A magnificent start by Jay Newman on the mound catapulted the Scrappers to their second shutout win of the season, taking down the West Virginia Black Bears 5-0.
Newman made his sixth start of the season for the Scrappers, and was brilliant from the start. He did not allow a base runner in the first three innings of the game, and took a no-hitter into the sixth inning before Cayden Gaskin broke it up with a single.
Newman allowed just two hits overall in the game, striking out four batters and going seven innings for the Scrappers. It was the longest outing by a Scrappers pitcher this season, as Newman would provide his best performance of the season.
Mahoning Valley's offense wasted no time providing him run support. Maddox Mihalakis clubbed a leadoff home run in the bottom of the first, his league leading seventh of the second half, making it 1-0 early.
Kaikea Harrison singled in another run in the second to make it 2-0, a score that would remain until the fifth inning.
In the fifth Davis Mauzy hit his first home run of the season, a low lining screamer over the short wall in the left field corner. The solo shot made it 3-0.
The Scrappers would get two more in the sixth and seventh. A Julian Hernandez RBI double in the sixth, and a Harrison little league home run aided by a fielding error by Black Bears center fielder Elijah Cook made it 5-0, which would be the final.
Lynden Bruegman would pitch the eighth, and Justin Abercrombie the ninth. Both would pitch 1-2-3 innings to secure the win, as the Scrappers get the two game sweep over West Virginia.
It was the eighth consecutive win at home against the Black Bears for Raul Gonzalez’s squad. They have an off day tomorrow (Wednesday) before travelling to Aberdeen for a three game series with the Ironbirds beginning Thursday.
