Scrappers fall to Ironbirds

Staff report

ABERDEEN, Md.

A pitchers’ duel Wednesday between Mahoning Valley’s Luis Lugo and Aberdeen’s Sebastian Vader was decided by a seventh-inning error as the Scrappers lost, 2-0.

Lugo allowed just three hits in five scoreless innings.

With two outs and the bases loaded in the seventh, Briely Puerta got Jared Breen to hit a groundball that looked like it would end the inning. However, Paul Hendrix had the ball kick off his glove for an error, allowing a run to score. The Ironbirds (21-21) added an insurance run in the eighth.

Mahoning Valley (18-25) almost broke up the pitchers’ duel before it got started. Joel Mejia led off the game with a bunt single and Claudio Bautista followed with a single. With a 3-2 count on Hendrix, the runners were off on the pitch. Hendrix lined the ball back at Vader who caught it and turned it into a triple play. Vader allowed just six hits in 81/3 innings.

Nellie Rodriguez had two doubles for the Scrappers and Josh McAdams extended his hitting streak to 13 games.