Scrappers Fall To Ironbirds, 7-6, In Entertaining Contest

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The Mahoning Valley Scrappers and Aberdeen Ironbirds played the final game of their trilogy Friday night at Eastwood Field.  The Scrappers kept fighting back to claim  leads when trailing, but ultimately, Torsten Boss‘s pinch-hit, two-run homer proved to be the final nail in the coffin.

Trailing 1-0, the Scrappers found a lead in the second inning.  Charlie Valerio started the inning with a single and Joe Sever (below, with Ted Kubiak) walked.  Aaron Siliga then singled to load the bases with nobody out.  Jeremy Lucas then hit a sac fly to right that brought Valerio home.  Erik Gonzalez, who made some snazzy plays at third base, singled to bring Sever home and give the Scrappers a 2-1 lead.

In the top of the third inning, Aberdeen tied the game.  The Scrappers would answer to reclaim the one-run lead in the bottom of the inning.  Joey Wendle, perhaps the hottest Scrapper hitter, knocked his fifth double with one out.  He proceeded to steal third and advanced home on a throwing error.

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In an entertaining game, the lead would change hands again as Aberdeen plated two runs in the fourth to take a 4-3 lead.  Scrappers starter Ryan Merritt would be chased from the game and relieved by Cody Penny.  The line for Merritt could have been better or worse, depending on which statistics matter the most.  Merritt gave up four runs, three earned, and got touched up for eight hits.

Mahoning Valley again responded unconventionally to reclaim the lead.  The Scrappers scored once in the fifth and once in the sixth to go ahead 5-4.  In the fifth, Wendle tripled with two outs.  Valerio then singled to bring Wendle home and tie the game.  In the sixth, Marcus Bradley walked with two outs.  Bradley stole second and then advanced to third and later home as Aberdeen looked like a mediocre little league team throwing the ball around.

That lead held until the eighth inning.  Torsten Boss delivered a big pinch hit two-run homer off of Jack Wagoner to give Aberdeen a 6-5 lead.

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Mahoning Valley had a chance to tie the game or take a lead in the eighth, but Jairo Kelly popped out to short to halt the rally.

Enosil Tejeda pitched the ninth inning for the Scrappers.  Tejeda walked the leadoff hitter, Creede Simpson, and then threw a sac bunt way past the first baseman, which set the Ironbirds up with second and third and nobody out.  Simpson scored on a groundout to make it a 7-5 deficit.

Tyler Naquin started the ninth with a single and advanced to second on a passed ball.  Wendle struck out but Naquin advanced to third as the catcher had to throw the ball to first to retire a hustling Wendle.  Valerio then walked to put runners on first and third.

That brought Sever to the plate, who singled home Naquin.  Siliga was next with men on first and second with one out.  Siliga hit a grounder to second but beat out the double play.  That would bring up Lucas with two out and the tying run 90 feet away.  Unfortunately, Lucas hit a high fly to the deepest part of the park and the game ended.

 

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