Scrappers get a split

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SCRAPPERS - JAMMERS - (28) Isaias Velasquez applies the tag to (2) Ray White at second during their game Sunday afternoon at Eastwood Field. - Special to The Vindicator/Nick Mays

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SCRAPPERS - JAMMERS - (38) Carlos Arias tries to pick off Joel Staples as (7) Brock Simpson waits on the throw during their game Sunday afternoon at Eastwood Field. - Special to The Vindicator/Nick Mays

By Steve Ruman

Team wins finale of a rainy series

The Scrappers dropped five of six games to end the wet and soggy homestand.

NILES — When it rains, it pours. And even when the sun does decide to make a rare appearance at Eastwood Field, it seems as though a black cloud still finds a way to hover over the Mahoning Valley Scrappers.

While dry weather was the order of the day Sunday, things at Eastwood Field were just partly sunny in a baseball sense as the Mahoning Valley Scrappers and Jamestown Jammers split a pair of games in front of 5,182 fans.

The day of baseball began with the conclusion of a game which began Saturday, but was suspended after three scoreless innings because of rain. Jamestown’s bats quickly came alive Sunday in an 8-0 win.

In the nightcap – a seven-inning affair – the Scrappers prevailed 9-4.

The win snapped the Scrappers’ (16-23) six-game losing streak, and kept them 10 games behind Jamestown (25-12) in the Pinckney Division of the New York-Penn League.

Sunday’s doubleheader brought an end to a six-game homestand that was soggy both figuratively and literally. The Scrappers dropped five of six games while dodging raindrops throughout the entire week.

The team has been plagued by foul weather since the season opened in late June.

“It’s been really tough on the team, because even when we’re not getting rained out it seems as though rain affects batting practice or pre-game workouts,” said Scrappers general manager Dave Smith. “We’ve had a number of days where we’ve gotten pretty wet just a few hours before the first pitch. Other times, we’ve had to battle raindrops throughout an entire game.”

In Sunday’s opener, the Scrappers and Jammers entered the fourth inning scoreless, but Jamestown – the top-hitting team in the NY-PL – scored the game’s first run in the fifth, then erupted for five runs in the sixth.

Ben Lasater led off the fifth inning by reaching on an infield single, then later scored on a two-out RBI base hit off the bat of Ryan White.

In the sixth, Scrappers reliever Carlos Arias (0-3) was roughed up by a combination of wildness and hot-swinging bats by the Jammers. Arias walked a pair of batters and hit a batter and allowed a pair of singles and a double.

In the nightcap, the Scrappers jumped on Jamestown starter Tom Koehler.

Isaias Velasquez and Cord Phelps led off the bottom of the first inning with back-to-back singles, then both scored on sacrifice fly-outs off the bats of Jeremie Tice and Brock Simpson.

One inning later, the Scrappers collected just one base hit but managed to score three runs thanks to an error, a hit batsman, and two walks. The one hit in the inning was a loud one, as Phelps doubled to the wall in left-center to collect his second and third RBIs of the game. Phelps was making his first appearance in a Scrappers uniform after being called up from the Gulf Coast League earlier in the day.

Phelps also made a dazzling play at second to end a Jamestown rally.

“It was nice to come in here and quickly contribute, because this is a great atmosphere for baseball,” Phelps said. “I knew the team had been struggling, but I also know there is a lot of talent here and these guys are capable of ripping off a nice winning streak.”

The Scrappers extended their lead to 6-0 in the third on a Tice single, followed by a Ryan Blair two-out RBI base hit.

———

First game

JAMESTOWNSCRAPPERS

abrhbiabrhbi

Gran 3b4230Velasquez 2b4010

Staples ss3010Chisenhall ss4010

Fermin c5121Blair dh3000

Banks dh3100Tice 3b3000

McDnld ph-dh1000Booker c1000

Synan lf5011Simpson 1b4010

Lasater 1b4210JValdes cf4010

Bass rf3101Pickens c1000

Turner 2b4013Alcmbrck c-3b2000

White cf4121Hernandez rf4010

Armstrong lf2000

Totals368117Totals32040

Jamestown000015002—8

Scrappers000000000—0

E—Staples (9), Turner (1). DP—Jamestown 1. LOB—Jamestown 7, Scrappers 8. 2B—Turner (2), Gran (11). SB—Gran (9). CS—Gran (3). S—Armstrong.

IPHRERBBSO

Jamestown

Dorn320013

Korpi W, 3-1520007

Martin110011

Scrappers

Berger310005

CArias L, 0-2221112

Creps2-335520

AMartinez1 1-310002

Roberts232223

WP—Creps. HBP—by Creps (Banks). Umpires—Home, Aaron Larson; Bases, Jose Esteras. T—2:51.

HOW THEY SCORED

Jamestown 5th — Ben Lasater reached on an infield single. Justin Bass grounded out to shortstop, Lasater advanced to second. Brandon Turner flew out to center. Ray White singled to left, Lasater scored from second base, White was thrown out at second 7-4. 1 run, 2 hits, 0 errors, 0 LOB.

