Alexander Llinas delivered the best start of the season by a Scrappers pitcher, and Mahoning Valley would get an 8-2 win in front of a sold out crowd in Niles, OH.
Llinas made his fourth start of the season for the Scrappers, coming off a solid 3.1 inning performance where he allowed three runs. He brought his best stuff to the ballpark on Friday night.
Llinas would go six and a third innings, allowing just two runs, with one being unearned, and would get his first win as a Scrapper. No Scrapper starter had gone more than five innings in any start this year, but with Llinas at just 60 pitches through five innings, manager Raul Gonzalez would allow him to pitch the sixth, and another quick inning gave him the chance to go out for the seventh.
His offense would provide the lead in the third inning when Maddox Mihalakis hit a 408 foot blast to right field. It was his third of the season to give the Scrappers a 2-0 lead. Julien Hernandez would hit into a fielder’s choice later in the inning that scored another run, making it 3-0.
Mahoning Valley would plate three more in the fourth inning. Kaikea Harrison would score on a wild pitch, Mihalakis drove in another run with a sacrifice fly, and Cooper Vance hit the first of his two RBI singles, and it would be 6-0 through four innings.
Llinas gave way to Justin Abercrombie in the seventh inning, and Abercrombie would continue to be a lockdown reliever. He extended his scoreless innings streak to 8.2 innings to start his Scrappers tenure.
Mahoning Valley got runs in the seventh and eighth to add to the lead. Noah Jouras singled in a run in the seventh, and Vance hit his second RBI single, making it 8-2, which would be the final. Reagan Rivera pitched the ninth to secure the win.
The Scrappers secure their first series win of the second half with the victory, they will go for the sweep tonight on Christmas in July night at 7 17 Credit Union Field at Eastwood. 7:05 p.m. first pitch.
