The 2010 NY-Penn League season officially opened on Friday and the Mahoning Valley Scrappers fared pretty well taking two of three from the Jamestown Jammers.  Monday night, the Scrappers got to play host to the Auburn Doubledays.  In front of 5,099 fans, the Scrappers couldn’t generate any offense and couldn’t get an out in a seven run second inning in losing 12-0.

For the Scrappers starting pitcher, Casey Gaynor, what started as a promising night unexpectedly turned into a very early exit.  Gaynor struck out the side in the first inning and had the large Eastwood Field crowd cheering.  The second inning was a nightmare for Gaynor as he surrendered a 2-RBI double to Jack Murphy.  After a bases-loaded walk forced in another run, DH Carlos Perez took a Gaynor offering out of the park for a grand slam and a 7-0 Doubledays lead.

JD Goryl relieved Gaynor to start the third and struggled with his control.  Auburn tacked on three more runs in the next two innings, two of them on a throw Goryl couldn’t handle covering first base.

Meanwhile…  Doubledays starter Sam Strickland (pictured) cruised along, going six strong innings and yielding only four hits.  Strickland was replaced by Zach Outman who allowed three Scrappers to reach base in the same inning for the first time in the seventh inning.  Outman pitched out of trouble leaving the bases loaded and freezing Scrappers CF Kevin Rucker with a nasty curveball.

On a bright note for Mahoning Valley, LF Chase Burnette had a pair of hits. Burnette seemed unphased by the home-opening loss and knows that it is one game.  “We have to respond better to avoid big innings like the one they had on us tonight and have to be more responsive moving forward.”

Scrappers Manager Travis Fryman knows that these first few games are a feeling out process and that his team will be ready to play tomorrow.  “It’s early in the season and we are not real concerned about this loss.  If we were twenty-five games in there would be some concern.”

Fryman added that many of the new Scrappers will spend the Summer learning how to hit with a wooden bat.  “There will be a period of time, maybe all Summer, for some of these guys to learn how to hit with a wooden bat.”