WINNER TAKES ALL: Scrappers force Game 3 tonight

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SCRAPPERS - (12) Chen Chun slides under the tag of Luke Murton during their game Tuesday night at Eastwood field. - Special to The Vindicator/Nick Mays

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SCRAPPERS - (23) Casey Frawley comes up short on the ball Tuesday night at Eastwood field. - Special to The Vindicator/Nick Mays

Chun Chen’s homer in the 11th inning on Tuesday beat the Yankees 3-2.

By Joe Scalzo

NILES — The high fly ball was rising deep into the September sky, and as Staten Island left fielder Neil Medchill inched back toward the wall, all Mahoning Valley batter Chun Chen could think was, “It’s going to be caught.”

Scrappers manager Travis Fryman, standing in the third base coaches box, wasn’t so sure. He thought it was long enough, but — unlike the rest of the stadium — he wasn’t sure it was high enough.

“My only concern was Medchill is 7 feet tall,” said Fryman (who was only exaggerating by nine inches). “I knew it had enough.”

Medchill leaned deep over the short fence, opened his glove and ... almost made the catch, sparking the Eastwood Field crowd of 1,544 fans (or what was left of them) into a frenzy and giving the Scrappers a dramatic 3-2 victory in the 11th inning of Tuesday’s Game 2 of the New York-Penn League championship series.

“That was probably the biggest hit of my pro career so far,” Chen said through his translator, Jason Lynn. “I wasn’t trying to think too much. I got a fastball, put a good swing on it and the ball carried.”

Chen, batting just .182 in the postseason, had come up short in a crucial situation in Monday’s Game 1 loss — the latest disappointment in what had been a frustrating season.

“That was the first time all year he’d really shown some raw emotion,” said Fryman. “But that’s the great thing about baseball. You can be the goat one day and the hero the next.”

The teams will play the deciding game tonight at 7 at Eastwood Field, with the Scrappers going for their second NYPL title and the Yankees their fifth.

“One more to go,” said Fryman. “It was a great game.”

Tuesday’s game recalled the teams’ previous meeting in the NYPL finals in 2000, when the Scrappers tied the series in Game 2 on an 11th inning walk-off homer. Staten Island went on to win the third game.

What made Tuesday’s result so surprising was the fact that Staten Island has 45 homers this season — including a NYPL-best 14 from Medchill — while Mahoning Valley had managed just 11 before Tuesday.

Scrappers reliever Cory Burns was tremendous, pitching 31‚Ñ3 innings of one-hit ball, striking out four and walking one to get the win.

“He was the biggest reason they won the game, in my opinion,” said Staten Island manager Josh Paul. “We couldn’t figure him out tonight.”

Jason Smit, Ben Carlson, Argenis Martinez and Chen all had two hits for the Scrappers, who set a team record for wins in the regular season with an NYPL-best 49-27 record. They are 1-2 all-time in NYPL championship series, losing the third and deciding game in 1999 and 2000 — their first two years of existence.

The Yankees (47-29), who are in the playoffs for the fifth straight year, are seeking their fifth NYPL, having won in 2000, 2002, 2005 and 2006.

Marty Popham started and pitched five innings, striking out five and giving up two runs (both earned) for Mahoning Valley. Antwonie Hubbard and Matt Packer combined on four innings of shutout relief as Scrappers pitchers struck out 13.

Staten Island was even better in that department, with starter Sean Black whiffing eight in four innings as the Yankees finished with 15 strikeouts. Ronny Marte got the loss after facing just one batter.

They also managed to pitch out of trouble in the late innings, as the Scrappers had runners on in the eighth, ninth and 10th innings, only to strand the winning runs.

Clayton Cook will start for the Scrappers tonight in the final game of what has been a terrific season at Eastwood Field.

“Cookie and some good guys in the bullpen,” Fryman said. “I like our chances.”

scalzo@vindy.com

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Staten IslandScrappers

abrhbiabrhbi

Paredes dh5120Henry cf5010

Mack, rf5022Martinez ss3021

Murton 1b5010Kipnis lf5010

Medchill lf5000Folgia dh4000

Almonte cf4000Brito 3b5000

Higashioka c5010Carlson 1b5020

Lyon 3b4000Smit rf4120

Castro 2b4000Frawley 2b5111

Angelini ss4110Chen c4121

Totals41272Totals403113

Staten Island00002000000—2

Scrappers00002000001—3

E—Popham, Martinez. LOB—Scrappers 12, Staten Island 8. 2B—Paaredes (2), Mack (2), Smit (1), Frawley (1). HR—Chen (1). SB—Martinez. S—Chen.

IPHRERBBSO

Staten Island

Black452208

Bailey220001

Brooks210012

Flannery220014

Marte (L,0-1)011100

Scrappers

Popham542215

Hubbard210003

Packer2-310001

Burns (W,1-0)3 1-310014

WP—Black, Popham; HBP—By Bailey (Folgia), By Brooks (Smit); Umpires—Home, Tim Rosso; First, Matt Jones; Second, Jose Rivera; Third, Nick Lentz. T—3:30. A—1,544.

HOW THEY SCORED

Staten Island 5th — Lyon strikes out swinging. Castro grounds out (5-3). Angelini singles to right. Paredes hits ground-rule double to left, Angelini to 3rd. Mack singles to center, Angelini scores, Paredes scores. Murton grounds into fielder’s choice (6-4), Mack out at 2nd. 2 runs, 3 hits, 0 errors, 0 LOB.

Scrappers 5th — Smit doubles to center. With Frawley batting, Smit to 3rd on wild pitch. Frawley doubles to left, Smit scores. Pitching change: Bailey replaces Black. Chen sacrifice bunt (G-1), Frawley to 3rd. Henry flies out (F-7). Martinez singles to right, Frawley scores. Kipnis singles to right, Martinez to 2nd. Folgia hit by pitch, Martinez to 3rd. Kipnis to 2nd. Brito pops out (F-2). 2 runs, 3 hits, 0 errors, 3 LOB.

Scrappers 11th — Pitching change: Marte replaces Flannery. Chen homers to left. 1 run, 1 hit, 0 errors, 0 LOB.