Scrappers rally to edge Doubledays

Staff report

AUBURN, N.Y.

Tyler Cannon’s two-out double in the ninth inning on Sunday drove in two runs to power the Mahoning Valley Scrappers to a 5-4 victory over the Auburn Doubledays.

With the Scrappers (5-5) trailing 4-3 entering the final frame, Andrew Kinney and Daniel DeGeorge ignited the rally with back-to-back singles.

After Doubledays pitcher Travis Garrett retired Jordan Casas on a fly out, he struck out Giovanny Urshela to move to within an out of the victory.

Cannon spoiled that effort as he doubled to left field to score Kinney and DeGeorge.

In the bottom of the ninth inning, Nick Kirk struck out Jonathan Jones, Carlos Perez and Markus Brisker to record the save and preserve the victory for reliever Takafumi Nakamura (1-0), who tossed three scoreless innings.

Jordan Cooper started for the Scrappers, going five innings and allowing all four runs. He gave up six hits, struck out four and walked two.

A walk to Auburn’s Stephen McQuail and a single by Yeico Aponte to lead off the third inning had Cooper in trouble.

Cooper limited the damage by picking off Aponte while Matt Nuzzo was batting. But Nuzzo’s two-run homer put Auburn up 2-0.

The Scrappers sliced the lead to 2-1 after Cannon walked in the fourth inning and scored on Chase Burnette’s two-out double.

Gustavo Pierre’s solo homer restored the Doubleday’s two-run margin. Then in the fifth inning, a walk to Nuzzo and an error gave the Doubledays a 4-1 lead.

In the seventh inning, the Scrappers converted four singles and a wild pitch into two runs.