Flying high: Scorps win season-high third straight

All of a sudden, the Yuma Scorpions are a pitching team.
Julio Santiago put in the second straight strong pitching performance as the Scorpions opened a three-game series against the South Division leading Orange County Flyers with a 3-1 win Friday at Desert Sun Stadium.

Santiago's first win of the year was also the third straight for Yuma (9-13 second half, 19-40 overall) - a season high. Santiago lasted 6-1/3 innings, gave up one unearned run, struck out five and walked three in a two-hitter. Three relievers didn't give up a run, including Emiliano Fruto - who picked up his 12th save with a perfect ninth.

In the team's last game Sunday, Javier Ortiz and two relievers combined for a shutout.

"Any time we get strong pitching, we can bring in Cristian Mendoza and Dorian Castro and Emiliano Fruto," manager Boris Villa said through a translator. "We do that and we can get the win."

Castro pitched 2/3 of an inning, while Mendoza was the only one of the three to give up a hit, a leadoff single in the eighth that proved harmless.

Villa said that although the bullpen has been good this year, Mendoza was a little stiff before the game and was on a shorter leash.

Reynaldo Rodriguez reached on a single and scored Yuma's first run on a groundout by Carlos Balcazar. Designated hitter Jhonatan Lozada came up with a two-out single to score Diover Avila for the second Yuma run.

A two out double from Ismael Castro in the third scored Carlos Villalobos for a 3-0 lead.

The Flyers (12-6, 29-26) scored a solo run in the top of the fourth on a fielders choice by Nick Guerra that scored Julian Benavides, who reached on an error by Ismael Castro.

The win moves the Scorpions out of last place and to within 4-1/2 games of the Flyers.

"If we can keep winning games like that," Villa said, "we're going to move from the bottom to the top."

Every Scorpion but one had a hit, but only Ismael Castro had a multihit game. Leadoff hitter Deivis Rivadeneria reached base in his first three at-bats.

Manny Ayala (2-3) started rough in the battle of pitchers that entered the game with ERAs higher than 8.50 but settled down and went seven innings.