MV eliminated from playoff races

Staff report

Niles

The Mahoning Valley Scrappers will have nothing to play for but pride and their jobs for the 2012 season the rest of the week.

The Scrappers were eliminated from the Pinckney Division and New York-Penn League wild-card races on Wednesday night with a 6-2 loss to the Williamsport Crosscutters before 1,920 fans at Eastwood Field.

The loss was the 10th in their last 14 games for the Scrappers (37-34), who faced an uphill battle the final five days of the season. They trailed the Crosscutters and Brooklyn by 21/2 games for the wild-card spot entering Monday’s game at Williamsport.

Three losses later, the Scrappers postseason chances officially ended.

On Wednesday night, Todd Hankins had a pair of hits, including a solo home run, his fourth of the season, in the fourth inning. But the Scrappers managed precious little else on offense, scoring only one other run on an infield single by Cody Elliott.

Williamsport, meanwhile, took the lead in the first inning on Maikel Franco’s RBI single, then broke a 1-1 tie with a two-spot in the fourth inning.

The Crosscutters extended their lead with two more runs in the sixth inning and added an insurance run in the eighth.

Hector Rondon, a member of the Indians’ minor-league system since 2006, started and pitched only the first inning in a rehab stint for the Scrappers.

Will Roberts relieved and took the loss. He allowed four runs, all earned, and six hits in 42/3 innings.

Jack Wagoner pitched two innings; he allowed a run without benefit of a hit, and Ramon Cespedes finished up with 11/3 innings.

Tony Wolters, Jerrud Sabourin and Cody Elliott had the Scrappers’ other hits, all singles.

Wolters also had a stolen bases, his 18th of the season.