Plesac, bullpen help Scrappers win pitchers’ duel

July 28, 2017 at 12:08a.m.

NILES

Thursday’s game between the Mahoning Valley Scrappers and Williamsport Crosscutters featured a pitching matchup between two of the best starters in the New York-Penn League.

The Scrappers (22-14) sent right-hander Zach Plesac to the mound, who entered the night without a decision, but with an 0.86 earned run average.

Williamsport starter Kyle Young entered the evening with a perfect 5-0 record (8-0 in his professional career) and a 1.59 ERA.

Both pitchers lived up to their billing. However, the Scrappers’ bullpen was equally effective, while their offense broke through with some clutch eighth-inning hits.

The result was a 2-1 win for the Scrappers in front of 4,490 enthusiastic Buck Night fans at Eastwood Field.

Ernie Clement and Jesse Berardi each collected RBI singles to give the Scrappers a 2-0 advantage in the eighth inning. Williamsport first baseman Austin Listi hit a home run to lead off the ninth, but that was all the offense the Crosscutters were able to muster against Plesac and three relievers.

Plesac retired the first batter in the fourth before being lifted after throwing 63 pitches. Plesac gave up just one hit and recorded four strikeouts, but three walks and a hit batter elevated his pitch count.

Eli Morgan was sensational in relief, giving up two hits while striking out five. Jonathan Teaney (2-0) worked the final two innings to get the win.

Young was very efficient, scattering three hits while recording six strikeouts through five innings. Young, who was drafted out of high school by the Philadelphia Phillies in the 22nd round of the 2016 draft, is just 19-years-old and stands seven feet tall.

“I knew this one was going to be tough,” said Scrappers manager Luke Carlin. “We knew what we were getting into, we expected a low scoring game.

“Zach has been solid all year. Eli, it was great to see him fight back after having a tough outing in Auburn. This entire staff has really stepped up night after night.”

Carlin missed the second half of the game after being ejected following an argument with the umpires. Carlin’s dispute came an inning after Samad Taylor was called out for being out of the batter’s box while trying to bunt in the bottom of the fourth.

A similar play happened to lead off the bottom of the fifth.

“Honestly, I thought he got the call right, but we were just arguing over the logistics of the play, of [home-plate umpire] Ben [Rosen] not asking for help,” Carlin said. “These guys do a really good job. A lot of the rules are subjective, and these guys have a tough job. We were just arguing over the logistics of how you make a call.”

The Scrappers wiggled out of several jams to keep the Crosscutters off the board through five innings. With one out in the fourth, a drawn-in infield erased a baserunner trying to score from third. One inning later, Williamsport put runners on first and third to start the frame, but a 5-2-6 double play erased the threat.

The game remained scoreless until the eighth, when the first two Scrappers reached base on a walk and a hit batter, which set the stage for Clement and Berardi.

“I was just trying to fight off pitches and find something I could handle,” Clement said. “I had some fastballs blown by me, and I was just fouling them off. Fortunately I got something off-speed and I was able to poke it into left. It was awesome to get the job done for the team.”

Clement was drafted by the Cleveland Indians in the fourth round of the June draft. While at the University of Virginia, he was the toughest player to strike out in all of college baseball. He now owns a 12-game hitting streak.

“I’m a little guy, I gotta put the ball in play,” Clement said. “When I get up there, I just have to do anything I can to stay alive.”

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