Monday, August 28, 2006
The Scrappers find themselves a percentage point off the lead in the race for a postseason berth.
By GREG GULAS
VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT
NILES -- Luke Hopkins' three-run homer and four RBIs helped lift the Auburn Doubledays to an 11-3 victory over the Mahoning Valley Scrappers Sunday at Eastwood Field.
Adam Calderone's three hits and two runs scored plus Mother Nature helped create a logjam at the top of the Pinckney Division standings.
The win enabled the Doubledays (33-30, .524) to move into a first-place tie with State College (33-30, .524), whose game with Jamestown was postponed.
With two more games to be played, the Scrappers (34-31, .523) find themselves a percentage point off the lead in the race for a postseason berth.
"There's a little more to the game than just hitting and defense," Scrappers manager Rouglas Odor said. "We made some baserunning mistakes today and they were costly.
Learning experience
"Hopefully we will learn from this and use it to our benefit," Odor said. "Every game is an important game from now to the end of the season."
Scrapper starters David Huff, the Cleveland Indians' number one pick in the recent June amateur draft, got the start but was scheduled for just a two-inning stint or 35 pitches.
The UCLA product didn't disappoint, allowing just one hit, a single, to the seven batters he faced.
"Huff has thrown a lot of innings this season between college and professional ball," Odor said. "We're just trying to scale him back a little. He did great tonight, working ahead in the count and keeping the hitters off-balance."
The game was scoreless though first five innings with the Scrappers managing just three safeties and the Doubledays two singles.
A two-run single by Matt Liuzza and Hopkins' fielder's choice RBI staked Auburn to a 3-0 lead in the sixth inning.
Mahoning Valley got one run back in their half of the inning when Jared Goedert's groundout enabled Adam Davis to cross the plate.
Tied in the seventh
The Scrappers tied the game in the seventh when Lucas Montero's groundout enabled Cirillo Cumberbatch to score. A throwing error on Auburn shortstop Jonathon Diaz as he tried to complete the double play allowed Evandy De Leon to cross for a 3-3 tie.
Andy Woods relieved Dan Frega for the Scrappers in the eighth inning and with two outs yielded a three-run double to Shawn Scobee as Auburn took the lead, 6-3.
The Doubledays added five insurance runs in the final frame, keyed by Hopkins' three-run homer.
Seth Overbey (3-2) picked up the decision for Auburn while Woods fell for the first time in two decisions for Mahoning Valley.
The Scrappers and Doubledays will conclude their short series today at 7 p.m. at Eastwood Field.
AUBURNSCRAPPERS
abrhbiabrhbi
Calderone cf5230Davis 2b3100
Zeskind dh4320Lytle 1b4010
Campbell 2b3210Goedert 3b4001
Luizza c2022McBride dh4000
Sena pr0100Rodriguez ss 3010
Jeroloman c0101Thomas ph1000
Baksh lf2101Cumberbch rf3120
Hopkins 1b5114De Leon cf3120
Scobee rf5013Edmundson c2000
Lane 3b4000Montero lf3071
Diaz ss4000
Totals34111011Totals303132
Auburn000003035--11
Scrappers000001200--3
E--Diaz (13), Lane (10). LOB--Auburn 5, Scrappers 4, 2B--Scobee (8), Zwskind (17), Rodriguez (7). CS--Montero (2).
IPHRERBBSO
Auburn
Aguirre530010
Dials (H, 1)1 1-323220
Overbey (BS, 3) (W, 3-2)2 2-300000
Scrappers
Huff210000
Frega533330
Woods (L, 1-1)258841
WP--Dials, Woods. Umpires--Home, Travis Hatch; First, Jason Cooksey. T--2:32. Attendance: 2,747.
HOW THEY SCORED
Doubledays, 6th -- Jonathan Diaz grounds out, shortstop Joshua Rodriguez to first baseman Andrew Lytle. Adam Calderone singles. Benjamin Zeskind walks, Calderone to second. Scott Campbell singles on a ground ball to center field, Calderone to third and Zeskind to second. Matthew Liuzza singles on a ground ball to left field, Calderone and Zeskind score, Campbell to second. Jonathan Baksh walks, sending Campbell to third and Liuzza to second. Luke Hopkins grounds out, second baseman Adam Davis to Lytle, Campbell scores, Liuzza to third and Baksh to second. Shawn Scobee lines out to third baseman Jared Goedert.
Scrappers, 6th -- Lucas Montero singles on a ground ball to first baseman Hopkins. Davis walks, Montero to second. Lytle grounds into a force out, pitcher Zachary Dials to third baseman Matthew Lane, Davis takes second. Wild pitch by Dials sends Davis to third. Jared Goedert grounds out, third baseman Matthew Lane to first baseman Hopkins, Davis scores and Lytle to second. Matthew McBride flies out to center fielder Calderone.
Scrappers, 7th -- Joshua Rodriguez flies out to center fielder Calderone. Cirilo Cumberbatch singles on a ground ball to left fielder Jonathan Baksh. Evandy De Leon walks, Cumberbatch to second. Seth Overbey replaces pitcher Zachary Dials. Kelly Edmundson hit by pitch, Cumberbatch to third and De Leon to second. Montero grounds into a force out, second baseman Campbell to shortstop Jonathan Diaz, Cumberbatch and De Leon score. Edmundson out at second. Montero takes first on throwing error by shortstop Diaz. With Davis batting, Montero caught stealing second base, catcher Liuzza to shortstop Diaz.
Doubledays, 8th -- Zeskind singles on a ground ball to center fielder De Leon. Campbell out on a sacrifice bunt, pitcher Andy Woods to second baseman Davis, Zeskind to second. Woods intentionally walks Liuzza. With Baksh batting, wild pitch byWoods sends Zeskind to third and Liuzza to second. Baksh walks. Pinch runner Manny Sena replaces Liuzza. Hopkins flies out to center fielder De Leon. Shawn Scobee doubles on a ground ball to left fielder Montero. Zeskind, Sena and Baksh score. Matthew Lane grounds out to first baseman Lytle.
Doubledays, 9th -- Diaz strikes out swinging, catcher Edmundson to first baseman Lytle. Calderone singles on a ground ball to center fielder De Leon. Zeskind hits a ground-rule double on a fly ball to left-center field, Calderone to third.
Woods intentionally walks Campbell. Brian Jeroloman walks, scoring Calderone and sending Zeskind to third and Campbell to second. Baksh out on a sacrifice fly to right fielder Cumberbatch, Zeskind scores and Campbell to third. Hopkins homers on a fly ball to right field. Campbell and Brian Jeroloman score. Scobee flies out to left fielder Lucas Montero.