Scrappy had a birthday party Tuesday night at Eastwood Field (above).  All of his friends were there including Pete The Penguin.  The State College Spikes tried to crash the party, but the Mahoning Valley Scrappers battled their way back and won the game in the bottom of the ninth on a bases-loaded walk to Jordan Smith for a great 2-1 come-from behind victory.

“I’m very proud of our guys”, commented Coach David Wallace afterwards.  “Once this team gets down, they seem to turn it up a notch and play that much harder.”

The Spikes scored the first run of the game in the top of the fifth inning.  Matt Skirving doubled and scored from third when Alex Fuselier hit a grounder to short that was thrown away by Scrapper Shortstop, Tony Wolters.  Even if the throw would have been perfect it would have been a tough play.

Joseph Colon, who was scuffed up on Opening Day, had a second consecutive good start.  Colon pitched five strong innings for the Scrappers, yielding just one run, and it was unearned.  State Collge starter, Nick Kingham, also pitched well and didn’t give up a run.

The Spikes had the bases loaded with two outs in the top of the seventh.  Ramon Cespedes got out of a second-and-third-with-one-out jam to keep the Scrappers at a 1-0 deficit.  Things looked positive in the bottom of the seventh when Bryson Myles singled to start the inning.   Alex Livisky had a great at-bat, just missing a sure game-tying double down the third base line by a couple of inches, fouling a ball about four hundred feet long and twenty feet left, and ultimately lining a rope right at the shortstop for an inning-ending double play.

Jordan Smith started the bottom of the eighth with a double.  Aaron Siliga popped out to the catcher on a bunt attempt for the first out followed by KC Serna flying out to left.  With two outs, Jerrud Sabourin came through with a clean shot up the middle on a full count to tie the game at a run apiece.  Kevin Fontanez walked to put runners on first and second for Myles, who lined out to second.

Sabourin was happy to contribute to a good team victory with his bat.  “I have been struggling, and this is a process to go from college pitching to this type of pitching.  I have been working very hard, and it is just one hit, but who knows, hopefully there will be many more to come.”

In the bottom of the ninth and game knotted at one, Wolters was hit by a pitch on a 3-0 count and Lowery (above) walked on four pitches.  Lavisky followed that up with a bunt single setting the stage for Jordan Smith with nobody out.  Smith took four straight balls to get a cheap game-winning RBI.

Kyle Petter picked up the win for the Scrappers (7-3).