43
Muckdogs start strong to avoid sweep at Eastwood
By DAN HINER
NILES
Outscored 19-8 in the first two games of a series at Eastwood Field, the Batavia Muckdogs rebounded by jumping on the Scrappers early for Wednesday’s 11-3 romp.
Batavia (11-17) avoided the sweep because of a seven-run top of the first where the Muckdogs sent 11 batters to the plate and recorded six hits and two walks.
Scrappers starting pitcher James Karinchak only lasted a third of an inning and allowed five runs on four hits and two walks.
“It was tough to fight back. They got out to a pretty good lead there right away,” Scrappers manager Luke Carlin said. “Karinchak has some pretty good stuff, he just couldn’t harness it in quick enough. He’s a special kid. I don’t expect to see too much of that from him.”
The Muckdogs added another run in the top of the third on a RBI groundout by second baseman Shao-Pin Ho to make the score 8-0.
Felix Tati came in to pitch with one out in the top of the first. Tati pitched five-and-two-thirds innings and allowed two runs on four hits and a walk. He also had a game-high seven strikeouts.
The Scrappers (17-12) got on the board in the bottom of the fifth after Jesse Berardi drove in Ernie Clement on a RBI groundout.
Batavia extended its lead to 11-1 in the seventh when Larzaro Alonso hit a three-run homerun to left-center field.
The Scrappers added two runs in the bottom of the ninth after Clark Scolamiero reached base on a two-out single and scored on an RBI double to right field by Hosea Nelson.
Clement drove in the Scrappers’ other run with a double to the left-field corner. that scored Nelson.
Clement finished 2-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored. Berardi went 2-for-4 with an RBI. Nelson went 1-for-3 with an RBI and a run scored.
Wednesday’s loss was Karinchak’s second start. Tati was moved to the bullpen earlier in the season. Carlin said Karinchak and Tati will adjust to their new roles as they get more in-game experience.
The combination of Tati, Kyle Nelson and Randy Valladares combined for eight-and-two-thirds innings pitched and allowed five runs on six hits and four walks. They combined for 12 strikeouts.
“[Tati] did a good job,” Carlin said. “It took him a couple outs to settle in, but after that he started mixing his pitches well and kept them off balance. It was good to see Nelson get a little more work today.
“He’s been pretty quick, pretty effective — kinda in and out,” Carlin said. “It was nice to get him in there for multiple innings today. They’ve been strong all year and they did a decent job tonight, too.”
Carlin said the team’s two late runs were a good sign of the players’ mentality moving forward because it showed the players were willing to fight despite the deficit.
“Still saw some good swings — even rallied late again today,” Carlin said. “It’s a good sign. The guys will keep their heads up. They swung it well this series and we’ll take it to Auburn with us.”