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Lacking offense, Scrappers falter
Four Williamsport pitchers held Mahoning Valley’s offense in check, 2-0.
WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. — Not much hitting and good pitching equaled another tough loss for the Mahoning Valley Scrappers.
Held in check by starting pitcher Michael Stutes and relievers Sean Grieve, Michael Cisco and Charles Vartanian, the Scrappers never got anything going as they dropped a 2-0 decision to the Williamsport Crosscutters before 1,776 fans at Bowman Field Monday night.
“Not unlike the first game [of the series] when we got a good enough performance to win the game, but not enough offense to win,” assessed Scrapper manager Travis Fryman. “Williamsport has been playing some really good baseball and they played very well here these three days. They got some big hits when they needed them and they obviously have some real good starting pitching.”
One of those ’Cutters starting pitchers referred to by Fryman was Stutes who went six innings, allowing just two hits and no runs while walking three and striking out four.
The ’Cutters scored the only run they would need to win the game in the first inning and they did the damage with two outs.
Kaimi Mead retired the first two batters he faced, but he got a fastball up in the zone and Travis d’Arnaud hit it over the center field fence for a solo homer and a 1-0 Williamsport lead.
After d’Arnaud’s home run, the utters could only reach Mead for harmless singles in the first and third innings and a two-out double by Troy Hanzawa in the fourth.
For the game, Mead allowed just the one run on four hits, walking one and striking out four.
“He battled and gave us his best effort like he always does,” said Fryman. “He was mixing up his pitches pretty good and he kept us in the ball game. He obviously got hurt with the one [pitch to d’Arnaud], but he gave us an opportunity to win a ball game and that is all we ask of any of our pitchers.”
With the two teams matching each with zeros through the next six innings, the ’Cutters doubled their lead in the seventh inning with a little help by the Scrappers.
Troy Hanzawa singled to right field, eventually moved to third and scored on what appeared to be the third out.
However, as fate would have it for the Scrappers, the bouncer up the middle was mishandled by both Isaias Velasquez and Lonnie Chisenhall for a cwostly error.
“That [the second run] changes the tone of the game and the whole mood in the dugout,” Fryman said. “Errors hurt any team, but that might have been our 54th error of the year in 32 ball games and that is not real impressive..”
The Scrappers did manage one last ditch threat in the top of the ninth when Donnie Webb led off with a single and two outs later, Chisenhall walked. However, ’Cutters closer Charles Vartanian slammed the door shut on the Scrappers when he got Ryan Blair to ground out to end the game.
———
SCRAPPERSWILLIAMSPORT
abrhbiabrhbi
Velasquez 2b4010Haislet cf3000
Chisenhall ss3000Myers rf4000
Blair rf4000D’Arnaud c4121
Simpson 1b2000Overbeck 3b4010
Hernandez dh3000Susdorf dh3010
J. Valdes cf2010Quiroz pr-dh3000
Pickens c3000Hamilton 1b4000
Webb lf3010Hanzawa 2b4120
W. Diaz 3b2000Frew lf4010
Hargrave 2b3000
Totals26030Totals36271
Scrappers000000000—0
Williamsport10000010x—2
E—Chisenhall (10). DP—Scrappers 3, Williamsport 0. LOB—Scrappers 3, Williamsport 8. 2B—Hanzawa (10), Susdorf (5). HR—D’Arnaud (3).
IPHRERBBSO
Scrappers
Mead L, 3-4541114
McGuire221012
Roberts110000
Williamsport
Stutes W, 2-1620035
Grieve100001
Cisco100002
Vartanian110010
WP—McGuire. Umpires—Home, Joseph Born; Bases, Shea Gipson. T—2:13. A—1,776.
HOW THEY SCORED
Williamsport 1st—Haislet grounds out (G-3). Myers grounds out (6-3). D’Arnaud homers to center. Overbeck singles to right. Susdorf walks, Overbeck to 2nd. Hamilton flies out (F-8). 1 run, 2 hits, 0 errors, 1 LOB.
Williamsport 7th—Hamilton strikes out swinging. Hanzawa singles to right. Frew bunt singles, Hanzawa to 2nd. Hargrave strikes out swinging. With Haislet batting, Hanzawa to 3rd and Frew to 2nd on wild pitch. Haislet intentionally walks. Myers reaches on force attempt (E-6), Hanzawa scores, Frew to 3rd, Haislet to 2nd. D’Arnaud grounds into fielder’s choice (6-4). 1 run, 2 hits, 1 error, 2 LOB.