Aberdeen starter Jake Cowan tossed his finest game of the season so far on Saturday night, but his six-inning, two-hit performance was squandered as the IronBirds bullpen allowed four eighth-inning runs in a 4-1 loss to the Mahoning Valley Scrappers.
"He was very good tonight," said Aberdeen manager Leo Gomez of his starting pitcher. "He had good command, good control, was always on top of the hitters."
Cowan (0-4), who has yet to pick up a win this year, was saddled with a no decision after tossing six innings in which he held the Scrappers to two hits, struck out eight and walked only two hitters.
"It was tough getting out there after an eight-hour bus ride last night, but I battled through it and focused," Cowan said after the game. "I threw all my pitches in weird counts, but got away with it. When I was behind in the count, which was a lot, I was throwing off-speed pitches, but I was throwing them for strikes, and was getting a lot of swings and misses. That really helped me out when I'd go down 2-1, or 2-0."
The defeat dropped Aberdeen to 13-29 on the season, and the IronBirds remain at the bottom of the New York-Penn League's McNamara Division, 8.5 games behind third-place Hudson Valley.
"Jake had all three of his pitches working tonight," IronBirds catcher Adam Davis said. "We fell into a rhythm after that first inning. You couldn't ask for more. I thought he pitched fantastic, really brought his best stuff, and gave us a chance to win."
After posting just three hits through the first five frames, Aberdeen finally managed to plate a run in the sixth.
Things did not start well, as Dudley Leonora and Martin Serrata were retired on a ground ball and a strikeout, respectively, but Glynn Davis came through a with a clutch, two-out single to keep Aberdeen alive.
Austin Knight came up next and suffered what appeared to be an inning-ending strikeout, but the Scrappers' catcher could not handle the final pitch, which allowed Knight to sprint safely to first. With Davis now at second, Mychal Givens strode to the plate and stroked a single to short center that knocked his teammate home.
Mahoning Valley was quick to answer, scoring four runs on Aberdeen relievers Devin Jones and Enrico Jimenez with the help of seven hits and a fielding error in the top of the eighth.
The first two Mahoning Valley hitters ripped base hits, while the third Scrapper up laid down a sacrifice bunt. Jones fielded the bunt and tried to get the lead runner heading for third, but his throw skipped past Connor Narron, allowing the Scrappers' first run to score.
Before Jones was relieved of his duties, the Scrappers hit an RBI single that bounced inches over the outstretched glove of first baseman Joe Velleggia to take a 2-1 lead. Jimenez surrendered three more hits, and another two runs scored before he could record the final out.
"I think maybe [Jones] rushed to much," Gomez said. "And that's part of the game. Some times you need to be more focused. Tonight, I think he rushed to get the ball to the plate, and that's what happened in the eighth."
Luis Lebron took over for Cowan in the seventh and tossed a perfect inning of relief, striking out two of the three hitters he saw. Jones was charged with three earned runs on four hits in 2/3 of an inning, while Jimenez struck out two and allowed one walk in his 1-1/3 inning stint.
Davis, the only IronBirds batter with multiple hits, went 3-for-3 with a walk, while Knight, Givens and Leonora accounted for the rest of Aberdeen's hits, as each roped a single.
Thirteen IronBirds hitters went down on strikes in the loss.