Jamestown 6th — Paul Gran singled to center. Joel Staples grounded out to third, Gran advanced to second. Miguel Fermin singled to left, Gran advanced to third. Gran scored, Fermin advanced to second on a wild pitch. Ernie Banks reached first after being hit by a pitch. Jeremey Synan grounded out to first, Fermin advanced to third, Banks advanced to second. Lasater walked. Bass walked, Fermin scored, Banks advanced to third, Lasater advanced to second. Turner doubled to the wall in right-center, Banks, Lasater and Bass scored. White was called out on strikes. 5 runs, 3 hits 0 errors, 1 LOB.

Jamestown 9th — Turner grounded out to shortstop. White singled to left. Gran walked, White advanced to second. Staples walked, White advanced to third, Gran advanced to second. Fermin singled to right, White scored, Gran advanced to third, Staples advanced to second. Banks struck out swinging. Synan singled to left, Gran scored, Staples advanced to third, Fermin advanced to second. Lasater struck out swinging. 2 runs, 3 hits, 0 errors, 3 LOB

SECOND GAME

JAMESTOWNSCRAPPERS

abrhbiabrhbi

Mattison cf3011Velasquez ss3310

Gran 2b4011Phelps 2b4122

Lasater dh4000Chisenhall dh4121

Banks 1b3000Tice 3b3122

Fermin c3000Simpson 1b3011

Staples ss3010JValdes cf0000

Bass rf2220Armstrng pr-lf1100

JRojas 3b3000Blair rf2011

Martinez lf3222MValadez c3000

Webb lf-cf221

Totals28474Totals259107

Jamestown0000202—4

Scrappers231003x—9

E—Staples (10), JRojas 2 (4). LOB—Jamestown 5, Scrappers 5. 2B—Bass 2 (8), Martinez (3), Phelps (1). SB—Webb (2). CS—Chisenhall (2). S—Blair. SF—Tice, Simpson.

IPHRERBBSO

Jamestown

Koehler L, 1-4376520

Campbell333002

Scrappers

Mead W, 4-4542223

Rieck100000

Morales132200

PB—MValadez. WP—Campbell 2, Morales. HBP—by Koehler (Velasquez), by Koehler (Armstrong). Umpires—Home, Jose Esteras; Bases, Aaron Larson. T—2:17. A—5,182.

HOW THEY SCORED

Scrappers 1st — Isaias Velasquez singled to center. Cord Phelps reached on an infield single, Velasquez advanced to second. Lonnie Chisenhall singled to left, Velasquez advanced to third, Phelps advanced to second. Jeremie Tice flew out to right, Velasquez scored, Phelps advanced to third. Brock Simpson flew out to center, Phelps scored from third. Chisenhall was picked off at first trying to steal 1-3-6. 2 runs, 3 hits, 0 errors, 0 LOB

Scrappers 2nd — Juan Valdes walked. Ryan Blair was out 1-3 on a sacrifice bunt, Valdes advanced to second. Michael Valadez grounded out to shortstop. Donnie Webb walked. Corteze Armstrong pinch-ran for Valdes. Velasquez was hit by a pitch, Armstrong advanced to third, Webb advanced to second. Phelps doubled to left-center, Armstrong and Webb scored, Velasquez scored, Phelps advanced to third on a throwing error by the shortstop. Chisenhall popped out to shortstop. 3 runs, 1 hit, 1 error, 1 LOB

Scrappers 3rd — Tice singled to right. Simpson singled to right, Tice advanced to third, Simpson was thrown out at second 9-6. Armstrong was hit by a pitch. Blair singled to left, Tice scored, Armstrong advanced to second. Valadez lined out to right. Webb lined out to center. 1 run, 3 hits, 0 errors, 2 LOB

Jamestown 5th — Joel Staples flew out to center. Justin Bass doubled to the wall in left. Jesus Rojas lined out to shortstop. Feliz Martinez singled to center, Bass scored. Kevin Mattison walked, Martinez advanced to second. Paul Gran singled to right, Martinez scored, Mattison advanced to third. Ben Lasater grounded out to second. 2 runs, 3 hits, 0 errors, 2 LOB

Scrappers 6th — Valadez grounded out to shortstop. Webb reached on an infield single. Webb stole second. Valasquez reached on an error by the third baseman, Webb advanced to third. Phelps was called out on strikes. Chisenhall sinlged to right, Webb scored, Valasquez advanced to third. Webb scored, Chisenhall advanced to second on a wild pitch. Tice singled to center, Chisenhall scored, Tice advanced to second on the throw. Simpson grounded out to second. 3 runs, 3 hits, 1 error, 1 LOB

Jamestown 7th — Bass doubled to left field. Bass advanced to third on a wild pitch. Rojas popped out to first. Martinez doubled to center, Bass scored. Martinez advanced to third on a passed ball. Mattison singled to center, Martinez scored. Gran flied out to center. Lasaner popped out to shortstop. 2 runs 3 hits 0 errors, 1 LOB.