Guardians Baseball Insider

June 15, 2018

Today, we look back at another Scrappers season opener, this one from two years ago. This was the last (in the sense of most recent at minimum, hopefully not also in the sense of “final”) time that the Scrappers opened the season at home.

Through the first eight innings, it was a relatively sedate opening day. The Nile nine were up 3-2 and only needed a scoreless top of the ninth to secure the season-opening victory, That’s not what happened. Reliever Dakody Clemmer, who has struck out the side in order in the eighth, gave up the lead in what would ultimately be a four-run inning for the West Virginia (Morgantown) Black Bears (Pittsburgh Pirates).

The game wasn’t over yet, however. A two-out, two-run double by SS Tyler Freeman capped a three-run bottom of the inning that forced a tenth frame in the Back Corner of the Eastwood Mall Parking Lot,

All seemed lost once more, however, as the Black Bears scored a pair in the top of the extra stanza. Could the Mahoning Valley side manage one more comeback?

Rf Michael Tinsley started the inning on second base due to the ridiculous minor league extra innings rules. 1B Mitch Reeves walked to put the potential tying run on base. LF Hosea Nelson followed with another free pass to load the bases. 3B Henry Pujols got plunked to bring the scrappers within a run and Reeves tied it up on a wild pitch with DH Sineon Lucas at the plate.

It looked good for a Scrapper victory. Tied game. two on, nobody out. Then Lucas struck out. Backup C Jason Rodriguez was put on first intentionally to reload the bags. CF Gabriel Mejia followed with a fly out to center. It was…

…enough to score Nelson for the game-winning run! Scrappers win!!!

Scrappers. Win. words we’ll hopefully hear used in the present tense again.

BOX SCORE