Posts Tagged ‘Mahoning Valley Scrappers’

Drew LaFollette is another busybody with more than one responsibility working for the Mahoning Valley Scrappers.  LaFollette, a Bowling Green grad from Toledo, likes the area and is part of a close-knit group of folks who work hard behind the scenes to make the Scrappers games an enjoyable outing for all who attend.  Probably his most interesting function is lining players up with host families.

Paneech: This year it seems like you kind of oversee what other people are doing in the sound room during games.

LaFollette: We have all spent a lot of time around each other and everybody here knows what they are doing.  Nothing is really new to any of them, it’s just a matter of keeping everybody on a schedule.  If there are changes, we just communicate them through everybody so that we all know what and when something will be different than scheduled.  It’s fairly easy as long as everyone is on board and aware of what they are doing.

Paneech: What is your official title and what duties fall under your care?

LaFollette: Officially, I am a production intern.  I also help out with marketing and the website and handle the Facebook and Twitter duties.  I also put together our host family program.  The host family thing can be tricky because you are dealing with the players and the families that they will be staying with.  I am like a middle man. Host families have certain qualities that they may be looking for, such as transportation.  There are really no hassles though and both sides are very cooperative.

Paneech: What could you see yourself doing if you were not working for the Scrappers?

LaFollette: Honestly?  I worked in a bank for a few years, and really couldn’t stand that nine-to-five routine. I like the unpredictability and wildness of the unexpected as compared to a standard routine type of job.  I am not sure what I would be doing, but hopefully it would be something like this.  What I do involves a lot of work, but we see our results right away and I am not sure of what I would be doing if not this.

Columbus Clippers (AAA) RHP Jeanmar Gomez is starting for the Scrappers on Wednesday, July 13 at Eastwood Field.  Gomez also has four appearances with the Cleveland Indians this season.

Gomez has 14 starts in Columbus this season, going 9-3 with an ERA of 2.40. In his four appearances with Cleveland in 2011, he is 0-1 with a 4.91 ERA. Gomez and the Scrappers take on the Connecticut Tigers, Class A Affiliate of the Detroit Tigers, Wednesday, July 13 at 7:05 p.m.

The Mahoning Valley Scrappers have enjoyed winning the majority of the one-run games they have played so far this year.  Heading into Friday, the Scrappers were 4-3 in those close games.  The Scrappers were also 9-4 at home on the season.  The statistic that wasn’t positive was the extra-innings record, which sat at 1-2.  The Scrappers changed that when Jerrud Sabourin, who had been flashing glove all season, came through with the bat to give the Scrappers a dramatic 4-3 win in 10 innings.

Sabourin reflected on his heroics.  “It felt great to be able to help the team.  My average is not as high as some of the guys, so the other team figures they can throw fastballs by me, so it kind of worked to my advantage and I am very happy with the results.”

Scrapper Skipper, David Wallace, discussed Sabourin’s progress after the game.  “Jerrud has been very good for us the last couple of weeks.  he got off to a little bit of a rough start, but has really been stinging the ball lately.  He has not had as much success as he deserves because he has been hitting a lot of balls hard, but right at people.”

Williamsport put the first run on the scoreboard in their first at-bat. Kyrell Hudson walked on four pitches.  Patrick Murray then singled in Hudson with two outs to give the Crosscutters the 1-0 lead.

Mahoning Valley tallied a run to tie the game in the third.  Cody Elliott reached on an error, stole second, moved to third on a fielders choice, and marched home on a Mike Nesseth wild pitch.  Jake Lowery (above) made it a 2-1 Scrappers lead by starting the fourth inning with his fourth home run of the season.

The Crosscutters added a run in the fifth inning to tie the game.  Kelly Dugan‘s sacrifice fly plated Bob Stumpo.  In the very next inning, Williamsport took a 3-2 lead when Asche singled home Harold Martinez from second base.

The Scrapper bats went numb, and hitless, after Lowery’s homer in the fourth inning until Todd Hankins started the home half of the seventh inning with a single.  Jerrud Sabourin (below) ripped a double into the right-cnter gap to tie the game.  Sabourin was mowed down trying to score from third.  Bryson Myles walked and stole second. When Stumpo, the Crosscutters catcher, fired the ball to second and it leaked out, Sabourin broke for home but Williamsport executed a good throw and tag to force the out.

