43
Scrappers finally score but still come up short
By JOE SCALZO
NILES
Photo
Aaron Fields (29) of the Mahoning Valley Scrappers waits for the ball as Markus Brisker of the Auburn Doubledays slides safely back to second base during Wednesday’s game at Eastwood Field.
Mahoning Valley Scrappers first baseman Chase Burnette was born in Atlanta, went to college at Georgia Tech and has lived within 30 minutes of the city his entire life.
Then he was drafted by the Indians in the 18th round of this year’s draft.
Did he know much about northeast Ohio?
“Oh no, not at all. Not at all,” he said, chuckling. “I knew the Pro Football Hall of Fame was here. And the Rock ’N Roll Hall of Fame is here. And I knew everybody that comes out of Ohio is a huge Ohio State fan.
“That’s pretty much all I knew.”
It’s been an adjustment on and off the field, as Burnette — like most players on the roster — learns to hit pro pitching with a wooden bat. He was batting .188 entering Wednesday’s game, then went 2 for 4 with an RBI.
Still, it wasn’t enough as the Scrappers fell to the Auburn Doubledays 8-3 at Eastwood Field.
It gave Auburn (4-2) a three-game sweep of the Scrappers’ opening homestand. But, on the bright side, Mahoning Valley scored for the first time in the series after losing the first two games by a combined 17-0 score.
“We were joking around before the game, saying, ‘We might as well score this series,’” said Burnette, who plated the first run in the first inning with a single. “ We were determined to come out and play much better tonight.
“Early in the game, we did play a lot better. We hit a lot better, we were swinging a lot better. Everybody looked like they had more confidence.”
The Scrappers (2-4) trailed just 4-3 after six innings before giving up four runs in the final two frames. Starter Michael Rayl (0-1) gave up two runs in five innings with four strikeouts and no walks. Reliever Kyle Smith then came in and struggled with his control, giving up five runs in 21/3 innings with six walks.
“It’s really difficult to throw quality pitches, especially early in the year,” said Scrappers manager Travis Fryman. “Most of your college guys haven’t thrown in several weeks and you can’t put them out there very much.
“Hitters definitely have a little advantage.”
Of course, adjusting to a different bat brings its own challenges, Burnette said.
“It’s definitely an adjustment,” he said. “It’s a hard one to make. I think a lot of guys on our team right now are working on trying to make that adjustment.
“We got a lot of young guys, a lot of guys straight out of college. It’s tough because we’re not hitting the way we want to hit, but it’s going to come.”
And while it’s still early, Fryman has liked what he’s seen from Burnette in the first week.
“Of the young men that we’ve signed, his swing is probably most advanced,” said Fryman, who plans to play him at first base and left field. “He has a lot of work to do with left-handers especially and off-speed pitches but he certainly has some tools to work with.
“I like what I see.”
AuburnScrappers
abrhbiabrhbi
Brisker cf4121Casas cf3110
Fernan 2b4000Cannon ss4010
Perez c5010Urshela dh4110
Nuzzo 3b4220Burnett 1b4021
Robert lf4100Seastr c4100
Knecht dh4112Heere lf4000
Pierre ss5120DeGeorg 3b4011
Durhm 1b4113Rucker rf4000
Aponte rf3120Fields 2b3000
Totals378117Totals34362
Auburn002002031—8
Scrappers100002000—3
E—Smith (1), Brisker (1), Fields (2). LOB—Auburn 9, Scrappers 6. 2B—Brisker (3), Pierre (1), Cannon (1). HR—Durham (2). SB—Nuzzo (1), Brisker 2 (2), Aponte (2). PB—Seastrunk (2)
IPHRERBBSO
Auburn
E. Smith W, 2-0663004
Marze100010
Hernandez200004
Scrappers
Rayl L, 0-1562204
K. Smith2 1-325563
Ehlert1 2-331103
WP—E. Smith, K. Smith, Ehlert. Umpires—Home, Dustin Klinghagen; Bases, Ivan Mercado. T—2:47. A—1,681.