By Ty Bartell
NILES, OH—The Mahoning Valley Scrappers defeated the Trenton Thunder 6-2 on Sunday afternoon to win the rubber match of their three-game series.
Joey Butz started on the mound for Mahoning Valley, while left-hander Luke Rettig took the ball for Trenton. After a scoreless first inning by both teams, the Scrappers' bats came alive in the bottom of the second. Drey Dirksen hit a three-run home run to center field, giving Mahoning Valley a 3-0 lead. The Scrappers added two more runs in the inning when a misplayed pickoff attempt allowed a run to score from third, and Dreylin Holmes singled in another, extending the lead to 5-0.
Trenton responded in the top of the third with an RBI single by Andy Blake, cutting the deficit to 5-1. Butz then settled in, pitching three more scoreless innings and finishing his day after six innings of work. He allowed just one run on four hits and two walks while striking out one.
Rettig's outing ended after 52⁄3 innings, with the Scrappers scoring an additional run in the bottom of the sixth on a Dirksen RBI double, making it 6-1. Ethan Bell pitched a scoreless seventh for Mahoning Valley, and Miles Hellums took over in the eighth. The Thunder managed to score in the eighth on a fielder’s choice RBI by Pete Durocher, narrowing the score to 6-2.
Hellums completed the eighth inning, allowing just one run, before Jonathan Martinez came in for the ninth. Martinez quickly retired the Thunder in order, sealing the 6-2 victory and the series win for the Scrappers.
With the win, Mahoning Valley (34-33, 18-15) moves within a game and a half of both the Trenton Thunder (33-31, 19-13) and the State College Spikes (39-30, 20-14) for the top spot in the MLB Draft League standings. The Scrappers have a day off before hosting the Frederick Keys (32-34, 17-17) for their final home series of the season, starting on Tuesday, August 27, at 7:05 p.m.
