NOTEBOOK \ Scrappers vs. Auburn

Tuesday, August 29, 2006 Wild Pinckney: The Scrappers went into Monday's game in a virtual for first place in the Pinckney Division of the New York-Penn League, but percentage points behind both Auburn and State College. The other two division races are just about over as Staten Island holds a five-game lead over Brooklyn in the McNamara Division and Tri-City, with the best overall record (40-24) in the NYPL, leads Oneonta by five games. Oneonta leads the wild card race by a half-game over Brooklyn. Did you know? The Doubledays are within reach of their fifth straight Pinckney Division title. The dynasty started in 2002. Despite the string of division titles, the Doubledays have not won the league championship over that span. Their last league title came in 1998, when they split the title with Oneonta after the championship series was canceled after torrential rains damaged both fields. Who's hot, who's not: Scrappers infielder Andrew Lytle is batting .342 with six runs scored in his last nine games while Dustin Realini has a home run and a team-high eight RBIs in his last nine games. On the other hand, catcher Matt McBride is in his first funk of the year at the plate, going 1-for-15 over his last four games. Today's game: The Scrappers open a two-game series at State College, Pa., with Erik Stiller getting the start. Stiller pitched six innings in his last outing against Jamestown, allowing three runs, all of them coming in the first inning of a 3-2 loss to the Jammers. Stiller began the season in Burlington of the Appalachian League. He is a Princeton graduate and led the Ivy League in strikeouts. He has a 2-3 record and a 3.60 ERA for the Scrappers. Attendance: The Scrappers are ranked sixth in attendance in the New York-Penn League averaging 3,583 in 32 home games. Brooklyn leads the league, averaging 7,957, followed by Aberdeen (6,383).