Scrappers relief pitcher Nate Striz entered the tie game in the eighth. Striz kept the Crosscutters scoreless the rest of the game to earn the win.  The home team threatened in the bottom of the eighth.  Alex Lavisky drew a leadoff walk.  KC Serna was inserted to pinch run for Lavisky and trotted to second on a wild pitch.   Serna got to third on a Jordan Smith single, but was erased on a grounder hit to third by John Barr.  Smith and Barr moved up a base on Bryan Morgado‘s wild pitch.  Hankins was walked to load the bases.  Sabourin and Elliott then struck out to let Morgado off of the hook.

Credit the Scrappers for hustling.  If the 2011 version of this team has a dynamic, so far, it has to be hustle.  They run every ground ball out, they are on second base while a fly out they just hit is being caught, and, most obvious, they can steal some bases.  David Wallace said that his guys would play with respect for the game, and in 2011, he has not been a liar yet.

In the bottom of the tenth, Smith and Barr received one out walks. Sabourin, who tied the game, then struck out with an out and the bases loaded in the eighth,  was the hero with a single driving home Smith in the tenth.  Sabourin, who was 2-4 on the night, displayed some great clutch hitting during a very entertaining and competitive baseball game.

“It was a satisfying win for us tonight”, remarked Wallace.  “It is fun to win those types of games. I like the wins that we can kind of coast through because it is not as stressful.  Winning like this tonight with the good crowd into it, guys coming up in big situations and coming through, all make it a very satisfying win for us.”

The Scrappers head to the road for three more with these Crosscutters in Williamsport starting tomorrow before having a day off on Tuesday and returning to Eastwood Field on Wednesday for a three-game home stand against Connecticut.

On Superhero night at Eastwood Field, Jordan Smith did his best Spiderman by flashing some good webbing at third.  Bryson Myles and KC Serna played the role of Flash with their blinding speed on the basepaths, and Williamsport represented The Legion of Doom. In fictitious circles, good [Mahoning Valley] triumphed over evil [Williamsport] as the Scrappers posted a 8-2 win at home in front of 4,629 fans.

The Scrappers struck early for three first-inning runs off of Williamsport starter, Adam Morgan.  Bryson Myles led off the game with a single and advanced to second on a groundout.  Jake Lowery reached on an error setting the stage for red-hot Jordan Smith.  Smith (below) responded by doubling to get Myles home giving the Scrappers a 1-0 lead.  John Barr then singled to knock in Lowery and Smith to increase the first-inning lead to 3-0.

The Crosscutters responded in the third scoring two of their own when Kelly Dugan and Taylor Black raced home on Maikel Franco‘s double.  Scrapper starter, Joseph Colon, was able to buckle down and escape further harm in the inning.  All-in-all, Colon pitched a good game going five innings, giving up five hits, and exiting with a two-run lead.

Mahoning Valley got a run back in the bottom of the fifth.  Cody Elliott singled to left, moved to second on a wild pitch and kept running when the catcher’s throw sailed into center field.  KC Serna singled to left to drive home Elliott and put the Scrappers ahead 4-2.

The Scrappers bullpen did well to preserve the lead.  Enosil Tejeda, who started the sixth inning for the Scrappers threw three scoreless innings and looked very sharp.  Will Krasne pitched the ninth in a non-save situation for the Scrappers.

In the eighth, Todd Hankins hit a broken bat slow-roller down the third base line.  Serna came in from third and Smith was able to score from second when the Crosscutters third baseman, Harold Martinez, threw the ball past the first baseman.  With runners on second and third, Williamsport reliever Austin Wright uncorked a wild pitch.  Barr scored easily from third, but more impressively, Hankins sprinted all the way around from second and scored to make it 8-2 in favor of the Scrappers.

” We played a good, clean, defensive game tonight.  We have been kicking it around a little bit lately,” remarked David Wallace after the win.  “We grabbed the momentum and kept it tonight.  Our guys showed a lot of heart tonight by going hard and running everything out. It is exactly what we want to see and we are happy they are a part of this organization, it is exactly what we want to see.”

The Mahoning Valley Scrappers front office has some very hard-working people.  The public perception of an employee for a minor league baseball team is usually distorted.  Popular to contrary belief, the employees do not sit and watch nine innings while yawning and looking at their watches.  Matt Thompson is the Director of Corporate Sales for the Scrappers.  He sells to businesses, handles the luxury box suites, and pretty much has the attitude to do whatever it takes.  I recently spoke with Thompson about his job and the Scrappers.

Paneech: How long have you been with the Scrappers organization?

