Scrappers fall short, 4-3

Jamestown rallied for two runs in the eighth before 5,235 fans.

By STEVE RUMAN

VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT

NILES — The Mahoning Valley Scrappers held one of their more unusual promotions Sunday when they gave away an all-expense paid funeral to one “lucky” fan.

Perhaps the Scrappers should have saved the prize for themselves.

While the Scrappers aren’t completely down and out, they certainly placed themselves on life support following a 4-3 loss to Jamestown in front of 5,235 fans.

The Scrappers (33-29) are five games behind Auburn in the Pinckney Division of the New York-Penn League and four games behind Staten Island in the wild-card chase.

The Scrappers have 12 games left on the 2007 schedule.

Jamestown (24-39), which won for just the 10th time in 30 games on the road, rallied with a pair of eighth inning runs to secure the win. It marked the third time in about a week that the Scrappers dropped a game in which they led entering the eighth inning of play.

“Being this close, then giving up games … it’s tough,” said Scrappers manager Tim Laker. “We’d feel differently if we got it handed to us, but in several cases we simply feel like we hurt ourselves.”

Jamestown, which owns the league’s lowest team batting average (.231), came out swinging in the first. The Jammers knocked out five base hits. In fact, six of the first seven Jammers batters reached base, however they were limited to just two runs thanks to the Scrappers’ defense.

Ryan Curry led off the inning with a single, but was later thrown out trying to steal second. Thomas Hickman ended the frame with a single to right, however on the play Torre Langley was thrown out at the plate by Scrappers right fielder Matt Brown as he was trying to score from second.

Following the shaky first, Scrappers starting pitcher Kelvin De La Cruz went on to toss four scoreless innings, surrendering just three hits while striking out six.

“That has been Kelvin’s routine this year,” Laker said. “He sometimes starts slow but then he gets the juices flowing and he’s tough to hit.”

Meanwhile, the Scrappers grabbed a 3-2 lead with a run in the second, along with a two-run fourth.

Nick Petrucci knocked in the Scrappers’ first run on an infield single after Brown led off with a double, then advanced to third on a passed ball.

Hehr delivers lead

In the fourth, the game was knotted at 2-2 when a throwing error by Jammers right fielder Bryan Petersen scored Alex Castillo. Two batters later, Jeff Hehr, a Cardinal Mooney High graduate, gave the Scrappers their first lead with a sacrifice fly.

The Scrappers maintained their lead through seven innings thanks to another strong relief outing by William Delage. The lefty tossed two perfect innings while striking out a pair of batters. Since being moved to the bullpen, Delage has worked 91⁄3 scoreless innings with 11 strikeouts.

“I’m not sure if there is any reason why he has pitched so differently out of the ’pen, but he’s been extremely solid. He’s been a completely different pitcher,” Laker said.

In the eighth the Scrappers defense, which has been solid throughout the course of the season, committed two costly errors. Following a Ryan Anetsberger single, the Scrappers appeared to have a pair of double-play opportunities. However, Hehr and first baseman Chris Nash committed a fielding and throwing errors on back-to-back plays.

Ben Lasater’s base hit then gave the Jammers the 4-3 lead.

The Scrappers put a pair of runners on base with one out in their half of the eighth before Petrucci and Mike Valadez struck out. In the ninth, Adam White reached on a one-out walk, but was thrown out trying to steal second.

———

JAMESTOWNSCRAPPERS

abrhbiabrhbi

Curry 2b5020White cf3010

Jacobs cf5120Thompson ss5000

Antsbrgr 3b4210Infante 3b4000

Langley dh4021Nash 1b4010

Waters pr-dh0100Brown rf4120

Peterson rf4010Castillo dh3110

Lasater 1b3012Petrucci lf4121

Hickman lf3010Valadez c4010

Belcher c4000Hehr 2b3001

Martinez ss4010

Totals364113Totals34382

Jamestown200000020—4

Scrappers010200000—3

E—Anetsberger (10), Peterson (4), Hehr (4), Nash (1). DP—Jamestown 1, Scrappers 1. LOB—Jamestown 8, Scrappers 8. 2B—Martinez (5), Brown (14), Nash (3). SB—White (22). CS—White (7). SF—Lasater, Hehr.

IPHRERBBSO

Jamestown

Van Looy331111

Snow332111

Parcell W, 3-1220003

Cishek S, 7100010

Scrappers

De La Cruz582226

Delage200002

Holt L, 2-3232002

PB—Belcher. WP—Van Looy. Umpires—Home, Joe Hannigan; Bases, Benjamin May. T—2:44. A—5,235.

HOW THEY SCORED

Jamestown 1st — Ryan Curry singled to right. Curry was caught stealing 6-4. Justin Jacobs singled to left. Jacobs stole second. Ryan Anetsberger walked. Torre Langley singled to left, Jacobs scored, Anetsberger advanced to second. Bryan Petersen singled to right, Anetsberger advanced to third, Langley advanced to second. Ben Lasater flew out to center, Anetsberger scored. Thomas Hickman singled to right, Langley was thrown out at home attempting to score 9-2. 2 runs, 5 hits, 0 errors, 2 LOB.

Scrappers 2nd — Matt Brown doubled to the wall in left-center. Brown advanced to third on a passed ball. Alex Castillo struck out swinging, but reached on a wild pitch. Nick Petrucci reached on an infield single, Brown scored, Castillo advanced to second. Mike Valadez reached on a throwing error by the third baseman, Castillo advanced to third, Petrucci advanced to second. Jeff Hehr lined out to second, Valadez was forced out at first 4-3. Adam White walked. Mark Thompson grounded out 5-3. 1 run, 2 hits, 1 error, 3 LOB.

Scrappers 4th — Castillo walked. Petrucci singled to left. Valadez singled to right, Castillo advanced to third, Petrucci advanced to second, Castillo scored, Petrucci advanced to third, Valadez advanced to second on a throwing error by the right fielder. Hehr flew out to center, Petrucci scored. Adam White grounded out to second, Valadez advanced to third. Mark Thompson grounded out to first, 3-U. 2 runs, 2 hits, 1 error, 1 LOB

Jamestown 8th — Jacobs popped out to first. Anetsberger singled to center. Langley reached on an error by the second baseman, Anetsberger advanced to second. Petersen reached on a throwing error by the first baseman, Anetsberger scored, Langley advanced to third. Lasater singled to center, Langley scored, Petersen advanced to second. Hickman struck out swinging. Tyler Belcher hit into a fielders choice, Lasater was forced out at second 6-4. 2 runs, 2 hits, 2 errors, 2 LOB.