SCRAPPERS BATS BRING THE BOOM ON OPENING DAY
By Ty Bartell
NILES OH- The Mahoning Valley Scrappers returned to a .500 record in the MLB Draft League season with a dominant 9-1 victory over the Frederick Keys on their opening day.
Frederick’s Kaden Moeller and Mahoning Valley’s Hunter Dryden started on the mound, both delivering two scoreless innings. The Scrappers broke through in the bottom of the third inning with an RBI fielder’s choice by Josh Stevenson off new Frederick pitcher Tom Sun, taking a 1-0 lead.
The offensive momentum continued into the fourth inning for Mahoning Valley. John Schroder’s RBI single and an error by Frederick’s first baseman Daylan Pena extended the lead to 4-0. Stevenson added a two-run triple, boosting the Scrappers’ advantage to 6-0 by the end of the fourth. Dryden concluded his outing with four scoreless innings.
Joe Glassey relieved Dryden in the fifth, maintaining the Scrappers’ lead with a clean inning. Max Johnson’s RBI single in the bottom half of the inning made it 7-0.
Frederick avoided a shutout with an RBI single by Moeller off Glassey in the sixth, narrowing the gap to 7-1. However, Mahoning Valley responded in the bottom of the sixth with a two-run single by Will Shannon, solidifying a commanding 9-1 lead.
Boston Mabeus pitched scoreless seventh and eighth innings, while Terry Busse closed the game in the ninth, securing the win for Mahoning Valley.
Josh Stevenson earned the Game MVP honors, finishing 2-for-5 with a double, a triple, and three RBIs, along with stellar defense in left field. The Scrappers will look to continue their winning form in the next game of the three-game series against the Keys.