Thompson: I started as an intern in 2004.  I spent 2005 in West Virginia working for our old ownership opening a brand new stadium.  I came back and was promoted to full-time employment in 2006.

Paneech: As Director of Corporate Sales, what are your duties?

Thompson: Primarily, my job is to sell sponsorships, billboards, video board spots, and pretty much promoting — they are not all me, but do fall into what I do.  I also handle the picnic garden and manage the staff that takes care of the people in the suites.  There is a lot involved with the suites and I stress to my staff that they need to smile and have fun, but to make sure that the clients are taken care of and are enjoying themselves.  We want them to really use our venue as a way to improve their businesses.

Paneech: Is this grueling work or is it just fun?

Thompson: I learned as an intern that it really is work.  I stress for everything to be perfect and to put our best foot forward to make it a more enjoyable job.  A lot of times it is relaxed, and sometimes it gets hectic.  I do come to work at a baseball field, so even on the days when it is tough to get out of bed, there has not been one time that I have dreaded the thought of going to work.  If I didn’t enjoy this as much as I still do, I don’t think I would be here.

Paneech: What is the biggest problem you ever had with the suites and keeping those folks happy?

Thompson: I don’t know if you could call it a “major” problem, but once in a great while, a suite order gets by unnoticed.  The food is an important element of being in the suites, and when a group orders higher-end catering, like some steak tips and an order gets displaced, they may end up with hot dogs, and that’s not a great thing.  It does not happen very often, so we try to label everything and pay close attention to details to ensure accuracy.

Thompson is one of the people who goes out of his way to not only make sure the customers are taken care of, but also makes sure his staff has what they need.  I have seen him help pull the tarp, he is an asset to his employers!

The Mahoning Valley Scrappers experienced their first three-game losing streak of the season.  Williamsport rolled into town and handed the Scrappers a 5-2 setback.  Situational hitting was not the forte of the home team as they struggled to get hits at key moments of the game and the bullpen faltered for the third straight game.

In the bottom of the first inning, Jake Lowery gave the Scrappers a 1-0 lead when he crushed a pitch over the right field wall.  The home run was Lowery’s third of the season, leading the team.  The fourth round draft pick out of James Madison recently traveled to Texas to receive the Johnny Bench Award last week.

The Crosscutters roared back  in the top of the second with one swing of the bat from Patrick Murray who homered to deep left to tie the game at a run apiece.  Williamsport would get another run in the top of the fifth off of Scrappers starter Mason Radeke.  Maikel Franco doubled home Francisco Diaz to give the Crosscutters a 2-1 lead.

Jordan Smith (above) made it a tie game at 2-2 in the bottom of the sixth inning when he hit a single to center that scored Bryson Myles from third base with two outs.  Myles reached base on a single and maneuvered his way around to third base with his usual chaos-raising aggressiveness.

A seemingly controversial ground rule double by Cody Asche gave Williamsport a 3-2 lead in eighth.  Asche hit a blooper off of reliever Tony Dischler down the right field line that looked like it dropped foul and then hopped the fence after it deflected off of Scrappers LF John Barr.  Scrappers Manager, David Wallace, came out to discuss the series of events with the home plate umpire, but nothing changed and Williamsport was ahead.

“I wasn’t really disputing the call, I just wanted to be clear on the ruling”, commented the friendly Wallace.  “That ball hit off of Barr’s glove and did land fair and then bounce out, and by rule, that is a double, he had it right. I’m not planning on getting thrown out, I think some guys here have a pool on it. I’m not scared to get thrown out, and these umpires are out here learning on the job just like the rest of us.”

Dischler took the tough loss in relief for Mahoning Valley.  Juary Gomez picked up the win for Williamsport.  Ramon Cespedes gave up two runs in relief for the Scrappers in the ninth.  Ryan Duke pitched the ninth inning to notch the save for the Crosscutters.

The Crosscutters and Scrappers will get it on again Thursday at Eastwood Field.  This is the first “Buck Night” of the season, and a very large crowd is expected.  Friday is the finale of the three game series and the fans will be treated to a great display of fireworks when the game ends.

Being at most home Mahoning Valley Scrappers games is enjoyable for the most part.  I have been blessed to meet some very good people and have a great time reporting what I am watching on the field.  I had an experience this past Tuesday however, that I will not forget anytime soon.  It involved filling in for Craig Antush, the official scorekeeper at the lions share of Scrapper home games.

