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Scrappers sunny after skid snapped
Mahoning Valley defeated Williamsport to end a losing streak.
WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. — A rain delay of almost 90 minutes didn’t bother Mahoning Valley at all, as the Scrappers defeated the Williamsport Crosscutters, 6-1, in a New York-Penn League game Sunday night.
The win for the Scrappers before 2,184 fans at Bowman Field snapped Williamsport’s eight-game winning streak and their own two-game skid.
“We are used to rain,” Scrappers manager Travis Fryman said. “We have only had three home games all year that it hasn’t rained on us at some point, so our guys have had a stretch of dealing with some tough weather this season and they have handled it like troopers.
“This win was big for us because it was over the hottest team in the league,” Fryman said. “But we are playing the best baseball we have played all season so it was big for us to get this one.”
The game featured a pitching duel between Scrappers starter Eric Berger and Williamsport’s Justin DeFratus.
When the issue was decided, Berger had the better of it as he picked up his second win against no losses, allowing just two hits and no runs, walking a pair and striking out four in five innings.
Berger said the delay wasn’t a problem.
“There was a little more moisture in the air than normally, but overall, it [the delay] didn’t bother me,” Berger said. “I couldn’t throw a curveball for a strike tonight so I just threw a couple of them just to show it.
“I didn’t throw as many first-pitch strikes as I would have liked to, but you just have to work with what you have, get ahead as much as you can and hang up zeros.”
Fryman also liked what he saw from his lefty.
“He [Berger] is throwing the ball real well for us and our starting pitching has been very consistent for the most part,” Fryman said. “We have a few more left-handed starters than most of the other clubs and he has been impressive in his time thus far.”
After DeFratus retired the first seven batter he faced, Doug Pickens picked on a fastball and drove it over the left-center field fence for a solo homer and a 1-0 Scrappers’ lead.
“Normally early in the game like that, he [the pitcher] will show you how he is starting us off,” Pickens said. “He had shown a slider and a couple of changeups so I basically went up there looking fastball middle in. I hit it pretty well and it really jumped off the bat.”
The Scrappers gave themselves a little breathing room with a pair of runs in the fifth before adding single runs in the sixth and seventh for a 5-0 lead.
In the fifth, Juan Valdez led off with a single and scored on a RBI single by Isaias Valesquez and Walter Diaz reached on walk and crossed the plate on Lonnie Chisenhall’s RBI single to left.
In the sixth, Brock Simpson led off with a double to left-center and with one out and scored on a RBI triple by Valdes to deep center field.
The Scrappers made the most of an opportunity with two outs in the seventh as Chisenhall singled to left, stole second, went to third on a single by Ryan Blair and scored on an error by Cutter left fielder Arlon Quiroz.
The Scrappers added their final run in the ninth on a single by Velasquez and a RBI single to center by Ryan Blair.
Kaimi Mead (3-3, 5.96) will start for the Scrappers tonight in the series finale.
———
SCRAPPERSWILLIAMSPORT
abrhbiabrhbi
Velasquez 2b5131Haislet rf4020
Chisenhall dh5121Myers cf4000
Blair lf5021D’Arnaud c4020
Simpson 1b5110Overbeck 3b4000
Tice 3b4000Susdorf 1b3110
J. Valdes cf4131Hanzawa ss3010
Hernandez rf4010Binkoski dh4000
Pickens c4111Quiroz lf4000
W. Diaz ss3100Hargrave 2b4000Totals396135Totals34160
Scrappers001021101—6
Williamsport000000001—1
E—Tice 2 (9), W. Diaz (5), Quiroz (2). DP—Scrappers 2, Williamsport 1. LOB—Scrappers 7, Williamsport 9. 2B—Simpson (5), Susdorf (4). 3B—J. Valdes (1). HR—Pickens (1). SB—Chisenhall (5), J. Valdes (3).
IPHRERBBSO
Scrappers
Berger W, 2-0520024
Creps200010
Ramirez120000
Grening121001
Williamsport
De Fratus L, 3-2684411
McConnell121000
Schwimer231103
WP—De Fratus. Umpires—Home, Shea Gipson; Bases, Joseph Born. T—2:21. A—2,184.
HOW THEY SCORED
Scrappers 3rd — Hernandez flew out (F-7). Pickens homered to center field. Diaz grounded out (4-3). Velasquez singled to left field. With Chisenhall batting, Velasquez to 2nd on wild pitch by De Fratus. Chisenhall grounded out (6-3). 1 run, 2 hits, 0 errors, 1 LOB
Scrappers 5th — Valdes singled to left field. Hernandez singled to center field, Valdes to 2nd. Pickens grounded into double play (6-4-3), retiring Hernandez at 2nd, Valdes to 3rd. Diaz walked. Velasquez singled to right field, scoring Valdes, Diaz to 3rd. Chisenhall singled to left field, scoring Diaz, Velasquez to 3rd. Blair grounded into force out (6-4), retiring Chisenhall at 2nd. 2 runs, 4 hits, 0 errors, 2 LOB
Scrappers 6th — Simpson doubled to left field. Tice grounded out (4-3), Simpson to 3rd. Valdes tripled to center field, scoring Simpson. Hernandez grounded out (6-3). Pickens lined out (L-6). 1 run, 2 hits, 0 errors, 1 LOB
Scrappers 7th — Pitching change: McConnell replaced De Fratus. Diaz grounded out (1-3). Velasquez grounded out (6-3). Chisenhall singled to left field. With Blair batting, Chisenhall stole 2nd. Blair singled to left field, Chisenhall scored on error (E-7). Simpson flew out (F-8). 1 run, 2 hits, 1 error, 1 LOB
Scrappers 9th — Diaz struck out swinging. Velasquez singled to right field. Chisenhall flew out (F-8). With Blair batting, Velasquez stole 2nd. Blair singled to center field, scoring Velasquez. Simpson struck out swinging. 1 run, 2 hits, 0 errors, 1 LOB
Williamsport 9th — Pitching change: Grening replaced Ramirez. Susdorf doubled to right field. Hanzawa singled to second baseman, Susdorf to 3rd. Binkoski struck out swinging. Quiroz popped out (P-6). Hargrave reaches on error (E-5), scoring Susdorf, Hanzawa to 2nd. Haislet flew out (F-8). 1 run, 2 hits, 1 error, 2 LOB