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Scrappers avoid sweep by Spikes
Calica’s three hits power defeat of first-place Spikes
By Steve ruman
NILES
The Mahoning Valley Scrappers struggled in the first two games of a key three-game series against State College.
On Monday, the Scrappers avoided a sweep with a much-needed 4-2 win over the Spikes in front of 2,094 fans at Eastwood Field.
The victory came two days after the Scrappers gave up a season-high 23 hits in a 13-8 setback. That was followed by Sunday’s 5-0 shutout loss.
The victory keeps the Scrappers (30-31) within striking distance in the New York-Penn League wildcard standings. They are 41/2 games behind Staten Island.
“You have to admire the composure of this team,” Scrappers outfielder Andrew Calica said. “It’s been really fun to play with this group of guys.
“From game to game, we don’t lose composure,” Calica said. “We always stay within ourselves, and it’s been good to see.”
Calica collected three hits, stole a base, scored a run and knocked in a run to help the Scrappers’ cause. The outfielder is now batting .392.
“You know, it’s a funny game,” Calica said. “Things are rolling right now, I have some good momentum and I just hope I can continue it for the next 15 games.”
Calica plated the game’s first run in the bottom of the first inning. His single scored Gabriel Mejia, who led off with a single and stole second. Calica then came around to score on a Gavin Collins’ double.
Collins plated the Scrappers’ third run in the third with an RBI single. The Scrappers scored their final run in the fifth on an Erlin Cerda double that scored Silento Sayles.
Brady Aiken (2-0) pitched five strong innings to pick up the win. Aiken, the Indians’ top draft pick in 2015, gave up one run on three hits while striking out six.
The loss certainly doesn’t hurt State College, which owns a NYPL-best 41-21 record. The St. Louis Cardinals affiliate has an 81/2-game lead in the Pinckney Division.
While league managers generally acknowledge the NYPL as a developmental league, Spikes manager Johnny Rodriguez insists that winning is an important part of the building process.
“With the Cardinals organization, an emphasis is placed on winning at all levels,” Rodriguez said. “Naturally, I’m not going to overwork a pitcher.
“I’m not going to threaten the future of a player,” Rodriguez said. “But we’re about 50-50 in terms of development and playing to win.”
“It’s important to develop a winning culture, so we don’t apologize for our record.”
Rodriguez said the Spikes’ success has been a total team effort.
“We’re not a flashy club, there are teams in this league that probably have better overall talent than us,” Rodriguez said. “What we do is come to work every day, nine-to-five, and put in a solid days work.
“The first 10 days of the season, I told a lot of people that this team could be special because they grind every day.”
The Spikes own a 22-9 record on the road.
“My feeling is that there is no air time on the road,” Rodriguez said. “We stretch, have batting practice, eat and play. At home, we have down time from 5 to 6:30 p.m. I just feel that on the road we play better because we have a rhythm and we don’t have any down time to break that rhythm.”