It all started when Heather Sahli, who works for the Scrappers personnel department, asked me if I would be able to keep the book on Monday.  Former GM, Dave Smith, was asked but did not reply.  Having kept the book as a coach for years while I coached Pony League Baseball, I figured the numbers have not changed and it would not be a problem.  About three days later, I got a thank you-but never mind- e-mail because Smith did call back saying he would be able to do the duty.

The next day, I get an e-mail saying that YSU Sports Information Director, Trevor Parks, who was supposed to do the book on Sunday and Tuesday, was unable to show due to a family matter.  At this point, I was asked to fill in on those two days.  I obliged, how hard could it be?

Mr. Antush left a detailed set of directions in the press box.  The first interesting thing I had to do was give a weather report to Minor League Baseball via telephone an hour and a half before the game.  When I called, I introduced myself to a guy named Jeff who seemed less than thrilled to be working on a Sunday.  I introduced myself and gave him the starting lineups for both teams.  He then asked me how the weather was.  I told him it was “nice outside today”.  Mistake #1 – The man wanted to know how hard the wind was blowing and from which direction.  After that he needed a temperature and a general forecast.  OK, once I was done being Don Guthrie, I had an hour and a half to kill before the first pitch.

Once Sunday’s game started, I realized that I was charting pitches, counting balls and strikes, and doing the official book.  Every half inning a call was to be made to “Jeff” to give him the results for each batter that inning.  I also had to watch for substitutions and pitching changes.  After seven total runs were scored by both teams in the first inning, I knew I was in for it.

With that being said, the rest of Sunday’s game went smooth.  I waited for the box score in the pressroom, as my instructions said to do.  Looking at my directions sheet, it clearly said to leave four copies in the pressbox for media, and to bring three copies to the visiting clubhouse, then three to the Scrappers clubhouse.  No problems, no objections, no mistakes – mission accomplished, and I was 50% through it.

Tuesday was the third game of a series with State College.  The Scrappers rolled the first two games and State College was struggling, sitting in last place of the divisional standings.  I settled in early, played Al Roker again, and geared up for the first pitch.  Then the fun started.

In the first inning of the Sunday game, Alex Lavisky was up with runners on first and second, one out.  Lavisky hit a towering pop-up about 20 feet behind the first baseman.  The second baseman was sliding over, the right fielder was charging, the first baseman was retreating, and the sun was bright.  The second baseman came close to catching the pop, but dropped it.  Mistake #2 – I ruled it a base hit. This drew criticism from nearly everyone in the press box, I just felt he was battling too many things to make a catch, so I ruled it a hit.

In the very next inning, Todd Hankins was batting.  He hit a lazy bloop of a one hopper to the second baseman.  The fielder chose to back up and play the ball on a more natural arc off of its hop.  He booted the ball.  Mistake #3 – E4.  Nobody groveled over this one until after the game.  The rest of the game was a scorekeepers nightmare complete with about six more errors, a rundown, balls hitting the backstop, and substitutions galore.

When the game ended, I called Jeff, who still sounded like he got woken up when the phone rang.  I gave him the attendance, time of game, and other useful things he needed.  I got the box scores from Grant Tunkel and headed toward the clubhouse.  When I entered the State College locker room, the coaches were tucked in a corner.  I politely said, “Excuse me, here are the box scores, I will wait if you want to look them over”.  (Keep in mind, they just got swept.)  One of the coaches was eating a piece of chicken with his shirt off.  Another was hammering away at a laptop on a chair, and a third was staring at the lights or something on the ceiling the whole time I was in there.  The intense laptop user asked me how I could have awarded a base hit to Lavisky.  I pleaded my case about the sun, the other fielders, the non-routine elements of the play. He scowled. Mistake #4 – Never debate a coach on a ruling.

After I was told I was wrong by the State College Staff, I entered the Mahoning Valley locker room to discuss the objection with David Wallace, Greg Hibbard, and Tony Mansolino.  They agreed, it was an error, not a hit.  I immediately called to awaken Jeff again to tell him of my error, being an error, and not a hit.  He scowled.

Once that was done and I thought I could go home, Coach Wallace said, we want to question a call you made on Hankins’ grounder to second.  We feel he was fast enough to beat that out, even if it was fielded cleanly.  Fair enough.  So I had to go back into the State College locker room.  Coach Laptop was still mad at my first visit when I got in there.  I told them what the problem was, they debated for a moment then agreed that I could score that a hit instead of an error.  I got the joy of calling Jeff at Castle Grayskull yet again.  Mistake #5 – Call all objections in at once.  Jeff scowled again.

