Scrappers’ slide now at 6 games after loss to IronBirds
Scrappers’ Hubbard travels far and wide
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NILES -- In the first of their three-game series on Tuesday, the Mahoning Valley Scrappers and Aberdeen IronBirds battled back and forth for six innings before the IronBirds eventually pulled away.
On Wednesday, Aberdeen struck early and never looked back in a 9-4 win over the Scrappers at 7 17 Credit Union Field.
Aberdeen shortstop Jevin Relaford laced the first pitch of the game to the gap in left-centerfield for a double, stole third and scored on a Brycen Hammonds base hit to give the IronBirds a 1-0 lead just four pitches into the game. Hammonds advanced to second on a passed ball, stole third and scored on a groundout, and the tone seemed set for the night.
The Scrappers did cut their deficit in half in the bottom of the first inning when third baseman Maddoz Mihalakis belted his second home run of the season, a shot over the right field wall.
Aberdeen quickly regained their two-run lead in the top of the second. Nathan Earley led off the inning with a ground-rule double and eventually scored on a double play. In the fourth, the IronBirds chased Scrappers starter Blake Lobell with a fourth run. Lobell worked just 3.1 innings and surrendered four runs on 10 hits.
The IronBirds busted things wide open with a five-run sixth inning. There were two singles and two doubles in the inning, and the IronBirds also benefited from the Scrappers' third error of the game.
Since the start of the second-half, the Scrappers have committed 17 errors through seven games.
The Scrappers added a run in the eighth on a Julian Hernandez RBI single. Hernandez collected two of the Scrappers' eight hits. Mihalakis tripled in a run in the eighth, then he scored on a Jason Torres double.
The IronBirds pounded out 18 hits on the night. Earley and Brylan West each had three hits for the visitors. Aberdeen also stranded 17 base runners.
The Scrappers (14-22 / 1-6) have now dropped six in a row. The Scrappers and IronBirds conclude their three-game series tonight at 7:05 p.m.
HUBBARD TRAVELS FAR AND WIDE
It's a bit ironic that Bryce Hubbard is among the longest-tenured players on the current Mahoning Valley Scrappers roster.
In fact, he is the only non-pitcher that was a holdover from the first half of the season.
After all, Hubbard isn't the type to stay in one place for very long.
"There's always a running joke with whatever team I'm on that I know everyone in the country, because I've been all over the country," Hubbard said. "I have moved around a bit, but I wouldn't trade it for anything in the world. I've made a lot of great friends and I've had great experiences everywhere I've gone."
Hubbard grew up in Sacramento, California but his family moved to Atlanta during COVID, and suddenly Hubbard found himself "in a whole different world," while entering his junior year of high school.
"We made the move because at the time, there was much more availability in Georgia," Hubbard said. "Georgia was much more open than California because of the pandemic. From a baseball standpoint, it provided much more opportunities to train and to play the game.
"It was a tough move in terms of picking up and starting over as a teenager, but now I can say that some of my best friends are in Georgia. Man, did it work out for the best."
In fact, while at Wesleyan High School, Hubbard helped lead his team to a Georgia state championship. As a senior, he batted .436 with 48 RBI while scoring 54 runs. He also earned All-American status.
Hubbard committed to Mississippi State before he even left California, and he played there for two years before transferring to Northwest Florida State. While at NFS he helped lead the team to a national runner-up finish in the National Junior College Athletic Association World Series.
He then spent the past two years at Oregon State. While with the Beavers, Hubbard enjoyed a run in the Division I College World Series in 2025.
"Playing at that level and getting that far in the tournament is something that I'll always cherish," Hubbard said. "You always want to win it all, that's the goal of every player. But to be part of that experience multiple times in your college career, that doesn't happen for most players so I'm grateful for it all.
"The bonus was that I got to experience those moments with guys who I consider to be some of my best friends."
Though listed as a catcher on the Scrappers' roster, Hubbard has started more games at first base this year (seven) than he has behind the plate (five). He has also been in the lineup seven times as a designated hitter. Hubbard says that his "most natural" position is catcher, but he's willing to play any position in order to get himself on the field.
"I just love the game, I love being part of a team working for the same goal," Hubbard said.
Hubbard noted that he especially enjoys catching because, "It keeps me involved in every pitch, in every moment of the game."
Catching also keeps alive Hubbard's dream of signing a professional contract with an affiliated organization.
"It's always said that the guys up the middle get drafted more than any other positions," Hubbard said. "Well, I'm too slow to be a shortstop or centerfielder so I figured that catching was my next best option.
"I do enjoy playing the position. As a catcher you're sort of the quarterback of the defense, especially when you get to call pitches. You're the only player who can see the entire field in front of you. You're involved in every pitch in some way. I enjoy the responsibilities and the challenges that go along with the position."
When he's not on the diamond, Hubbard enjoys a pickup game of basketball or time on the ski slopes. And he especially loves the water -- Hubbard swam and played water polo competitively for a number of years.
And while baseball has taken him to numerous locations throughout the United States, Hubbard is quick to point out that from an MLB standpoint, he left his heart on the west coast, and in particular in San Francisco.
"I'm a Giants fan through and through, I'll always love my Giants," Hubbard said.