Click here to subscribe today or Login.
MOOSIC — The last time the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders won — Thursday in Pawtucket — the bottom of the order, led by No. 9 hitter L.J. Mazzilli did a lot of the heavy lifting.
Trying to break a two-game skid against the Syracuse Chiefs — losing by a combined 14 runs — it was once again Mazzilli and the bottom of the order that did some of the most damage for Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. The Nos. 6-9 batters all had multiple hits, led by Mazzilli’s three, as the RailRiders (22-26) were able to comeback from an early three-run deficit and take the third game in the four-game series against the Chiefs (23-24), 7-4.
The RailRiders broke out for 15 hits in total during their win on Sunday.
“It’s good to have it all come together today with a bunch of hits and having the bullpen coming in and picking up Chance (Adams). It’s just, like, a good day for everybody,” Mazzilli said. “We just sent it right back up to the top of the order. One through nine after the first time around, there is no bottom of the batting order.
“You just try to have a good at-bat no matter where you are in the lineup, pass it on, not give away an at-bat and then good things happen — like today.”
Despite inconsistent playing time the last week or so, Mazzilli was ready to make an impact on Sunday. Both at the plate and in the field.
Not only was Mazzilli 3-for-3 with a walk, home run, double, two runs scored and an RBI, but he made two impressive plays at second base during the fourth inning to help Joe Harvey retire the Chiefs in order for the first time in the game.
Mazzilli brought a .198 batting average into Sunday’s tilt and was able to bump it up to .226.
“He’s been solid for awhile,” RailRiders manager Bobby Mitchell said. “His at-bats have been really, really good. He probably knows the strike zone as well as anybody on our team and he takes his walks.”
Mitchell had to turn to his bullpen much earlier than he wanted to after watching Chance Adams struggle in the first inning.
Like Adam Warren did the day before, Adams was able to record just two outs while allowing multiple runs to cross the plate. And similar to the rehabbing New York Yankees reliever, Adams also walked at least two batters and hit at least one.
The RailRiders’ saving grace was their bullpen’s ability to limit the damage after the 23-year-old starting pitcher was pulled.
J.P. Feyereisen relieved Adams facing a 3-0 deficit with men on the corners and two outs, and was able to get out of the jam. He led a 8.1-inning effort from the bullpen, which allowed just one more run to score.
“It’s huge for our bullpen to do that,” Feyereisen said. “All those guys down there, we’ve been kind of doing the same thing all year. It’s when you hand the ball off to the next guy you know he’s going to go out and do his job. I think it was big for us and big to get a win.”
In his shortest outing of the season, Adams gave up three runs on only one hit, but he walked three batters and hit another. One of the two outs he recorded was a strikeout.
This was the right-hander’s second straight disappointing start. He gave up five runs in just three innings at Pawtucket on Tuesday and then Sunday’s three-run outing bumped his season-long ERA up to 5.93.
An honest Adams vowed to be better next time out. Which he did admit was what he was looking to do against the Chiefs.
“Yeah, absolutely. That’s how I felt about this start, but it just didn’t work,” Adams said of his urgency for his next start. “I’m going to come out ready next time, and that’s all I can say. I have to come out and do it. I can say it all I want, but I have to come out and do it. I’m telling you right now, I’m going to come out and do it.
“I just didn’t command very well today. Fastball wasn’t there at all. When you can’t command your fastball, it doesn’t really work.”
RailRiders 7, Chiefs 4
Syracuse`AB`R`H`BI
Decker cf`4`1`1`0
Reynolds ss`0`1`0`0
Martinson 3b`2`0`0`0
Milone p`0`0`0`0
Sierra rf`1`0`0`0
Marmolejos 1b`5`0`0`0
Wilson 3b-2b-3b`4`1`1`0
Falu dh-2b`4`1`3`2
Hernandez lf`3`0`1`0
Gonzalez 2b-ss`5`0`0`0
Lowery c`2`0`0`0
Jones rf`4`0`1`0
Satterwitte p`0`0`0`0
Goforth p`0`0`0`0
Totals`34`4`7`2
RailRiders`AB`R`H`BI
Wade rf`5`0`2`1
Frazier dh`4`1`2`1
Drury 3b`4`1`2`2
Ford 1b`4`0`0`0
Robinson cf`3`0`0`1
McBroom lf`4`1`2`0
Navarro ss`4`1`2`1
Castillo c`4`1`2`0
Mazzilli 2b`3`2`3`1
Totals`35`7`15`7
OA: Hernandez (Castillo at HP), Deker 2 (Wade at 3B, Wade at 1B); E: Navarro (1); DP: Chiefs 2, RailRiders 0; LOB: Chiefs 12, RailRiders 7; 2B: McBroom 2 (8), Frazier (4), Mazzilli (4), Castillo (1); HR: Mazzilli (5), Drury (2).
Syracuse`300`000`100 — 4
RailRiders`011`011`21x — 7
Syracuse`IP`H`R`ER`BB`SO
Milone`6`10`4`4`0`2
Satterwhite (L, 0-1)`0.2`2`2`2`2`0
Goforth`1.1`3`1`1`0`0
RailRiders`IP`H`R`ER`BB`SO
Adams`0.2`1`3`3`3`1
Feyereisen`2`2`0`0`2`2
Harvey`2.1`0`0`0`2`2
Espinal (W, 2-1)`2`4`1`1`1`3
Carroll (S, 4)`2`0`0`0`0`0
WP: Satterwhite.
HBP: Reynolds (by Adams); Robinson (by Satterwhite)
Umpires: Blake Carnahan, HP; Ryan Additon, 1B; Brennan Miller, 3B.
Time: 3:08; Attendance: 5,123.