I would do it again in a pinch, but the nightmare I had behind the mall that night took about eight hours off of my life.  Back to doing what I can handle.  Welcome back, Craig!

The Mahoning Valley Scrappers and Batavia Muckdogs combined for 23 runs,  28 hits, and 8 errors.  When the dust cleared, the Scrappers pulled out a wild 12-11 win in the bottom of the ninth.  KC Serna came through with a bases-loaded hit to give the Scrappers a crazy 12-11 win over a resilient Batavia team.

Batavia scored three in the top of the first, as they did last night.  The Muckdogs used four hits, a hit batter, and a throwing error to formulate the three runs.  Roberto Reyes, Jeremy Patton, Romulo Ruiz, and Juan Castillo hit singles for Batavia off of Scrapper starter Harold Guerrero.  Guerrero struggled to throw strikes and when he did Batavia was hitting them.

Also like last night, the Scrappers scored a run in the bottom of the first to cut Batavia’s lead to 3-1.  Tony Wolters and KC Serna drew back-to-back one out walks.  With Alex Lavisky at the plate, the runners both moved up a bag on a double steal.  The Batavia catcher threw the ball past the covering second baseman allowing Wolters to score.  One run on no hits for Mahoning Valley.

After Guerrero settled down and struck out two of the three Muckdogs he faced in the second inning, Mahoning Valley went to work in the bottom of the second against Batavia starter Patrick Daugherty.  John Barr walked with one out.  Kevin Fontanez reached on an error by the third baseman.  Cody Elliott then smacked a double to the base of the left field wall bringing home Barr.  Bryson Myles (below) then hit a slow grounder to short allowing Fontanez to touch the plate and tie the game.  Wolters drilled a shot back up the box that deflected off of Daugherty’s foot and rolled toward Batavia’s dugout.  Elliott raced home to give the Scrappers a 4-3 lead after two innings.

In the third, the Scrappers went ahead 5-3 when John Barr collected his first hit as a Scrapper which drove in Todd Hankins.  Hankins reached on a single.  Fontanez brought home Barr with a line single to right to increase the Scrappers lead to 6-3.  That would be it for Batavia starter Daugherty who gave up five earned runs, one unearned run, and walked three Scrappers in 2 2/3 innings.

New Batavia pitcher Sean Watson was greeted rudely as Myles singled home a seventh Scrappers run in the third.

Batavia tied the game in the fourth at 7-7.  Guerrero faced two Muckdogs before being pulled in favor of Tony Dischler,who could not record an out before allowing Batavia to tie the game.  Batavia took an 8-7 lead when Dischler unloaded a wild pitch later in Batavia’s five-run fourth inning.

The Scrappers scored five times in the bottom of the sixth to take an 11-8 lead.  With one out, Wolters and Serna hit back-to-back singles and moved up a base when new Batavia pitcher Travis Miller hit Lavisky on a 2-0 count.  With the sacks full, Jordan Smith (above) hit a chopper about ten feet from where he was batting and everyone was safe to tie the game.  Miller unleashed a wild pitch to allow Serna in with the lead run.  Hankins reached on an error by Batavia to reload the bases.  Barr came through with a clean single to right.

Batavia battled back to tie the game with two runs in the seventh and another in the eighth.

In the bottom of the ninth, Elliott drew a one out walk.  Myles then hit a rocket single that moved Elliott to third setting the stage Serna who delivered with the game-winner.

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).

On Sunday, the Mahoning Valley Scrappers welcomed Ted “The Million Dollar Man” DiBiase to Eastwood Field.  DiBiase, one of the all-time great WWE heels, was on hand to sign autographs and greet the fans throughout Sunday’s Scrappers – State College Spikes game.

DiBiase pulled an old skit out of the woodwork when he offered the Scrappers Mascot ,“Scrappy”, an easy thousand dollars to do ten push-ups.  Scrappy was moving right along until DiBiase put his right foot on the fuzzy canine’s torso preventing the tenth push-up.  With his trademark laugh DiBiase blurted out, “Hahaha, not today Scrappy, sorry buddy”, and of course, the famous, “Everybody has a price.”

DiBiase also tossed out the ceremonial first pitch, suggesting he made a good choice going into wrestling instead of baseball.  Despite the poor toss, the receptive crowd gave DiBiase a nice ovation for the effort.

August 28th will mark a complete pro wrestling card as Mick Foley and Al Snow will make a visit to Eastwood Field to actively participate in a card to take place after the Scrappers-Jamestown Jammers game.