Scrappers, Jammers split pair of 2-1 games

Jeff Hehr played a key role in a game-winning rally.

JAMESTOWN, N.Y. — It didn’t take long for the Mahoning Valley Scrappers to put a little excitement into the 2007 season.

Trailing 1-0, held to one hit through the first six innings and down to the last out of their season opener, the Scrappers rallied for two runs to defeat the Jamestown Jammers, 2-1, in the first game of a doubleheader Wednesday night at Russell Diethrick Park.

The Scrappers lost the nightcap, 2-1, but not before loading the bases with one out in the ninth inning.

Boardman resident and Cardinal Mooney High graduate Jeff Hehr got the winning rally going, hitting a two-out double to center.

Matthew Brown followed with a walk, then Alex Castillo, Mahoning Valley’s No. 9 hitter, came through with a triple to score both runs.

The rally made a winner out of Scrappers’ starter Michael Eisenberg, who pitched six strong innings.

He was replaced in the seventh inning by Vinnie Pestano, who retired the side in order to earn a save.

Eisenberg (1-0) faced only 22 batters — four over the minimum — and allowed four hits while striking out five.

His only mistake came in the fourth inning when he surrendered a two-out solo home run to Jamestown’s Torre Langley.

Before the seventh, the Scrappers’ only hit was a leadoff single by Juan Valdes in the fifth inning.

Adam Campbell (0-1), who replaced Andrew Alsup at the start of the seventh inning, took the loss for the Jammers.

Nightcap

In the second game, Jamestown took a 2-0 lead off Scrappers starter Ryan Miller without benefit of a hit. Miller walked four batters in the inning, and the fourth, to Ben Lasater, forced in a run. Ryan Curry grounded into a double play to score Carlos Piste to make it 2-0.

The Scrappers, meanwhile, went without a hit until the seventh inning, when they rallied to score their only run.

Fernando Pacheco and Dustin Realini led off the inning by drawing walks, then a passed ball moved both runners up a base.

Osiel Flores grounded out to Jamestown pitcher Steven Chisek, holding both runners, then Jansy Infante broke up the no-hitter with a single to left field. That hit scored Pacheco and moved Realini, the tying run, to third.

Adam White was hit by a pitch, loading the bases, and the Jammers called on relief pitcher Derek Blacksher.

The first batter Blacksher faced, Mark Thompson, grounded into a game-ending double play.

The teams play the finale of their three-game set tonight at 7.