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NILES -- Playing on the road is a losing proposition for teams in the MLB Draft League.
Entering Monday, all six of the Draft League teams owned a sub-.500 record on the road. Even Williamsport, with its dazzling 39-21 overall record, was just 12-13 away from home.
The Mahoning Valley Scrappers have had an especially tough summer away from 717 Credit Union Field. They own a dismal 5-26 road record. Over the weekend they were swept at Williamsport.
At home, the Scrappers have had better fortunes, including a 5-4 walk-off win on Monday over West Virginia.
The Victory lifts the Scrappers' home record to 19-13.
West Virginia - with an overall record of 30-34 - falls to 11-22 in road games.
Cayden Gaskin wasted no time giving West Virginia a 1-0 lead. The Black Bears leadoff hitter opened the game by belting a 3-2 pitch deep over the left field wall off of Scrappers starter Eli Edds. Gaskin's home run was his second of the year, both coming at 717 Credit Union Field.
The Scrappers answered with a run of their own in the bottom of the first. Maddox Mihalakis reached on a leadoff walk, advanced to second on a groundout then scored on a Mike Young two-out base hit.
Both teams also scored in the second inning. West Virginia scored a pair of runs courtesy of a Tyvon Moore two-run homer. The Scrappers cut their deficit to 3-2 on a Mihalakis RBI ground rule double.
The Scrappers grabbed their first lead of the night in the fifth, again thanks to the top of the order. Mihalakis walked to lead off the inning. He advanced to third on a Cooper Vance ground-rule double. Mihalakis scored on a Cayden Evans sacrifice fly. Young singled home Vance, giving the Scrappers a 4-3 lead.
West Virginia saw its first two batters reach base in the seventh thanks to a walk and a base hit. The Black Bears then tied the game at 4-4 on a double play groundout.
Scrappers relievers Nick Anello and Reagan Rivera pitched back-to-back scoreless innings in the eighth and ninth to keep the game tied at 4-4 entering the bottom of the ninth. However, the Scrappers were unable to break the tie, sending the game into sudden death.
The Scrappers and Black Bears conclude their brief two-game series tonight before the Scrappers travel to Aberdeen for a three-game series against the IronBirds.
EMBRACING THE CHALLENGE
Mahoning Valley Scrappers infielder Maddox Mihalakis refers to himself as "somewhat of an outlier" in that he loves to read. He actually enjoys the challenge of school.
Mihalakis recently completed his senior year at the University of Arizona, where he majored in Finance.
"I love to learn, so I didn't mind doing homework or I didn't hate studying for an exam," Mihalakis said. "That's sort of what drove me toward studying finance. I was always interested in business. I knew being a finance major was going to be a tough challenge, but I wanted to learn all I could about something that sparks my interest."
Mihalakis also did his homework in finding a place to study and play baseball at the college level, and he passed the assignment with flying colors.
Mihalakis was a sophomore in high school when COVID brought a halt to his time on the baseball diamond. However, true to his nature, Mihalakis hit the books and learned how to make the best of a bad situation.
"Coaches weren't able to go out and scout players, they weren't going on recruiting trips," Mihalakis said. "A lot of coaches were going online, trying to come up with anything they could about prospective players. I began putting together recruiting videos, just putting myself out there. By doing so I was actually able to broaden my reach of schools compared to the typical recruiting process."
The videos caught the eye of Arizona coaches. Mihalakis was invited to the campus, and in November of 2020 - Mihalakis's junior year at Hopkins (MN) High School - he committed to playing for the Wildcats.
Mihalakis would go on to become a three-time high school All-American honoree. In his senior season at Hopkins, he was named Minnesota's Mr. Baseball. He was ranked as the No. 4 prospect and No. 1 shortstop out of Minnesota, and the same year he became a member of the Greek National Baseball Team.
Mihalakis also earned a spot on the State All-Academic Team.
"I had a really great time in high school," Mihalakis said. "Committing to Arizona early on, I always felt like I had a bit of a target on my back during my junior and senior years. But in some ways it was a good thing. It kept me focused, it kept me on my toes because I knew I could never let up.
"I needed to prove to the (Arizona) coaches they made a good choice in offering me a scholarship. I had to prove to myself I deserved that scholarship."
Mihalakis appeared in 11 games during his freshman year at Arizona. For the next three years, he became a fixture in the Wildcats' lineup, starting in 156 games and appearing in 172 games.
"It was a great fit from day one," Mihalakis said. "For starters I came from Minnesota, where we're going inside for the winter in late October or early November, and not getting back outside until late March. Now all of a sudden I'm practicing outside on January 1 and it's sunny and 65. That was huge for my development.
"But beyond that, being at Arizona in general just felt right. I felt like I belonged. I felt like I was a part of the place and I built up some great relationships over the past four years."
While Mihalakis says he knew baseball was his sport of choice "basically for as long as I can remember," he did also play basketball for a short time, and - not surprisingly - he played hockey through the ninth grade.
"I mean, everyone that far north plays hockey," Mihalakis said. "It's a really big deal in Minnesota. We're talking camps where you play for eight hours a day. Four hours on the ice, four hours working on stick handling and other training.
"But it helped my baseball career. There's a level of toughness you have to have in order to play hockey. All the hitting, the constant movement. It helped get me ready for baseball season."
Mihalakis has been a force in the Scrappers' lineup since he arrived at the start of the second-half. Through his first 33 games, he owns a .312 batting average while leading the team in hits (39), triples (4), home runs (6), and RBI (36).
"I love the competition in this league, I love the environment at (717 Credit Union Field)," Mihalakis said. "I feel like I'm in a good spot in terms of trying to further my career.
"Right now I'm just taking things one day at a time and enjoying the ride."