AUBURN - On the mound, it was a winning performance. After a few rough outings, Marcus Walden pitched more than well enough to earn the win for the Auburn Doubledays on Monday.
Jill Connor / The Citizen
Auburn starting pitcher Marcus Walden pitches against Batavia in the second inning Monday at Falcon Park. Walden allowed one run in six innings.
Auburn starting pitcher Marcus Walden pitches against Batavia in the second inning Monday at Falcon Park. Walden allowed one run in six innings.
But with no run support, Walden's outstanding night only counted for a loss as the Doubledays suffered their first shutout defeat of the season, 2-0 to Batavia at Falcon Park.
“He did a simply outstanding job tonight,” Doubledays manager Dennis Holmberg said of his starter. “He had been in a little bit of a Jekyll and Hyde situation before tonight, but (pitching coach) Antonio (Caceres) has been working with him, to get him to get the ball down. We focused more on concentration and it was a very well pitched game.”
Walden lasted six innings without walking a batter and fanned nine. His ERA improved from 6.65 to 5.59, which almost marks how much he's improved over his last few games.
He gave up a double and a single with one out in the fourth before Xavier Scruggs flied out to center field to score Shane Peterson. The Muckdogs added an insurance run in the ninth when Peterson score on a Bryan Kervin throwing error.
Offensively, the Doubledays were stagnant. They stranded eight runners, four in the first two innings. Auburn loaded the bags in the first inning with no outs, before Chris Demons got caught stealing second, Adam Amar flied out to center field and Jon Del Campo grounded out to shortstop. A host of Batavia pitchers prevented Auburn from sending more than one baserunner in five innings.
“You hate to lose an outing like that, but we just didn't capitalize on the opportunities to score runs,” Holmberg said. “You have to give (Batavia) a lot of credit too, though. They left their starter in a little longer than maybe they should have, but we got a couple of hits off him and couldn't do anything with them.”
Even turning a late spectacular defensive play didn't spark the Doubledays' offense. With Danny Farquhar on the mound and runners on first and second in the top of the eighth, Auburn turned a 1-6-5-4-8 double play on Colt Sedbrook. The Doubledays infield caught Edwin Gomez on a rundown between second and third before Chris Demons came in from the outfield to tag Sedbrook out at second.
Instead, the Muckdogs retired the next six batters in a row, ending any hope of another late game rally. The loss comes at a bad time for the Doubledays, who need to break away from Batavia and close the game with Jamestown in the Pinckney Division. Instead, Auburn fell to fourth place behind Williamsport and Batavia, and 5.5 games back of the Jammers, who pelted last-place State College on Monday. The good news is that the Doubledays host Tri-City for a three-game series starting today. The ValleyCats have the second worst record in the New York-Penn League.
Notes: With a 0.93 ERA, Arquidemes Nieto picked up his third win. ... The Doubledays managed just six hits to the Muckdogs' seven, but Bartolo Nicholas and Mike McDade made up four of them. ... For the second time this season, all three Doubledays named Chris started in a home game. Even with Hopkins, Demons and House in the lineup, the Doubledays have lost both games. ... Sunday's rained out contest in Batavia will be made up as part of a doubleheader on July 6 in Batavia.
D-days Today
Record: 17-15
Standings: Fourth place
Streak: 2 losses
Next: vs. Tri-City, 7 p.m.
“He did a simply outstanding job tonight,” Doubledays manager Dennis Holmberg said of his starter. “He had been in a little bit of a Jekyll and Hyde situation before tonight, but (pitching coach) Antonio (Caceres) has been working with him, to get him to get the ball down. We focused more on concentration and it was a very well pitched game.”
Walden lasted six innings without walking a batter and fanned nine. His ERA improved from 6.65 to 5.59, which almost marks how much he's improved over his last few games.
He gave up a double and a single with one out in the fourth before Xavier Scruggs flied out to center field to score Shane Peterson. The Muckdogs added an insurance run in the ninth when Peterson score on a Bryan Kervin throwing error.
Offensively, the Doubledays were stagnant. They stranded eight runners, four in the first two innings. Auburn loaded the bags in the first inning with no outs, before Chris Demons got caught stealing second, Adam Amar flied out to center field and Jon Del Campo grounded out to shortstop. A host of Batavia pitchers prevented Auburn from sending more than one baserunner in five innings.
“You hate to lose an outing like that, but we just didn't capitalize on the opportunities to score runs,” Holmberg said. “You have to give (Batavia) a lot of credit too, though. They left their starter in a little longer than maybe they should have, but we got a couple of hits off him and couldn't do anything with them.”
Even turning a late spectacular defensive play didn't spark the Doubledays' offense. With Danny Farquhar on the mound and runners on first and second in the top of the eighth, Auburn turned a 1-6-5-4-8 double play on Colt Sedbrook. The Doubledays infield caught Edwin Gomez on a rundown between second and third before Chris Demons came in from the outfield to tag Sedbrook out at second.
Instead, the Muckdogs retired the next six batters in a row, ending any hope of another late game rally. The loss comes at a bad time for the Doubledays, who need to break away from Batavia and close the game with Jamestown in the Pinckney Division. Instead, Auburn fell to fourth place behind Williamsport and Batavia, and 5.5 games back of the Jammers, who pelted last-place State College on Monday. The good news is that the Doubledays host Tri-City for a three-game series starting today. The ValleyCats have the second worst record in the New York-Penn League.
Notes: With a 0.93 ERA, Arquidemes Nieto picked up his third win. ... The Doubledays managed just six hits to the Muckdogs' seven, but Bartolo Nicholas and Mike McDade made up four of them. ... For the second time this season, all three Doubledays named Chris started in a home game. Even with Hopkins, Demons and House in the lineup, the Doubledays have lost both games. ... Sunday's rained out contest in Batavia will be made up as part of a doubleheader on July 6 in Batavia.
D-days Today
Record: 17-15
Standings: Fourth place
Streak: 2 losses
Next: vs. Tri-City, 7 p.m.
