Pitching dominates in fifth straight win

Auburn, NY--For the third game in a row, the Doubledays' pitching was brilliant. Wirkin Estevez went five, allowing just one hit, and three Doubledays' relievers did the rest in a 7-2 win at Falcon Park over Mahoning Valley.

The win was Auburn's fifth in a row, and the first at Falcon Park in 2011. Auburn is now 6-1 on the season and off to their best start since 2008 when the Doubledays' also won six of their first seven.

The Doubledays scored the games first run, the fifth straight game they've done so, off an RBI single by Connor Rowe in the second inning. Matt Skole, who had singled earlier in the inning, jogged home from third and put the Doubleadays up an early run.

In the bottom of the fifth, Auburn rallied for more, all with two outs against Scrappers' starter, Harold Guerrero. Justin Miller blooped a single to right, Seth Bynum drew a walk, and Mahoning Valley manager Dave Wallace decided to make a pitching change. Justin Dischler was brought in, and his first pitch of the game was blasted over the right-centerfield wall by Hendry Jimenez, a three-run shot that got the fans energized and put the Doubledays up 4-0.

Auburn added another in the sixth on an RBI single by Justin Miller, and two more in the seventh on back-to-back RBI hits by Miguel Perez and Matt Skole, giving the Doubledays their largest lead of the night, 7-0.

Meanwhile, the Auburn pitching staff carried a one-hit shutout into the ninth inning before reliever Brian Dupra surrendered back-to-back triples by the Scrappers, giving Mahoning Valley two runs in the frame. The runs not only broke up the shutout, but stopped a streak of 26 and two-thirds of consecutive scoreless baseball hurled by the Auburn pitching staff.

Aaron Barrett came in for Dupra in the ninth, getting Aaron Sigila to fly out to center, and extending Auburn's win-streak to five games.

Other Notes:

• Wirkin Estevez, in just his second start in the United States, picked up his first win of the season, hurling 5 innings of one-hit, no run baseball, striking out five.
• Hendry Jimenez's three-run home run gives him eight RBIs in just four games played.
• Fifth round draft pick, Matt Skole, had his first professional multi-hit game for Auburn, finishing 2 for 4 with a run and an RBI.
• Twelfth round pick, Blake Monar, pitched two scoreless innings of relief in his professional debut.
• The Doubledays' will look to win their third straight series tomorrow, as they take on Mahoning Valley in a 7:05pm first pitch. RHP Pedro Encarnacion will be on the bump for Auburn on Country Night at Falcon Park. Fans are invited to stick around after the game for Post-Game Fireworks presented by Key Bank. For tickets, go to www.auburndoubledays.com.