Weary Scrappers fall to Black Bears in 12 innings

July 5, 2017 at 12:05a.m.

Scrappers vs Black Bears

NILES

On a day in which the United States Postal Service was closed in recognition of Independence Day, the Mahoning Valley Scrappers had every reason to mail it in themselves.

The Scrappers on Tuesday returned to Niles following a six-game road trip which culminated with a Sunday doubleheader, followed by a 15-inning affair on Monday at Auburn.

But on Tuesday evening, the weary Scrappers didn’t take a holiday. Instead, they worked overtime in an 8-5 loss to West Virginia.

Photo Gallery: Scrappers Vs Black Bears

With the setback — witnessed by 6,090 fans — the Scrappers drop to 9-6, and fall out of first place in the Pinckney Division of the New York-Penn League.

The Fourth of July crowd was the Scrappers’ largest home crowd in four years.

Early on, Mahoning Valley took control of the contest with a two-run third inning, followed by solo runs in the fourth and fifth.

Jesse Berardi and Oscar Gonzalez picked up RBI hits in the third to give the Scrappers a 2-1 lead. Will Benson extended the advantage to 3-1 in the fourth when he led off the frame with a home run to right field. In the fifth, Ulysses Cantu singled and eventually scored on a wild pitch to give the Scrappers a 4-1 lead.

Cantu, who was selected by the Cleveland Indians out of high school in the sixth round of the 2016 draft, is batting .390 on the season. The infielder spent last summer in the Arizona League.

“It’s been a nice start to the season, I’m feeling comfortable at the plate and I have been getting good looks,” Cantu said. “Last year was definitely a learning period where I made a lot of adjustments and learned a lot about the game. That year in Arizona is paying off.”

The Scrappers couldn’t hold the lead, as the Black Bears scored a run in the seventh, then tied the game at 4 in the eighth.

The Scrappers squandered several scoring opportunities in extra innings. In the bottom of the 11th, Benson tripled to lead off the inning, then Simeon Lucas reached on an infield single. However, a groundout, a strikeout and a pop out ended the threat.

The Black Bears responded with a four-run 12th, highlighted by a Yoel Gonzales two RBI triple.

Despite the loss, the Scrappers are off to their best start in six years. They are three games over .500 for the first time since the final day of the 2011 season when they finished with a 41-34 mark.

“There’s a lot of energy in our clubhouse, we just can’t wait to get out and play every day,” Cantu said. “There’s a lot of good chemistry here, which is important to winning. I think we’ll be in this for the long haul.”

Cantu said that the near-sellout Eastwood Field crowd provided plenty of energy for a Scrappers team which played 41 innings of baseball over a three-day period.

“We were excited to come home to these fans,” Cantu said. “Personally, I’ve never played in front of a crowd this big and this loud. It sort of makes you forget all the innings you’ve played over the past couple of days and it gives you an extra boost.”

The Scrappers and Black Bears continue their three-game series tonight at 7:05.