Scrappers stopped again

Mahoning Valley produced only four hits in a 3-2 loss to Vermont.
By PETE MOLLICA
VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF
NILES -- For the second straight game, the Mahoning Valley Scrappers couldn't get their offense going.
Sunday, the Scrappers dropped a 3-2 contest to the Vermont Lake Monsters before 3,125 fans at Eastwood Field.
Scrappers starting pitcher Mike Eisenberg allowed seven hits in five innings, but five of them were either infield or bloop singles. None of the Lake Monsters hit him hard.
Reliever Hart Hering allowed just two hits, but one of them was a solo home run by Rick Caputo in the ninth inning that broke a 2-2 deadlock and gave the Lake Monsters their 11th win of the year.
Mahoning Valley slipped to 18-15 with the loss.
"There's really not much you can do when they're getting infield singles and bloops or dying quails in the outfield," said Eisenberg, the rookie out of Marietta College."You just go after the next batter and try to get out of the situation."
Four solid innings
Eisenberg pitched four solid innings, but ran into trouble in the fifth, allowing three hits (an infield single and two bloops just out of the infield) as Vermont scored twice and took a 2-1 lead.
"I felt really good and my pitches were working well," Eisenberg said. "I did allow a walk in the fifth which came back to hurt me, but overall I felt I did well."
Scrappers manager Rouglas Odor agreed with Eisenberg's assessment of his effort.
"I thought he pitched very well, nobody really hit the ball hard off him today," Odor said.
"We hung in there and kept chasing them right to the end, but we couldn't pull it out.
After Caputo's homer over the left field wall (which left fielder Evandy DeLeon almost stole away), the Scrappers came back in the bottom of the ninth.
Jason Denham led off with a double down the left-field line, but never got any further as reliever and winning pitcher Rudy Garza retired the next three batters.
Scrappers scored first
Mahoning Valley scored first with the help of the game's only error.
With one out, Josh Rodriguez hit a low line drive to center field which was dropped by Justin Maxwell for an error.
After Matt McBride popped out for the second out, Jared Goedert ripped a double down the left-field line and Rodriguez came all the way from first to score for a 1-0 lead.
Vermont, which had runners in scoring position three of the first four innings, got to Eisenberg in the fifth.
With one out, Cristian Ogando dribbled an infield single down the third-base line and Jeremy Goldschmeding followed with a bloop single just over the head of second baseman Adam Davis.
Eisenberg walked Maxwell to load the bases and Francisco Guzman blooped another single to right, scoring two runs.
Blew big opportunity
The Scrappers had a chance for a big inning in the eighth as Brent Lacy led off with a single to center and Brent Thomas walked. Davis laid down a perfect sacrifice bunt advancing both runners and Andy Lytle was intentionally walked to load the bases.
Rodriguez hit a high hopper up the middle which was touched by Garza and then fielded by Brandon Conway.
Conway's only play was at first base as pinchrunner Stephen Douglas scored to tie the game. Garza struck out Denham to end the rally.
The Scrappers managed just four hits off the Vermont pitchers, two of them by Denham.
Vermont's Erick San Pedro had three of the Lake Monster's seven hits.
The league has an off-day today. Tuesday at 7 p.m., the Scrappers will open a six-game road trip with a three-game series at Brooklyn, N.Y.
VERMONTSCRAPPERS
abrhbiabrhbi
Oganda lf4110Davis 2b3000
Goldshmdng ss5120Lytle 1b3000
Maxwell cf3002Rodriguez ss4101
Guzman dh4010McBride dh3000
Delaughter rf4000Goedert 3b4011
Conway 2b3000Denham cf3020
San Pedro c4030DeLeon lf4000
McMillan 1b4010Lacy c3010
Caputo 3b 4111Douglass pr0100
Edmndson c1000
Thomas rf3000Totals35393Totals31242
Vermont000 020001--3
Scrappers000100010--2
E--Maxwell; DP--Scrappers 1; LOB--Vermont 9, Scrappers 7; 2B--Goedert (9), Denham (3); HR--Caputo (2); S--Davis.
IPHRERBBSO
Vermont
Spradin611012
Baldwin 121111
Garza (W, 2-1)210021
Scrappers
Eisenberg572223
Woods200021
Hering (L, 0-2)221102
IBB--Lytle (by Garza); Umpires--Home, Masake Nonaka; First, Tripp Gibson; T--2:32; A--3,125.
HOW THEY SCORED
Scrappers 4th -- Andy Lytle popped out; Josh Rodriguez reached on error by centerfielder; Matt McBride popped out; Jared Goedert doubled down left field line, Rodriguez scoring; Jason Denham struckout. 1 run, 1 hit, 1 error, 1 LOB.
Lake Monsters 5th -- Ricky Caputo grounded out; Cristian Ogando infield single; Jeremy Goldschmeding singled to right, Ogando to third; Justin Maxwell walked to load bases; Francisco Guzman singled to right, Ogando, Goldschmeding scoring, Maxwell to second. Ryan DeLaughter flied out, Maxwell doubled off second base. 2 runs, 3 hits, 0 errors, 1 LOB.
Scrappers 8th -- Brent Lacy singled to center, Stephen Douglas came in to pinch run; Brent Thomas walked; Adam Davis sacrifice bunt, Douglas to third, Thomas to second; Andy Lytle was intentionally walked to load bases; Josh Rodriguez grounded out, Douglas scoring, Thomas to third, Lytle to second; Matt McBride walked to load bases; Jared Goedert struckout. 1 run, 1 hit, 0 errors, 3 LOB.
Lake Monsters 9th -- Ricky Caputo homered to left field; Cristian Ogando popped out; Jeremy Goldschmeding grounded out; Justin Maxwell grounded out. 1 run, 1 hit, 0 errors, 0 LOB.