43
Scrappers sweep back against Spikes
NILES
It’s not necessarily night and day, but it surely isn’t much of the same.
The 2012 Mahoning Valley Scrappers returned just four players from the team that went 43-32 a year ago. Aaron Siliga, Evan Frazar, Enosil Tejeda and Jack Wagoner —the four guys that came back to Niles for a second year — all appeared in Saturday’s 3-1 win over the State College Spikes. After being swept by them last weekend, the Scrappers returned the favor this time around.
“I just want them to be in a good frame of mind,” manager Ted Kubiak said. “When you go out and win it’s easy. When they’ve lost, it’s another. I have to figure out to do that.”
The 70-year old has plenty of baseball experience under his belt, but how different is he to deal with than Dave Wallace was last year?
“There’s energy in both of them,” Frazar said. “With Kubiak, it’s get it done now — or else. I like that. Ted’s been in the game for 50 years. He obviously knows something about baseball.”
Wallace, now the manager at Lake County, has guided the Captains to 34-41 record in 2012. His first managing experience actually came with the Scrappers a year ago.
Pitching coach Greg Hibbard has been with Mahoning Valley for the past two years. That stability has helped Wagoner who earned his second hold of the season in relief of winning pitcher Luis DeJesus. Wagoner went two innings, didn’t give up a hit and struck out three.
“I spent a lot of time with Greg in Arizona,” Wagoner said. “It was so helpful because I worked with him every day to iron out everything to get ready for this season.”
Tejeda closed the door in ninth inning for his second save.
Managing the bullpen is no different this year than it was a year ago.
“Same thing,” Wagoner said. “Your name is called, you get up and get the job done.”
That’s really the secret, Kubiak says.
“It’s no big deal. I ask Hibbie who’s up and who’s not,” he said. “There’s no big decisions here. Guys are throwing their pitches and getting their innings and throwing on their certain days.”
The Scrappers (6-7) built an early 2-0 lead in the first inning off Charlie Valerio’s two-run home run, a laser down the left field line. The Spikes answered with one in the second before four scoreless innings on both sides.
Mahoning Valley added an insurance run in the seventh when Jairo Kelly scored Hunter Jones.
The win was DeJesus’ first of the year. He struck out three and allowed just four hits.
“He’s throwing strikes one after the other,” Kubiak said. “Even Turge [State College manager Dave Turgeon] said it. That throws off these young hitters.”
Siliga went 1-for-4. Frazar went 0-for-4, but had bunted Jones over in scoring position in the seventh. He nearly had an inside the park home run in the fourth inning. Frazar gave a full-count fastball a ride to left-center field. Spikes outfielder Walker Gourley and Barrett Barnes collided with each other and didn’t reveal who caught the ball until Frazar rounded the bases and touched home plate. Walker did make the catch and both stayed in the game after being down for a few minutes.
“That was just goofy,” Frazar said.
SCRAPPERS 3, SPIKES 1
State CollegeScrappers
abrhbiabrhbi
Carvajal ss3000Kelly ss4011
Crmlich 2b4010Siliga lf4010
Barnes cf4000Wendle 3b3110
Stallings c4110Valerio c4112
Hrnback dh3010Romero dh4010
Barrios 3b3000Bradley cf3010
Gourley lf3010Jones rf4110
Lakind 1b2000Frazar 1b3000
Gnzalez 1b1000Garcia 2b2000
Fuselier rf3000
Totals30140Totals31373
State College010000000—1
Scrappers20000010x—3
E—Carvajal 2 (6), Lakind (6). PB—Valerio (2). DP—Spikes 1, Scrappers 1. LOB—State College 3, Scrappers 8. 3B—Wendle (1). HR—Valerio (1). SB—Carvajal (3), Bradley (2). CS—Romero (1).
IPHRERBBSO
State College
Burnette L, 0-2552203
Ludwig100002
Pevny111022
De Leon110012
Scrappers
DeJesus W, 1-0641013
Wagoner200003
Tejeda100001
WP—DeJesus. Umpires—Home, J.J. Bilinski; Bases, Sam Vogt. T—2:21. A—3,522.