Bad eighth inning dooms Scrappers

Mahoning Valley has lost three of its last four games.

BATAVIA, N.Y. — The Mahoning Valley Scrappers carried a one-hitter and a two-run lead into the eighth inning against the Batavia MuckDogs on Monday night.

Then things fell apart.

The MuckDogs scored three runs with two outs in the eighth inning and held on for a 3-2 victory in New York-Penn League action.

The blow came with two men on in the eighth when Scrappers reliever Vinnie Pestano struck out Thomas Pham on a wild pitch, allowing Pham to reach and Domnit Bolivar to score from second when Pestano forgot to cover home on the throw to first. The next batter, Daniel Descalso, tripled to center, plating the game-winning runs.

Mahoning Valley had a chance to tie the game in the ninth when Todd Martin walked to open the inning and was replaced by pinch-runner Cristo Arnal. A sacrifice bunt and a groundout advanced Arnal to third, but Joshua Dew struck out Justin Jenkins swinging to end the game.

Pestano (1-1) pitched one-third of an inning to get the loss and the blown save. Joanniel Montero started and pitched six no-hit innings, striking out three and walking one.

Matt Brown went 3-for-5 with two doubles to lead Mahoning Valley (30-26), which stranded 14 runners and twice had the bases loaded with one out and didn’t score.

Mark Thompson added a double, an RBI and scored a run for the Scrappers, who have lost three of four and trail Auburn in the Pinckney Division by 31⁄2 games. Adam White scored a run and stole his 19th base of the season.

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SCRAPPERSBATAVIA

abrhbiabrhbi

White cf2100Henley cf3100

Thompson ss5111Pham lf4100

Infante 3b3010Descalso 3b4022

Martin 1b3000A. Brown 1b4000

Castillo c4000Pelt dh3000

M. Brown rf5030Carpenter c3000

Jenkins5000Fanning rf2000

Petrucci dh4000Oeder 2b3000

Hehr 2b3010Bolivar ss2110

Totals34261Totals30332

Scrappers000000000—0

Batavia00000002x—2

E—Descalso (9), Eager (2). LOB—Scrappers 14, Batavia 4. 2B—Brown 2 (13), Thompson (4). 3B—Descalso (4). S—Bolivar. SB—White (19), Castillo (7).

IPHRERBBSO

Scrappers

Montero600013

Brettl 1 2-322201

Pestano L, 1-11-311101

Batavia

Long3 2-342122

Riddle1 1-300022

Eager320026

Bilardello2-300010

Dew S, 121-300001

Umpires—Home, Benjamin May; Bases, Joe Hannigan. T—2:48. A—780.

HOW THEY SCORED

Scrappers 3rd — Petrucci strikes out swinging. Hehr flies out (F-7). White hit by pitch. With Thompson batting, White steals 2nd. With Thompson batting, White to 3rd on wild pitch. Thompson doubles to left, White scores. Infante singles to right, Thompson to 3rd. Martin reaches on fielding error (E-5), Thompson scores, Infante to 2nd. Castillo grounds out (3-1). 2 runs, 2 hits, 1 error, 2 LOB.

MuckDogs 8th — Fanning grounds out (2-3). Oeder grounds out (6-3). Boliva singles to center. Henley hit by pitch, Bolivar to 2nd. Pitching change: Pestano replaces Brettl. Pham strikes out swinging, Bolivar scores on wild pitch, Henley to 2nd, Pham to 1st. Descalso triples to center, Henley scores, Pham scores. Brown pops out (F-4). 3 runs, 2 hits, 0 error, 1 LOB.