By Ed Farrell
Herald Assistant Sports Editor
NILES — Mahoning Valley made it interesting, before the Scrappers survived in their 2009 New York-Penn League Pinckney Division lidlifer Friday night.
Visiting Jamestown rallied for a pair of 9th-inning runs and had the potential tying run on 3rd with 1 out. However righthanded reliever Brian Grening got Rand Smith and Zach Moore on back-to-back called 3rd strikes, preserving a 6-5 win before 4,118 at Eastwood Field.
“It’s always interesting; the last three outs are the hardest to get,” ruefully acknowledged smiling 2nd-year Scrappers’ skipper Travis Fryman.
Mahoning Valley mustered a 6-3 lead and needed only 3 outs. But after Ernesto Manzanillo flied out to commence the 9th, Chase Austin slammed a solo shot off Grening, drawing the Jammers within 6-4.
When Chad Cregar corned an infield popup, vitually Mahoning Valley’s entire infield converged at the pitcher’s mound before the ball dropped in. Robert Taylor tattooed an RBI-double to right-center, making it 6-5, then stole 3rd before Grening got the final 2 outs.
Scrappers’ southpaw starter Kaimi Mead mustered a fine 5-inning outing. On 70 pitches (47 strikes) he allowed just 1 hit — Manzanillo’s 4th-frame solo shot to left-center — and 2 runs while whiffing a pair.
“I threw a lot of strikes, got ahead of a lot of hitters, and when (the Jammers) put the ball in play, my defense backed me up to the fullest, made some big plays out there and got the job done,” mused Mead, who was 5-8 with a 5.28 ERA in 15 Scrappers’ starts last year when he whiffed 40, but walked 24. Friday night he walked 1.
“He threw the ball very well. It’s the maturity of having been here last year that really showed up,” Fryman assessed. “At one time I think he retired 15 of 17 batters, so it was a great first game for him.”
Mead and fellow returnees Guido Fonseca and Grening scattered 7 hits. Grening got the save, while Fonseca tossed 2 innings of 2-hit, 1-run middle-relief. Collectively they struck out 7.
Offensively, DH John Allman annexed a 2-run 1st-frame double, then added a insurance run-scoring two-bagger in the 8th on a ball right fielder Cregar should have speared. Bo Greenwell got a pair of infield hits and tallied twice and Jason Smit and Kyle Smith both stroked 2 safeties. Smit scored twice, also.
Mahoning Valley led 5-0 after 2 innings, before “ ... they shut us down,” Fryman admitted. “We swung the bats and ran the bases pretty well and took advantage of the mistakes they made (2 errors in the 1st 2 innings, plus a wild pitch and balk by starter Curtis Petersen), we capitalized on that. But our sitational hitting wasn’t that good (Friday) night. We had three opportunites with a runner on third and less than two outs, but didn’t execute on any of those — you’ll lose some ballgames if you don’t do that very well.
“But I’m real pleased with the first game. ... We threw three pitchers (Friday) night who were here last year, and it showed. But it’s always nice to get that first (win); get the zeroes off the board,” Fryman concluded.
Notes: The teams meet today at 7:05, with the scheduled starters being the Scrappers’ Clayton Cook and Jammers’ Blake Brewer, a pair of righties. ... Petersen pitched 1ìinnings (53 pitches) and fanned 5, but was touched for 5 hits and 5 runs (only 1 earned). Relievers Arquimedes Caminero, Ramon Benjamin and Skyler Crawford collectively yielded just 4 hits and an earned run, while fanning 4, 3 and 2, respectively.
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Mahoning Valley Scrappers open 2009 season with 6-5 win over Jamestown
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PIAA Track: Hickory's Bell, Lubarski, Regginello grab gold
SHIPPENSBURG — There’s a big difference between being seeded 1st and finishing 1st — Matt Bell can attest to that.
