By STEVE RUMAN

Correspondent

NILES — For the Mahoning Valley Scrappers, the first half of the 2025 season was one of both success and extreme disappointment.

The Scrappers finished the first-half portion of their schedule with a 17-13 record. Along the way, numerous players logged impressive individual performances.

The disappointment came by way of the MLB Draft League standings.

The Scrappers missed out on winning the first-half championship literally by the narrowest margin possible. They ended the season one-half game behind State College (17-12). With the first-half title, the Spikes earned a spot in the Draft League championship game, which will be played in State College.

The Scrappers entered the last two days of the first-half in first place, one-half game ahead of both West Virginia and State College. Last Friday, the Scrappers owned a 7-0 lead over West Virginia, and Scrappers starter Garrett Peters was pitching a perfect game through six innings. However, the Black Bears erupted for seven runs in the seventh inning and won 10-7.

On Saturday, the Scrappers thrashed the Black Bears 18-7. However, State College won both of its weekend games against Williamsport, earning the first-half crown.

“We rode it out until the very last day, but the baseball gods weren’t with us,” Scrappers manager Quinton McCracken said. “We let one slip away in that first game against West Virginia, but that’s baseball. We came back the next night and scored 18 runs, but unfortunately we didn’t control our own destiny.

“This group displayed a resilient nature right up until that very last day. That’s all you can ask.”

The Scrappers had several players at or near the top of the league’s statistical leaderboard, including Daniel Stewart, who batted a league-best .387. In fact, three of the top six hitters in the league played for the Scrappers. Max Hartman finished third in the league in batting (.339) while Ben Watson (.315) finished sixth. Watson led the Scrappers in home runs (three) and RBI (18).

“I just came here trusting my routine, trusting my drills, listening to my coaches,” Stewart said of his success at the plate. “When it comes to baseball, I just try to be a sponge around everyone, taking everything in and learning from myself, my coaches and my teammates.”

Stewart began the season by collecting 12 hits in his first 16 at-bats.

Watson, meanwhile, gained momentum as the calendar changed from June to July. In fact, he hit all three of his home runs in the final six games of the first-half.

“Earlier in the summer I was struggling a bit, I was pressing and that’s usually when things go from bad to worse,” Watson said. “As the season went on, I began playing free and having fun. Things eventually worked themselves out.”

On the pitching side, Austin Newton made the best of his four starts. Newton posted a team-best 0.56 ERA, surrendering just one earned run in 16 innings of work.

This past spring, Newton played at the University of South Florida, where his season got off to a late start due to an injury.

“I had a couple of rough starts when I came back, but I moved to the bullpen, found my confidence and things started rolling from there,” Newton said. “I finished my junior season on a strong note, then came straight to Mahoning Valley and maintained the momentum.

“I was extremely grateful for the opportunity to pitch in the Draft League. It gave me a chance to perform in front of scouts and show that I can compete against some of the best hitters out there. I was able to call my own game while working at a quick pace. It was a good change of pace from the college game.”

Scrappers starter Mitch Dye (4-1) led the league in wins. Drew Lafferty appeared in seven games, with a 2.50 ERA.

As a team, the Scrappers had an overall run differential of plus-41, tops in the league by a wide margin. They scored a league-high 201 runs, an average of 6.7 runs per game.

The Scrappers also secured the best home record in the Draft League (11-5). However, they were just 6-8 on the road.

Weather wasn’t kind to the Scrappers during the first half of the season. Four of the 34 scheduled games were cancelled due to rain (one home game), while four other games were shortened due to inclement conditions.

Including tonight’s game against Frederick, the Scrappers have 42 more scheduled games, including 21 at Eastwood Field. The season concludes September 3. The following day State College will host the Draft League title game.

WEDNESDAY’S GAME

The new look Mahoning Valley Scrappers picked up right where the first-half Scrappers left off at Eastwood Field.

On Wednesday, the Scrappers began the second-half portion of their schedule with a 12-2 home win over Frederick.

The Scrappers’ revamped roster includes all new faces with the exception of two holdovers. One of those returning players – Max Johnson – actually suited up in a Frederick uniform on Wednesday and played shortstop for the Keys, who were short handed on infield players. Johnson is expected to return to the Scrappers’ dugout today.

The second-half of the Draft League features players who have utilized all of their amateur eligibility.

Following an 18-minute rain delay at the start of the game, the Scrappers wasted little time establishing a lead they would never surrender.

Carson Hornung and Seung-Jung Cha reached base on one-out singles in the bottom of the second inning, setting the stage for a Matt Rivera three-run home run. Rivera also played for the Scrappers in 2024, appearing in 29 games.

The Scrappers added a run in the third on a Tommy Rover sacrifice fly. Two runs were added in the fourth as Patrick Roche singled home Rivera, and Dreylin Holmes – another returnee from 2024 – extended the Scrappers’ lead to 6-1 with a sac fly.

The Scrappers blew things wide open in the fifth with a four-run inning that included three walks, three wild pitches, a hit batter and four stolen bases.

Rivera capped off the scoring in the eighth with his second homer of the night, a two-run blast.

Rivera went 3-for-5 with five RBIs.

Roche also enjoyed a 3-for-5 night with three RBIs as the Scrappers pounded out 15 hits.

The Scrappers and Keys continue their three-game series tonight at 6:35 p.m.