NILES — The Mahoning Valley Scrappers are off to a hot start in the second half of the MLB Draft League season.

The Scrappers offense erupted on Thursday in a sizable win over State College.

But on Friday, a quartet of Scrappers pitchers teamed up to hold the Spikes in check, resulting in a 5-2 Scrappers win in front of 4,318 fans at Eastwood Field.

Chang-Yong Lee put the Scrappers on the scoreboard in the second inning with a leadoff home run over the right field wall. In the same inning, Drew Holderbach scored on a passed ball after reaching on a base hit.

In the third, the Scrappers built their lead to 3-0 on a Lee groundout that scored Blake Mcrae. The home team increased its lead to 4-0 in the fifth on Kota Suzuki’s sixth RBI in the past two games.

The Scrappers capped their scoring with a Matt Rivera sacrifice fly that scored a run.

State College scored a run in the eighth on a passed ball. They added a run in the ninth on a Knox Preston RBI single.

Scrappers starter Zach Norris worked 4.2 scoreless innings scattering just three hits while recording seven strikeouts.

A trio of Scrappers relievers limited the Spikes to three hits after Norris’ departure.

The Scrappers and Spikes continue their three-game series tonight at 7:05 p.m.

MORA MAKES THE MOVE

When Mahoning Valley Scrappers pitcher Austin Mora was playing baseball at Mentor Lake Catholic High School, he was an infielder who was used sparingly as a pitcher in emergency situations.

At the time, his coach offered up a bit of advice regarding his baseball future.

“He told me to stop pitching, that I was going to college to hit and if coaches saw me pitch they’d want me to stick with it, and I’d end up hating it,” Mora said. “He just didn’t think I’d enjoy being on the mound.”

For one year, Mora — a 2017 graduate of MLCHS — heeded the advice. Mora spent his first year of college at Lakeland Community College where he was an every day infielder, but he did work fifteen innings from the bullpen “out of necessity.”

Yet when it was time to move on, those fifteen innings were what caught the eyes of scouts, and four-year schools began recruiting Mora as a pitcher. He landed at Hillsdale College (MI) where his pitching career blossomed.

Mora spent a year at Hillsdale, then moved on to Notre Dame College, where he played for two years while earning degrees in Political Science and Business Administration. After his college career ended in 2022, Mora spent time in Independent ball, first playing in the Atlantic League. Earlier this summer he spent time in Montana with the Billings Mustangs of the Pioneer League.

“My (high school) coach was right, unfortunately I did fall in love with pitching,” Mora said with a laugh. “I love baseball. I love playing the field and hitting, but I love the game so much I just want to be out there doing whatever is necessary to continue playing the game.”

Because Mora had some limited experience on the mound, he noted that “learning the art of pitching” was a rough but somewhat speedy process.

“My first year at Hillsdale was pretty bad,” Mora said. “I wasn’t throwing many strikes. I learned how to throw the different pitches in high school and I was blessed with a good arm but it was a matter of execution, which I lacked.

“Sometimes you can overcomplicate things. I began trying to keep things simple. Pitching is a hard craft to learn — knowing what pitches to throw when, being able to execute, being mentally strong. It can be overwhelming but I learned to take it one day and one game at a time and things worked out for the best.”

Even though Mora’s focus in college quickly shifted primarily to the pitching mound, he did manage to display his versatility in unique fashion. During his collegiate career, Mora managed to play every position with the exception of catcher. He recollected one series in which he pitched a complete game on a Friday, then spent the rest of the weekend in the field where he also produced at the plate.

“It’s really cool to look back now and realize I was able to play all those spots. I’ve been very blessed,” Mora said. “But yeah, a big part of me is still upset that I never got to catch.”

Mora did eventually find himself behind home plate when he took part in a Notre Dame College alumni game. He caught for one inning, which he says was enough to help him realize he wasn’t meant to be a catcher.

“I can call a game, I can give a good throw down to second base, but if I ever had to catch an entire game I would be greatly exposed,” Mora said. “I think baseball fans take for granted just how difficult that position is. Catching is a grueling task, I can’t imagine doing that for an entire baseball career.”

After spending the past two summers traveling across the country in the Atlantic and Pioneer Leagues, Mora is excited to begin the next chapter of his baseball career close to home. When he earned the starting nod for the Scrappers on Thursday, his parents made the 60-mile trip from Cleveland to Eastwood Field to be in attendance.

“I’ve been all over the place and it’s been tough for my parents to be able to follow my career,” Mora said. “It’s super exciting to be able to come back here where the grass literally is greener in a lot of ways.

“I used to attend Scrappers games when I was very young. We’d come here sometimes to see some of the (Cleveland) Indians players when they were here on rehab assignments. Now here I am. It’s pretty crazy. It’s an awesome situation.”

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