After settling for silver last year, the Hickory High senior put the shot 59 feet, 6 3/4 inches Friday afternoon to garner gold at the annual PIAA Track & Field Championships at Shippensburg University. -
WM to play for D-10 baseball title; GC, Sharon, Sharpsville lose
Four area baseball teams were in action on Friday in the District 10 semifinals as the squads battled to compete for District 10 championships on Monday.
West Middlesex rolled past error-prone Linesville, 8-0, in Class A action at Slippery Rock University’s Jack Critchfield Park.
In Class AA, both Sharon and Sharpsville suffered 2-1 losses. The Tigers fell to Saegertown at Ainsworth Field in Erie while the Blue Devils lost to Titusville at SRU.
In Class AAA, the Grove City Eagles were denied the chance to defend their D-10 crown after suffering a 6-3 loss to Warren at SRU. -
Farrell volleyball falls in D-10 semifinals
The Farrell High boys volleyball team suffered a 2-0 (25-15, 25-12) loss to Saegertown on Thursday night in the District 10 semifinals at Meadville Area High’s “House of Thrills.”
“This was the first year we made it out of the first day (pool play) of the playoffs,” said Steelers’ coach Dan Dragicevic. “I’d like to cite my seniors (Eric Demus, Anthony Perkins, Jaylen Chambers and Lawrence Hughes). -
Locals ready to go for gold at Shippensburg
Now that Mercer County is on the map, it’s incumbent upon the area aggregation to chart a course for the ultimate destination — Seth Grove Stadium’s medals stand — during this weekend’s PIAA Track & Field Championships.
Led by West Middlesex High sprinter Clay Allen, many Mercer Countians are seeded at or near the top of their respective events for the annual 2-day marathon at Shippensburg University, which commences 9 a.m. Friday. It will continue beginning 9 a.m. Saturday. -
D-10 Playoffs: Local teams go 6-for-6
ä Grove City 1, Harbor Creek 0 — At Slippery Rock University’s Jack Critchfield Park, what the Grove City Eagles couldn’t accomplish themselves, the Harbor Creek Huskies unwittingly did for them.
Unable to plate runs themselves, Torin Smith scored the Eagles’ only run when teammate Tyler Devine’s seeming inning-ending pop-up to left field was dropped by Harbor Creek’s Chris Merritt in the bottom of the 7th inning of Tuesday’s tourney opener. -
Great year for WM track; local qualifiers listed
It’s been a big year for the Big Reds.
Though there’s no official documentation, the 2011-12 academic year may be the most successful in West Middlesex High’s athletic annals. -
SPORTVIEW: Local names Kroko, Lutz, Kareklas in news elsewhere
IT’S ALWAYS GOOD to hear of former area people who have gone on to athletic success in other areas, or the family of former area residents. Following are a few of those stories:
ä Bob and Betty Kroko of Sharon are avid followers of professional baseball. No, not necessarily the Pittsburgh Pirates or Cleveland Indians like many local fans.
The Krokos keep a close eye on the Austria Major League! -
Petty an all-around great athlete in track and gymnastics
When Mercer County’s contingent convenes at the annual PIAA Track & Field Championships this weekend, it will be well represented
Clay Allen, Matt Bell, John Yohman, Johnathan Jacoway, Jeremy Jansco, Nico Zahniser, DeShawn Coleman, Dan Jaskowak, et all, should haul home some hardware. But with all due respect, the aforementioned young men may or may not be best athletes in the area’s aggregation that will assemble this weekend at Shippensburg University. -
Lubarski, Richards, Petty, Allen shine at D-10 Track Championships; Hickory girls, WM boys team champs
Hickory High’s high-jump state champion Lauren Lubarski suffered a severe blow to open her competion at the annual District 10 Class AA Track & Field Championships Saturday at Hickory HIgh Stadium.
She failed to qualify for state in the event she had won the previous year. -
Baseball, softball D-10 playoff pairings
The District 10 pairings for the baseball and softball playoffs have been released. Five area baseball teams and four (possibly 5) softball squads have qualified.
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