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Mahoning Valley beats Auburn to move within five games of division lead
Photo
Scrappers batter Jeremy Lucas drives the ball to the outfield during Wednesday’s game against Auburn at Eastwood Field. Among those watching are Doubledays catcher Spencer Kieboom and umpire Mike Wiseman.
By Tom Williams
NILES
The Mahoning Valley Scrappers’ hopes for a late-season playoff chase remain alive thanks to backup catcher Jeremy Lucas’ two-out double in the eighth inning of Wednesday’s 5-4 victory over the first-place Auburn Doubledays.
“I didn’t think they were going to throw me much to hit,” said Lucas who got Wednesday’s start because Charlie Valerio had a problem with his shoulder. “He [Robert Benincasa] threw me a couple of sliders and I was looking for another offspeed pitch.”
With the score tied 4-4, Lucas hit the 1-1 pitch over left fielder Eastarlin Martinez and center fielder Narcisco Mesa to score Joseph Wendle with the winning run.
“I didn’t swing too well,” said Lucas of his first swing against Benincasa. “I was kind of hacking so I knew I was probably going to get something offspeed. But I got my foot down, saw spin so I just waited back and luckily ... got one in the gap.”
Despite committing four errors and being unable to hold an early three-run lead, the Scrappers won to slice Doubledays’ lead in the Pinckney Divisin to five games.
“We were getting quality at-bats, but we booted the ball a little bit,” said Wendle, one of the five Scrappers in Tuesday’s New York-Penn League All-Star Game at Eastwood Field.
Trailing 1-0 in the second inning, the Scrappers (26-28) scored four times off Doubledays starter Pedro Encarnacion.
Joe Sever, another All-Star, doubled for the first of five hits in the Scrappers’ second at-bat. Lucas singled to score Sever for a 1-1 tie.
After Juan Romero’s one-out single put the Scrappers ahead, Erik Gonzalez followed with a two-run blast over the left-center field fence for a 4-1 lead. Jairo Kelly doubled before Encarnacion escaped his 25-pitch inning.
“[Encarnacion] did a really good job of recovering,” Wendle said as the Scrappers failed to score in the next five innings.
The Doubledays (31-23) chipped away at the lead. In the fifth inning, Wes Schill walked and scored on Brandon Miller’s two-out double. Carlos Lopez led off the sixth frame with a homer to left field.
In the eighth inning, Miller drew a lead-off walk off of Scrappers reliever James Stokes and tied the game on pinch-hitter Craig Manuel’s two-out single off Jack Wagoner.
Wagoner (2-4) retired four of the final five Doubledays batters to earn the win.
Wendle said he didn’t experience a letdown after playing in front of a vibrant full house the night before.
“It was a really cool experience,” said Wendle of the All-Star Game. “Today, it was all about getting back on the field and winning.”
With three weeks remaining in the season, the Scrappers also trail Batavia and State College in the division race. But the wild-card race is even more challenging as the Scrappers trail Brooklyn by 71/2 games.
“It’s getting to be crunch time late in the season so these are some crucial games,” Wendle said of tonight’s rematch with Auburn and two games this weekend against Batavia.
Lucas finished with three hits.
“I’m just trying to do whatever I can when I get in there,” Lucas said. “Not getting to play a lot just makes you work harder when you get in there. And it really makes you appreciate getting the chance.”
SCRAPPERS 5, AUBURN 4
AuburnScrappers
abrhbiabrhbi
Renda 2b5000Kelly ss4010
Schill ss4110Campbell lf4000
Pleffner 1b5010Wendle 3b4110
Mrtinez lf5030Sever dh4110
Miller dh3111Lucas c4132
Ramos rf4010Siliga cf4000
Lopez 3b4111Romero rf3111
Mesa cf4120Gonzalez 1b3112
Kieboom c3001Garcia 2b3000
Manuel c1011
Totals384114Totals33585
Auburn010011010—4
Scrappers04000001x—5
E—Lopez (9), Kelly (12), Garcia (11), Wendle (9), Campbell (3). LOB—Auburn 10, Scrappers 4. 2B—Miller (3), Sever (8), Kelly (5), Lucas (4). HR—Lopez (6), Gonzalez (1). SB—Mesa (8).
IPHRERBBSO
Auburn
Encarnacion664401
Davis L, 3-11 2-311104
Benincasa1-310001
Scrappers
Merritt4 1-362125
Aviles2 2-321102
Stokes1-311111
Wgoner W, 2-41 2-320002
WP—Encarnacion. Umpires—Home, N/A; Bases, Mike Bovine. T—2:52. A—2,320.