43
Scrappers slam Jammers again
Bo Greenwell had three hits and two RBIs to continue his hot start to the season.
NILES — Mahoning Valley Scrappers left fielder Bo Greenwell credits his surroundings for the hot start with his bat for the season.
Greenwell had three more hits and drove in two runs to key a 16-hit attack that led to a 12-2 victory over the Jamestown Jammers at Eastwood field.
The Scrappers (2-0) had nine hits in Friday’s season opening 6-5 win over the Jammers.
“I think [hitting] comes with this atmosphere,” said Greenwell, son of former major league All-Star Mike Greenwell. “I know it is for me. I mean its awesome to come out and play before three or four thousand people and hear them cheer at the crack of the bat.”
Greenwell, 20, has five hits in his first eight at bats in only his second season of professional baseball.
“We’re swinging the bats good,” said Mahoning Valley manager Travis Fryman. “We’ll take 11 or 12 runs any game. Absolutely.
“Tonight we swang the bats good, we ran the bases aggressively and we capitalized on extra outs that we had so it was a good showing by our ballclub.”
Besides Greenwell’s three-hit night, the Scrappers got three hits from Lurvin Basabe and two hits each from Ben Carlson and Kyle Bellows.
Triple-A standout Stephen Head, who is one of the top hitting prospects in the Cleveland Indians organization, had a first-inning two-run single to ignite the Scrappers first inning, six-run rally.
Head is on a rehab assignment from the Columbus Clippers.
For the second night in a row, the Scrappers also got outstanding pitching.
Eighteen-year-old Clayton Cook pitched the first 42‚Ñ3 innings and gave up just one run on three hits.
He was removed one out away from getting the victory after struggling and exceeding his pitch count.
“Clayton Cook did a great job for a very young man,” Fryman said. “He threw the ball very well. He couldn’t quite squeeze through that last inning. He was over his pitch count and might have got the fifth inning fever and a win.”
Nick Kirk came in and was even more impressive. The 19th round draft pick out of Northern Iowa pitched 3 1‚Ñ3 innings and struck out seven batters.
Lefthander Jose Urena pitched a scoreless ninth inning.
After opening the game with six runs in the first inning, the Scrappers added a run in the fourth and put the game away with a four-run effort in the sixth inning.
Greenwell had an RBI double in the inning and Tim Palincsar, John Allman and Carlson each drove in an RBI.
“We’re molding really well, really fast as a team,” said Greenwell. “We have a great group of guys in this year’s draft and we’re molding quick and its already showing on the scoreboard.”
Other than the 2009 draft picks, the rest of the Scrappers have been practicing and playing games daily since the start of spring training in March.
Greenwell said that the Scrappers have a lot of line-drive hitters.
“I think we have a nice mix of college guys and the young guys that are coming out of the Gulf Coast League and extended spring training has given us a lot of experience,” Greenwell said.
The Scrappers close out the homestand today at 5:05 p.m. and then begin another three-game series with State College on Monday.
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JamestownScrappers
abrhbiabrhbi
Stonecipher cf3000Basabe 2b6131
Manzanillo 2b4000Greenwell lf5232
Austin ss4120Smit, J cf4210
Cregar rf4000Head, S rf3112
Taylor lf4011Palincsar rf2111
Orton 1b2100Allman dh3211
Kanaby dh4010Carlson 1b5021
Thieme c3011Bellows 3b5121
Brady ph0000Smith, K ss0101
Pasek 3b4020Vera ph-ss4010
Chen c3111
Totals32272Totals40121611
Jamestown000011000—2
Scrappers60010401x—12
E—Austin (2), Pasek (1), Kirk (1). DP—Jamestown 1, Scrappers 0. LOB—Jamestown 7, Scrappers 10. 2B—Chen (1), Greenwell (1), Taylor (2).
IPHRERBBSO
Jamestown
Brewer2-336542
Ramirez, G3 1-331103
Shafer264411
Matos, W110000
Ramos, A131111
Scrappers
Cook4 2-341126
Kirk W, 1-03 1-331107
Urena100011
WP—Brewer 4, Shafer 2, Cook 2. HBP—by Cook (Orton). Umpires—Home, Derek Mollica; First, Jose Esteras. T—2:51. A—3,670.