Soto's homers power Yanks past Scrappers

STATEN ISLAND - Junior Soto hit a solo tie-breaking home run in the bottom of the seventh inning, and added a three-run shot in the bottom of the eighth, as the Staten Island Yankees powered past the Mahoning Valley Scrappers 5-1 at Richmond County Bank Ballpark, on Wednesday night.
Staten Island got on the board early, when Josh Breaux, selected in the 2nd round last month by the New York Yankees in the 2018 MLB Draft, drove home Jesus Bastidas with a double to right field. The RBI, which came with two outs, was the first of Breaux's professional career.
Juan De Paula, the Staten Island starting pitcher, held the Scrappers in check, striking out six batters, while allowing only two hits and two walks through five scoreless frames. Unfortunately, the first batter Yankees reliever Drew Finley faced, Richie Palacios, homered to left field, tying the game at 1-1. But that was the only hit Finley allowed, as the right-hander, allowing only that one lone run, and striking out the final four batters he faced.
The score did not stay tied long, however, as Soto hit a 2-1 pitch from Scrappers reliever Luis Santos over the left field wall for a solo home run, his third home run of the year. And only one inning later, he struck again. This time, with Eric Wagaman on first base and Jerry Sights on second, Soto blasted a 2-2 pitch from Mahoning Valley's Luis Araujo again over the left field wall for his second home run of the contest.
Overall, Soto finished 3 for 4 with four runs batted in to go with those two long balls. Getting the win for Staten Island was Finley (1-0) and getting the save was Daniel Alvarez, who struck out five batters in two frames.
The Baby Bombers and the Scrappers will continue their three-game series tomorrow. Getting the start in the 7:00 p.m., contest for Staten Island will be Nolan Martinez, with Zach Draper on the mound for Mahoning Valley.