AUBURN - The most resilient team in the New York-Penn League has done it again.
Glenn Gaston / Special to The Citizen
The Doubledays' Victor Santana slides head first into second base for a double against the Batavia Muckdogs on Thursday night at Falcon Park.
The Doubledays' Victor Santana slides head first into second base for a double against the Batavia Muckdogs on Thursday night at Falcon Park.
For the fifth straight game, the Auburn Doubledays got the one key hit they needed to earn a victory. On Thursday, it was second baseman Darin Mastroianni's turn to get do it, as he smashed a line-drive double into center field to score Luis Sanchez in the bottom of the eighth to lead the Doubledays to a 2-1 win over Batavia at Falcon Park.
Mastroianni also tripled in the fourth, he later scored on a Pete Parise wild pitch. With a .206 average in 34 at-bats coming into the game, Mastroianni hadn't had an extra base hit or an RBI in his short professional career.
“It's nice to help the team win and do something personally to help us succeed and get the ‘W',” Mastroianni said.
The Doubledays were also outhit by their opponents for the fifth consecutive game, not that it mattered much with the weapons they had out on the mound. The Muckdogs managed just seven hits, one more than Auburn, and six of them came off starter Wilfreddy Aguirre. The second-year Doubleday pitched one of the best games of his career, walking only two and striking out four in seven innings. He allowed the only Batavia run in the fourth, a Tommy Pham home run over the left-center field wall. It was the second homer of the season for the 18 year-old.
But as well as Aguirre pitched in his fourth start of the season, he was unable to capture his first win. Joe Wice came in in the eighth and struck out two and assisted in the other out for his second win. Ron Lowe allowed a hit but retired the side to get the save for the third time this week, his sixth in as many opportunities this season.
“Starting pitching for us, even in the beginning of the season, we didn't think it was going to be an issue for us,” Doubledays manager Dennis Holmberg said. “Wilfreddy was just fantastic tonight, he pitched very well. It's almost kind of sad to say that Wice came in and throws eight pitches to get the win. Lowe came in, pitched one inning and got a tough save but I have to give Aguirre a lot of credit though, he pitched just outstanding.”
Defensively, the Doubledays had one inconsequential error that two other outstanding efforts completely erased. In the seventh and then the ninth, catcher JP Arencibia made two dead on throws to Mastroianni at second to catch a runner trying to advance. He also put the play in motion to help shortstop Sanchez and third baseman Wes Stone catch Batavia's Nick Derba in a rundown in the second inning.
“(Arencibia) has been doing a fantastic job since he got here,” Holmberg said. “He's gotten better defensively and offensively. He's missed a few swings here and there, but two great throws tonight to throw out two guys - he was Johnny on the spot.”
At 11-6, the Doubledays are now in a three-way tie with Williamsport and State College for the Pinckney Division lead. They look for their second straight sweep of the season today in Batavia (5-12) in the last of18 straight games against divisional foes.
“We know that we're better than a .500 ballclub,” Mastoianni said. “Now we're just finally putting it all together. We're doing what we need to do and the wins are starting to show up. It's great.”
The Doubledays were also outhit by their opponents for the fifth consecutive game, not that it mattered much with the weapons they had out on the mound.
The Muckdogs managed just seven hits, one more than Auburn, and six of them came off starter Wilfreddy Aguirre. The second-year Doubleday pitched one of the best games of his career, walking only two and striking out four in seven innings.
He allowed the only Batavia run in the fourth, a Tommy Pham home run over the left-center field wall. It was the second homer of the season for the 18 year-old.
But as well as Aguirre pitched in his fourth start of the season, he was unable to capture his first win.
Joe Wice came in in the eighth and struck out two and assisted in the other out for his second win. Ron Lowe allowed a hit but retired the side to get the save for the third time this week, his sixth in as many opportunities this season.
“Starting pitching for us, even in the beginning of the season, we didn't think it was going to be an issue for us,” Doubledays manager Dennis Holmberg said. “Wilfreddy was just fantastic tonight, he pitched very well. It's almost kind of sad to say that Wice came in and throws eight pitches to get the win. Lowe came in, pitched one inning and got a tough save but I have to give Aguirre a lot of credit though, he pitched just outstanding.”
Defensively, the Doubledays had one inconsequential error that two other outstanding efforts completely erased.
In the seventh and then the ninth, catcher JP Arencibia made two dead on throws to Mastroianni at second to catch a runner trying to advance.
He also put the play in motion to help shortstop Sanchez and third baseman Wes Stone catch Batavia's Nick Derba in a rundown in the second inning.
“(Arencibia) has been doing a fantastic job since he got here,” Holmberg said. “He's gotten better defensively and offensively. He's missed a few swings here and there, but two great throws tonight to throw out two guys - he was Johnny on the spot.”
At 11-6, the Doubledays are now in a three-way tie with Williamsport and State College for the Pinckney Division lead.
They look for their second straight sweep of the season today in Batavia (5-12) in the last of18 straight games against divisional foes.
