threw to first base for the inning's second out. Jeff Van Houten scoring Jamestown's only run on the play, but Chavez's actions prevented any more damage. The next batter, Brett Hayes struck out at the hands of Roddy to end the game.
Odor promises that the Scrappers will finish on a good note tonight.
"We've got to put on a good show for the fans," he said.
JAMESTOWNMAHONING VALLEY
abrhbiabrhbi
Burns, cf3010Deleon,cf4121
Guerrero 2b4000Mortensen,lf2100
Van Houten rf4110Fornasiere 2b3000
Harvey 3b3000Cumberbch dh3222
Aranda ph1000Hiser 1b4121Sanchez 1b2010Longworth rf3022
Walton lf3011Chavez ss4000
Messner dh3000Peterson 3b3000Witt ss3000Reifenbger c3110Hayes c3020
Totals29161Totals29696
Jammers000000001--1
Scrappers00200112x--6E--Deleon, Ness. DP--Jammers 2, Scrappers 2; LOB--Jammers 6, Scrappers 4. 2B--Hayes. 3B--Hiser. HR--Deleon. SH--Burns. SF--Longworth. SB--Cumberbatch. CS--Sanchez, Hayes, Deleon.
IPHRERBBSO
Jamestown
Thompson L, 1-25 2-363334
Nickerson1 1-311102
Lewis 122200
Scrappers
Ness W, 4-2540024
Cowley300014
Roddy121102
HBP--by Ness (Messner), by Thompson (Cumberbatch); Umpires: HP-Mario Seneca; 1st-Bob Boyle; T--2:19; A--3,319.