SCRAPPERS SEE SUNSHINE AGAINST THE THUNDER

By Ty Bartell

NILES OH- The Mahoning Valley Scrappers ended their nine-game skid with a 6-4 victory over the Trenton Thunder on Friday night.Charlie McDaniel started on the mound for Mahoning Valley, while the Thunder countered with Cregg Scherrer. After a scoreless first inning, the Scrappers struck first in the bottom of the second. An RBI single by Garret Pike put Mahoning Valley on the board, followed by an RBI double from Beau Ankeney, making it 2-0 after two innings.

McDaniel cruised through five scoreless innings before running into trouble in the sixth. Trenton tied the game with a two-run homer by Matt Quintanar, followed by an RBI single from Rintaro Sasaki, giving the Thunder their first lead. A fielder’s choice added another run, putting Trenton up 4-2.

In the bottom of the sixth, the Scrappers responded. Garret Pike hit another RBI single, and an error by Ryland Zaborowski allowed an additional run to score, tying the game at 4-4. The game remained tied until the bottom of the eighth, when Will Shannon delivered an RBI double to retake the lead for Mahoning Valley. Pike added another run with a sacrifice fly, giving the Scrappers a 6-4 advantage.
Darrell Johnson Jr. followed McDaniel on the mound, pitching a scoreless seventh inning. Terry Busse tossed a scoreless eighth, setting the stage for Andrew Mornones, who locked down his second save of the season in the ninth.

The Scrappers (9-12) will look to take the series against the Thunder (8-12) in game two of the three-game set on Saturday, June 29th, with a 7:05 p.m. first pitch.