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Scrappers keep hitting in 6-4 win
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CLOSE PLAY: Jeremy Synan of the Jamestown Jammers slides safely into second base as Isaias Velasquez of the Mahoning Valley Scrappers covers during Sunday's game at Eastwood Field.
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HARDER THAN IT LOOKS: Isaias Velasquez of the Mahoning Valley Scrappers makes the catch as Ramon Hernandez backs up the play during Sunday's game agains the Jamestown Jammers at Eastwood Field. The Scrappers won, 6-4.
By Steve Ruman
They have won three of their last four games.
NILES — In baseball, it is often suggested that hitting is contagious.
If this is indeed true, the Mahoning Valley Scrappers can only hope that the bug that has infected the team over the past four games doesn’t heal during the upcoming all-star break.
The Scrappers on Sunday pounded out 12 hits in a 6-4 win over Jamestown in front of 5,087 fans at Eastwood Field. The win was the Scrappers’ third in their last four games. In those four games, the Scrappers have scored 36 runs.
The Scrappers (26-33) now will enjoy a three-day break as the New York-Penn League pauses action for the all-star break. The NY-PL All-Star Game will be played Tuesday in Troy, N.Y.
“This is a great way to head into the all-star break. It’s nice to get a little spark and go into a few days off with momentum,” said Scrappers infielder Lonnie Chisenhall. “You never want to stop going to the plate during a hot or cold streak, but you also need some days off and in this case I think we’ll come out of the break rejuvenated.”
Jamestown, which entered the game leading the NY-PL with 55 home runs as a team, wasted little time adding to their total. With two outs in the bottom of the first, Miguel Fermin hit a line drive over the fence in left-center, producing the game’s first run.
Fermin leads the NY-PL in hitting (.370) and home runs (13).
Two innings later, Ben Lasater — also with two outs — homered to right, giving Jamestown a 2-0 lead.
However, the Jammers’ lead would prove to be short-lived, as the Scrappers erupted for five runs in the bottom of the third. After Tim Fedroff grounded out to open the inning, five straight batters reached base. Cord Phelps and Chisenhall walked and singled, respectively, then Jeremie Tice scored both with a double to left-center.
The Scrappers then loaded the bases, and with two outs, Zach Booker knocked in three runs with a triple to the wall in center.
The Scrappers extended their lead to 6-2 in the sixth on Chisenhall’s RBI single.
The Jammers rallied in the eighth inning when Fermin cut the lead to 6-4 win a bases-loaded single. However, with runners on second and third, Scrappers reliever Carlos Arias struck out Lasater to end the threat.
“I’m very pleased with tonight’s performance. A lot of great things happened out there tonight,” said Scrappers manager Travis Fryman. “The starting pitching, the bullpen, the defense, and the offense in clutch situations … everything came together tonight.”
Fryman praised the efforts of Fedroff and Cord Phelps. Since joining the Scrappers eight days ago, Fedroff is batting .393. Phelps, who walked twice in five plate appearances, is batting .351 in 18 games.
“Those two guys came in here and really gave us a spark. They are solid players who we would have loved to have had all season long,” Fryman said.
Scrappers starter Kaimi Mead pitched five innings to lift his record to 5-6. The lefty gave up just the two home runs while scattering six hits and striking out three.
Like Chisenhall, Fryman agreed that the all-star break will only do good for the Scrappers.
“A lot of these guys played a long college season, then came here where they have been playing daily for the first time in their lives,” Fryman said.
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JAMESTOWNSCRAPPERS
abrhbiabrhbi
Gran dh4100Fedroff cf4130
Mattison cf3000Phelps dh3100
Fermin c4122Chisenhall ss5131
Lasater 3b4121Tice 3b3112
Synan lf4010Simpson 1b4120
Staples ss4000Velasquez 2b2110
Taylor 1b4120Blair lf4000
Turner 2b4020Booker c4013
Bass rf4000Hernandez rf4010
Totals35493Totals336126
Jamestown101000020—4
Scrappers00500100x—6
E—Blair (5). DP—Jamestown 1, Scrappers 1. LOB—Jamestown 6, Scrappers 9. 2B—Fedroff (3), Tice (10). 3B—Booker (1). HR—Fermin (13), Lasater (6). SB—Synan (3), Velasquez (7). CS—Fedroff (1).
IPHRERBBSO
Jamestown
Koehler L, 2-5485543
Gooch1 2-301121
Vieira120001
Caminero2-320000
Yecker2-300000
Scrappers
Mead W, 5-6562203
AMartinez1 2-312121
CArias1 1-310001
Morales S, 4110000
Koehler pitched to 1 batter in the 5th. WP—Koehler, Mead. Umpires—Home, Jose Estera; Bases, Aaron Larson. T—2:48. A—5,087.
HOW THEY SCORED
Jamestown 1st — Paul Gran popped out to first. Kevin Mattison grounded out to second. Miguel Fermin homered to left-center. Ben Lasater singled to center. Jeremy Synan grounded out 3-1. 1 run, 2 hits, 0 errors, 0 LOB
Jamestown 3rd — Mattison grounded out to second. Fermin struck out swinging. Lasater homered to right. Synan singled to right. Synan stole second. Staples struck out swinging. 1 run, 2 hits, 0 errors, 1 LOB
Scrappers 3rd — Tim Fedroff grounded out to second. Cord Phillips walked. Lonnie Chisenhall singled to left-center, Phillips advanced to third. Chisenhall advanced to second on a wild pitch. Jeremie Tice doubled to left, Phillips and Chisenhall scored. Brock Simpson reached on on an infield single. Isaias Velasquez walked, Tice advanced to third, Simpson advanced to second. Ryan Blair struck out swinging. Zach Booker tripled to center, Tice, Simpson and Velasquez scored. Ramon Hernandez grounded out to third. 5 runs, 4 hits, 0 errors, 1 LOB.
Scrappers 6th — Booker flew out to left. Hernandez flew out to left. Fedroff walked. Phelps walked, Fedroff advanced to second. Chisenhall singled to left, Fedroff scored, Phelps advanced to third. Tice was called out on strikes. 1 run, 1 hit, 0 errors, 2 LOB.
Jamestown 7th — Robert Taylor singled to center. Turner flew out to left. Justin Bass flew out to right. Gran walked. Mattison walked, Taylor advanced to third, Gran advanced to second. Fermin singled to left, Taylor scored. Gran scored, Mattison advanced to third, Fermin advanced to second on a fielding error by the left fielder. Lasater struck out swinging. 2 runs, 2 hits, 1 error, 2 LOB
SEE ALSO: NOTEBOOK \ Scrappers vs. Jammers