Scrappers top Muckdogs, 3-1

By STEVE RUMAN

sports @vindy.com

NILES

Ethan Hankins knows that all eyes are on him when he takes the mound at the start of a baseball game.

It’s hard to miss Hankins, whose 6-foot-6 frame seems to tower above his teammates.

Throw in the fact that Hankins is just 19-years-old, and is just 12 months removed from high school. Oh, and he was selected by the Cleveland Indians in the first round of the 2018 June draft.

“It’s a challenge knowing that your every move is being watched and scrutinized, but it’s also fun, it’s part of the process,” Hankins said. “You just have to block all of that out, stay focused and play the game.”

Monday at Eastwood Field, 2,810 fans — family included — watched Hankins make his debut in a Mahoning Valley Scrappers uniform.

The righty from Gainesville, Georgia did not disappoint.

Hankins worked four innings without giving up a hit, and helped propel the Scrappers to a 3-1 win over Batavia.

Hankins recorded four strikeouts. He issued one walk and also hit a batter.

“I just went out there and tried to dominate with my fastball early in the counts,” Hankins said. “I threw a few change-ups and curves when I felt like a batter might be on my fastball, but for the most part I went with the heat.”

“I knew I was only working four innings. It’s tough, as a pitcher you always want to keep working. But I have faith in the Indians, obviously they know what they’re doing when it comes to handling pitchers. Plus, we have a really great staff here that is going to be fun to watch.”

Hankins, who spent last summer in the Arizona Developmental League, was pitching in front of his aunt, grandmother and two cousins who made the trip to Niles from Kentucky.

“Pretty neat, they just happened to be up this way from Georgia so they made the four hour trip to make this even more special,” Hankins said.

A trio of MV relievers scattered just six hits to help the Scrappers lift their record to 3-1.

Batavia’s lone run came in the eighth inning on an Evan Edwards’ home run.

Mahoning Valley scored the first run of the night when Michael Cooper hit a two-out ground-rule double in the second inning. That was followed by a double off the bat of Eric Rodriguez that plated Cooper.

After Batavia tied the game at 1-1 in the top of the eighth, the Scrappers scored two runs in the bottom half of the frame on a Felix Fernandez bases-loaded single.

Batavia saw its first two batters reach base in the ninth, but Tim Herrin worked out of the jam to pick up his second save of the young season.

Peyton Burdick, who on Sunday hit a triple and a home run against the Scrappers, picked up one of the Muckdogs six hits.

Earlier this month, Burdick was acquired by the Miami Marlins in the third round of the June draft. Burdick recently completed his junior season at Wright State, where he was an All-American. With the Raiders this spring, Burdick hit .407 with 15 home runs and 72 RBI.

Burdick’s trip to Eastwood Field wasn’t his first. His Wright State team made several visits to Niles to play Youngstown State University.

“It seems to rain every time I come here,” Burdick said. “I have to say, it felt pretty strange pulling into this parking lot, recognizing the place from my college career just a few weeks ago.”

Ironically, the Batavia Muckdog right fielder is a native of Batavia, Ohio.