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RENEGADES TAMED
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Scrappers Zach Booker misses the throw at first as Hudson Valley's Anthony Scelfo is safe at first.
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Scrappers SS Walter Diaz throws to first to turn a double. Out at 2nd is Hudson Valley's Anthony Scelfo. In background is Scrappers 2nd baseman Isaias Velasquez.
By Joe Scalzo
Pickens powers Scrappers to another rout
The former Michigan player broke out of a deep slump with four hits.
NILES — Before Doug Pickens was a member of the good guys in the eyes of Ohioans — aka the Mahoning Valley Scrappers — he was an invader from enemy country, a certain Big Ten school located near Detroit.
The Michigan baseball team was in Columbus for a weekend series with Ohio State when Pickens and his teammates stopped off at a restaurant for a pregame meal. Problem was, they were wearing their travel suits, which were maize and blue.
“We walked in and we all got booed,” the catcher said, chuckling. “Then they started singing the Ohio State fight song.
“That was my best Ohio State-Michigan moment.”
A 50th round pick by the Indians in 2007, Pickens had his best moment as a Scrapper Monday night, going 4-for-4 with a walk, two runs and two RBIs as Mahoning Valley’s offense erupted for the second straight game, beating Hudson Valley 12-3 at Eastwood Field.
Pickens entered the contest batting .214 and was mired in a deep slump. He said he’d been seeing the ball well, but didn’t have any hits to show for it.
So, before the game, Cleveland’s minor league hitting instructor, Bruce Fields, and Mahoning Valley’s hitting coach, Anthony Medrano, worked on Pickens’ swing — watching in person and on video — and made some slight adjustments.
“They got me figured out,” Pickens said. “It’s been a little frustrating. But that’s baseball. It’s a real humbling sport.
“I started off really hot, then hit a big lull. That’s how it goes. When you’re feeling good about yourself, the game has a way of knocking you on your butt.”
On Monday, it picked him back up.
“He didn’t struggle tonight, did he?” Scrappers manager Travis Fryman said. “Maybe he figured something out.”
The Indians originally picked Pickens in the 31st round of the 2004 draft when he was coming out of high school, then chose him again in 2007 with their last pick in the 50th round.
Pickens eventually opted to forgo his senior year in Ann Arbor (he didn’t make the decision until August) and played the first half of this season at Class A Lake County.
“Initially, I was told I was supposed to go much higher [in the draft],” he said. “People thought I’d go back for my senior year but things didn’t work out. The Indians called me up and worked through some negotiations and they showed some interest in having me play this year.
“It worked out well.”
Although things hadn’t gone well at the plate lately — the four hits raised his batting average to .267 — he hasn’t had to deal with much grief from Buckeye fans off the field.
“I don’t think they necessarily see me as a Wolverine,” he said, smiling. “More as a Scrapper, which is nice.”
Isaias Velasquez also had a terrific night for Mahoning Valley (12-15), going 2-for-5 with three RBIs and three runs scored. The biggest hit came in the Scrappers’ seven-run eighth inning when he hit a three-run homer to left field.
Juan Valdes added three hits and four RBIs for Mahoning Valley, which pounded out 17 hits one night after scoring a season-high 13 runs.
Eric Berger (1-0) went five innings, giving up two runs on four hits with six strikeouts to get his first win of the season. Brad Hinkle, Austin Creps, Garrett Rieck and Daniel Morales each pitched a scoreless inning of relief.
scalzo@vindy.com
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HUDSON VALLEYSCRAPPERS
abrhbiabrhbi
Ross 2b5000Vlsquez 2b5323
Scelfo cf4020W. Diaz ss4220
Tweedy ss4110Tice 3b4221
Mollicone 1b4100Pickens c4242
Kang rf3001Hernandez rf5112
J. Reynolds lf3111J. Valdes cf4134
Jefferies dh4011Webb lf5110
Hauschild c4010Booker 1b4020
Carroll 3b4000Armstrong dh4000
Totals35363Totals39121712
Hudson Valley000201000—3
Scrappers30020007x—12
E—Tweedy (7), Scelfo (2), Hernandez (1), W. Diaz (3), Tice (7). DP—Hudson Valley 2, Scrappers 1. LOB—Hudson Valley 7, Scrappers 11. 2B—Hauschild (1), Tweedy (6). HR—Velasquez (1). SB—Scelfo (5), Ross (13), Velasquez 2 (4), Pickens (2), Tice (1). CS—Velasquez (2).
IPHRERBBSO
Hudson Valley
F. De Los Santos L, 3-3363321
Della Grotta212240
Rafferty230022
Welch177701
Scrappers
Berger W, 1-0542216
Hinkle111010
Creps110000
Rieck100002
Morales100001
WP—Della Grotta, Berger. Umpires—Home, Tim Eastman; Bases, Shaylor Smith. T—3:01. A—2,021.
HOW THEY SCORED
Scrappers 1st—Velasquez singles to left. Diaz grounds out (6-3), Velasquez to 2nd. Tice singles to right, Velasquez scores. Pickens walks, Tice to 2nd. With Hernandez batting, Tice steals 3rd, Pickens steals 2nd. Hernandez grounds out (5-3). Valdes singles to left, Tice scores, Pickens, scores. Webb grounds into fielder’s choice (6-4), Valdes out at 2nd. 3 runs, 3 hits, 0 errors, 1 LOB.
Renegades 4th—Tweedy doubles to left. Mollicone grounds out (1-3), Tweedy to 3rd. Kang grounded out (4-3), Tweedy scores. Reynolds walked. With Jeffries batting, Reynolds to 2nd on wild pitch. Jeffries singled to left, Reynolds scores, Jeffries to 2nd on throw. Hauschild strikes out swinging. 2 runs, 2 hits, 0 errors, 1 LOB.
Scrappers 4th —Booker pops out (FF-2). Armstrong walks. Velasquez reaches on fielder’s choice (5-4), Armstrong out at 2nd. With Diaz batting, Velasquez steals 2nd. With Diaz batting, Velasquez to 3rd on wild pitch. Diaz walks. Tice walks, Diaz to 2nd. Pickens singles to center, Velasquez scores, Diaz scores, Tice to 2nd. Hernandez grounds into fielder’s choice (5-4). 2 runs, 1 hit, 0 errors, 3 LOB.
Renegades 6th—Mollicone reaches on throwing error (E-5). Kang walks, Mollicone to 2nd. Reynolds singles to left, Mollicone scores, Kang to 2nd. Jeffries reaches on fielder’s choice (6-4), Kang to 3rd, Reynolds out at 2nd. Hauschild pops out (F-6). Carroll flies out (F-8).
Scrappers 8th—Diaz singles to center. Tice singles to center, Diaz to 2nd. Pickens singles to left, Diaz to 3rd, Tice to 2nd. Hernandez singles to center, Diaz scores, Tice scores, Hernandez to 2nd on fielding error (E-8), Pickens to 3rd. Valdes singles to center, Hernandez scores, Pickens scores. Webb singles to right, Valdes to 2nd. Booker strikes out swinging. Armstrong flies out (F-7). Velasquez homers to left, Valdes scores, Webb scores. Diaz grounds out (6-3). 7 runs, 7 hits, 1 error, 0 LOB.