Early lead helps Scrappers drop Cyclones

By DAN HINER

sports@vindy.com

NILES

The Scrappers’ Willi Castro and Jodd Carter are the youngest players on the roster, but both players had a major impact offensively during the Sunday’s 6-2 rubber match victory against the Brooklyn Cyclones.

Castro gave the Scrappers an early lead on a leadoff home run to start the bottom of the first inning. It was Castro’s first homer of the season.

The Scrappers began the third inning with a leadoff single by left fielder Ka’ai Tom. Designated hitter Mark Mathias hit a blooper down the right field line, but the ball was bobbled by Brooklyn right fielder Hengelbert Rojas, allowing Tom to score from first base and extending the Mahoning Valley lead to 2-1.

“We want to take every opportunity and chance we get to put runs across,” Scrappers catcher Daniel Salters said. “That play honestly, I was on deck and I was watching Mark and suddenly I look back at home and he was already crossing home plate. That was a big time heads-up play from Ka’ai. He’s really fast and it was smart of our manager [Travis Fryman] to send him. That gave us the tempo, and let us cruise from there.”

Scrappers starting pitcher Casey Shane got off to a hot start, but allowed the first run of the game in the fourth inning. Brooklyn second baseman Vinny Siena began the fourth with a leadoff single to right field. Siena scored after back-to-back errors by Castro at shortstop to cut the lead to 2-1. Shane allowed one unearned run and three hits over five innings.

“He does a really good job of pounding the zone and throwing strikes,” Salters said. “He’s a really fun guy to be out there working with. He did a great job today. He made them hit the fastball and he mixed [his pitches] well.”

The Scrappers took a 5-1 lead in the fifth. Back-to-back singles by Salters and first baseman Nate Winfrey put Scrappers on first and second with nobody out. A sacrifice fly by center fielder Silento Sayles allowed Salters and Winfrey to advance to second and third with one out. Third baseman Austin Fisher hit a single off the glove of diving Cyclones’ third baseman Alfredo Reyes, driving in Salters. Winfrey then scored on a wild pitch and Fisher advanced to second. Right fielder Carter singled during the same at-bat to drive in Fisher.

The Cyclones cut into the Scrappers’ lead again in the top of the sixth inning after Brooklyn designated hitter Will Fulmer scored on a two-out double to right-center.

Mahoning Valley got the run back in the bottom of the seventh inning. Sayles scored on a Carter sacrifice fly to increase the Scrappers’ lead to 6-2. Carter finished with two hits and two RBIs.

Relievers Cortland Cox and Devon Stewart closed out the game, allowing one run and two hits over the final four innings. Mahoning Valley’s bullpen has allowed one run in the last 14 innings.

“Our pitchers are the ones that help us win the games,” Carter said. “If it isn’t for them the other team is going to score a lot of runs and put pressure on us.”

The Scrappers’ offense played much better than Saturday night, when they lost 2-1.

“We got away with a lot of things on the offensive side,” Salters said. “We had guys on third and less than two outs and didn’t score them a couple of times. That can come back to hurt you, but luckily this game it didn’t.”