“We know that we're better than a .500 ballclub,” Mastroianni said. “Now we're just finally putting it all together. We're doing what we need to do and the wins are starting to show up. It's great.”
Doubledays 2
Muckdogs 1
Doubledays Look Ahead
Today: at Batavia, 7 p.m.
Saturday: vs Aberdeen,6 p.m.
Sunday: vsAberdeen, 6 p.m.
Mastroianni also tripled in the fourth, he later scored on a Pete Parise wild pitch. With a .206 average in 34 at-bats coming into the game, Mastroianni hadn't had an extra base hit or an RBI in his short professional career.
“It's nice to help the team win and do something personally to help us succeed and get the ‘W',” Mastroianni said.
The Doubledays were also outhit by their opponents for the fifth consecutive game, not that it mattered much with the weapons they had out on the mound. The Muckdogs managed just seven hits, one more than Auburn, and six of them came off starter Wilfreddy Aguirre. The second-year Doubleday pitched one of the best games of his career, walking only two and striking out four in seven innings. He allowed the only Batavia run in the fourth, a Tommy Pham home run over the left-center field wall. It was the second homer of the season for the 18 year-old.
But as well as Aguirre pitched in his fourth start of the season, he was unable to capture his first win. Joe Wice came in in the eighth and struck out two and assisted in the other out for his second win. Ron Lowe allowed a hit but retired the side to get the save for the third time this week, his sixth in as many opportunities this season.
“Starting pitching for us, even in the beginning of the season, we didn't think it was going to be an issue for us,” Doubledays manager Dennis Holmberg said. “Wilfreddy was just fantastic tonight, he pitched very well. It's almost kind of sad to say that Wice came in and throws eight pitches to get the win. Lowe came in, pitched one inning and got a tough save but I have to give Aguirre a lot of credit though, he pitched just outstanding.”
Defensively, the Doubledays had one inconsequential error that two other outstanding efforts completely erased. In the seventh and then the ninth, catcher JP Arencibia made two dead on throws to Mastroianni at second to catch a runner trying to advance. He also put the play in motion to help shortstop Sanchez and third baseman Wes Stone catch Batavia's Nick Derba in a rundown in the second inning.
“(Arencibia) has been doing a fantastic job since he got here,” Holmberg said. “He's gotten better defensively and offensively. He's missed a few swings here and there, but two great throws tonight to throw out two guys - he was Johnny on the spot.”
At 11-6, the Doubledays are now in a three-way tie with Williamsport and State College for the Pinckney Division lead. They look for their second straight sweep of the season today in Batavia (5-12) in the last of18 straight games against divisional foes.
“We know that we're better than a .500 ballclub,” Mastoianni said. “Now we're just finally putting it all together. We're doing what we need to do and the wins are starting to show up. It's great.”
The Doubledays were also outhit by their opponents for the fifth consecutive game, not that it mattered much with the weapons they had out on the mound.
The Muckdogs managed just seven hits, one more than Auburn, and six of them came off starter Wilfreddy Aguirre. The second-year Doubleday pitched one of the best games of his career, walking only two and striking out four in seven innings.
He allowed the only Batavia run in the fourth, a Tommy Pham home run over the left-center field wall. It was the second homer of the season for the 18 year-old.
But as well as Aguirre pitched in his fourth start of the season, he was unable to capture his first win.
Joe Wice came in in the eighth and struck out two and assisted in the other out for his second win. Ron Lowe allowed a hit but retired the side to get the save for the third time this week, his sixth in as many opportunities this season.
“Starting pitching for us, even in the beginning of the season, we didn't think it was going to be an issue for us,” Doubledays manager Dennis Holmberg said. “Wilfreddy was just fantastic tonight, he pitched very well. It's almost kind of sad to say that Wice came in and throws eight pitches to get the win. Lowe came in, pitched one inning and got a tough save but I have to give Aguirre a lot of credit though, he pitched just outstanding.”
Defensively, the Doubledays had one inconsequential error that two other outstanding efforts completely erased.
In the seventh and then the ninth, catcher JP Arencibia made two dead on throws to Mastroianni at second to catch a runner trying to advance.
He also put the play in motion to help shortstop Sanchez and third baseman Wes Stone catch Batavia's Nick Derba in a rundown in the second inning.
“(Arencibia) has been doing a fantastic job since he got here,” Holmberg said. “He's gotten better defensively and offensively. He's missed a few swings here and there, but two great throws tonight to throw out two guys - he was Johnny on the spot.”
At 11-6, the Doubledays are now in a three-way tie with Williamsport and State College for the Pinckney Division lead.
They look for their second straight sweep of the season today in Batavia (5-12) in the last of18 straight games against divisional foes.
“We know that we're better than a .500 ballclub,” Mastroianni said. “Now we're just finally putting it all together. We're doing what we need to do and the wins are starting to show up. It's great.”
Doubledays 2
Muckdogs 1
Doubledays Look Ahead
Today: at Batavia, 7 p.m.
Saturday: vs Aberdeen,6 p.m.
Sunday: vsAberdeen, 6 p.m.
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