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Scrappers drop fifth in a row
By Steve Ruman
NILES
Tuesday’s game between the Jamestown Jammers and Mahoning Valley Scrappers featured a pair of teams headed in opposite directions.
The Jammers entered the contest atop the standings in the Pinkney Division, and with the best record in the New York-Penn League.
The Scrappers, meanwhile, owned the second-worst record in the league, and were riding a four-game losing streak.
The beat continued for both teams Tuesday as the Jammers defeated the Scrappers 4-2 in front of 3,084 fans at Eastwood Field.
The five-game skid drops the Scrappers to 23-35.
“This is a fun group to be around,” said Jamestown manager Dave Turgeon of his Jammers club. “They have a lot of personality. We hold them accountable, and they take the game seriously, but they also have a good time in the club house.
“Of course, winning makes things easier, that’s for sure.”
Turgeon served as the Scrappers’ manager during the 2001 season.
Early on, it was a struggle for the Jammers as Scrappers starter Caleb Hamrick faced the minimum batters through four innings.
Meanwhile, the Scrappers a scored a pair of unearned runs in the top of the fourth to take a 2-0 lead.
The Scrappers received an RBI from Robel Garcia on a sacrifice fly, then Paul Hendrix plated the second run on a base hit
The Jammers responded with their first run of the game in the top of the fifth. With one out, Edwin Espinal belted a home run over the left field wall.
The Jammers then took the lead in the seventh when they scored a pair of runs off reliever Carlos Melo, who was making his Scrappers debut.
Michael Fransoso and Erich Weiss collected an RBI in the frame. The Jammers also benefited from a pair of stolen bases in the inning.
“That’s who we have to be if we’re going to be successful,” Turgeon said. “We have to play small ball. We’re not going to beat teams by hitting balls out of the park.
“We have to execute, move runners along and score runs by chipping away. We’ve been doing that, and that’s why we’ve been successful.”
With 18 games left on the schedule, the Jammers are one game ahead of State College in the Pinkney Division standings.
“We’re still focusing on instruction and development of players, but at the same time development and winning go hand in hand,” Turgeon said. “In late game situations, we’ll do what we have to do in order to win a game, because those are situations you’ll face at every level.”
The Scrappers and Jammers continue their series tonight at 7:05
WORLD SERIES-BOUND
A handful of Scrappers’ players, along with radio play-by-play man Tim Pozsgai, spent Monday afternoon at the the World Series — the Little League World Series, that is.
The group attended the game between teams from Corpus Cristi, Texas, and Perth, Australia.
Texas won the game 5-2.
The Scrappers were in Williamsport to close their three-game set against the Crosscutters. The Little League World Series also is played in Williamsport.
“If you’re a baseball fan, attending the Little League World Series definitely has to be on your bucket list,” Pozsgai said. “The ball park was like a mini version of a Major League stadium. And, everything surrounding the event is done first-class.
“When we normally visit Williamsport, it’s a very quiet community. With the Little League World Series in town, it’s a completely different environment. The place is swamped. You can tell that the economy revolves around this one event.”
Pozsgai said attending the World Series in person is a completely different experience than watching it on television.
“Just watching the interaction between players of opposing teams, meeting the people from around the county, it’s a total experience,” Pozsgai said.