web1_doreen.jpg

Cost, insurance limitations keep many from dental treatment

web1_TTL070615LittleLeague_4.jpg

Big inning propels Hanover past Avoca/Dupont in a District 16 Little League Major Baseball game

<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta>By Paul Sokoloskipsokoloski@www.timesleader.com</bylineMeta></div>MOOSIC &#8212; One way or another, the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders just keep bringing fans to their feet.If the crowd isn&#8217;t standing to applaud a dominant pitching performance, the stands are shaking in anticipation of an electrifying comeback.The RailRiders nearly pulled off both Sunday while splitting a day-night doubleheader with Buffalo.Joel De La Cruz remained unbeaten by combining with James Pazos on a four-hit shutout in a 4-0 first-game victory, then the RailRiders used a three-run home run from backup catcher Juan Graterol to pull even before falling 6-4 in the nightcap.&#8220;The thing about baseball is you&#8217;re never really as out of it as you seem,&#8221; said RailRiders outfielder Ben Gamel, who had three hits including a triple in the opener.The RailRiders looked a little listless in the nightcap, until Graterol&#8217;s towering moonshot in the sixth inning took a win away from Buffalo starter Randy Wolf. The former Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Red Barons and Phillies ace baffled the RailRiders through five innings and departed the game with a 4-1 lead, with seemingly his seventh victory of the season in store.But the RailRiders came back against Buffalo&#8217;s bullpen, as Rob Refsnyder worked a walk and Kyle Roller&#8217;s sky-high fly was lost in the lights and dropped into left field for a hit to open the sixth inning. One out later, Graterol launched his three-run blast just inside the left field foul pole to even the score.Luke Scott swung the advantage back Buffalo&#8217;s way, ripping an RBI double that sent Matt Hague to third base and led to an RBI grounder from Andy Burns.But the RailRiders weren&#8217;t quite done creating excitement.They loaded the bases with one out in the seventh inning and put the potential tying runs on with one out in the eighth, only to come up empty during both attempts at battling back. Gamel, who entered late in the second game, blasted a long, opposite-field shot that seemed headed for at least a double before it barely hooked foul. He settled for a walk during that eighth-inning at-bat.&#8220;We just couldn&#8217;t get that one big hit,&#8221; Gamel said.All that came after a fun-filled first game for the RailRiders, where Gamel had three hits and had a hand in three runs during the 4-0 victory.Gamel began his big afternoon with a sharp single to left field and eventually scored on Roller&#8217;s opposite-field single as the RailRiders grabbed a 1-0 lead in the opener.Gamel gashed Buffalo with a leadoff triple in the third inning, then Aaron Judge brought him home with a single to right field. And it was Gamel again in the fourth inning, as he beat out a high chopper to third base that drove home Nick Noonan.&#8220;It felt good,&#8221; Gamel said. &#8220;I was seeing the ball well and not trying to do too much.&#8221;Austin Romine gave the RailRiders their final insurance run of the game when he reached base on one error and scored on another in the sixth inning.But it was the pure pitching that made RailRiders fans roar with approval.De La Cruz allowed just three hits through his six innings and didn&#8217;t let a runner advance past first base while improving his season record to 6-0. Then Pazos came on to keep the Bisons at bay, setting down the final seven men he faced while working three scoreless innings to earn his first save of the season.&#8220;It&#8217;s pretty good when you throw a shutout,&#8221; Gamel said. &#8220;It makes it a little easier on us. It&#8217;s huge.&#8221;Then the RailRiders ran into a big roadblock while facing some sharp starting pitching on the other side.Wolf, a 15-year big league veteran with a 133-120 career major league record who&#8217;s trying to work his way back from a second Tommy John surgery in 2013, scattered six hits through his five innings on the PNC Field mound.He was staked to a 4-0 lead thanks to three run-scoring grounders and an infield RBI single in the fourth inning of the nightcap and was touched for just one controversial run. It came when Rico Noel reached on a bunt single in the fifth, took third base as part of a double steal and scored on a close - and controversial - play at the plate on Judge&#8217;s sacrifice fly.Graterol got the RailRiders even, but the Bisons weren&#8217;t about to sacrifice the game.Scott&#8217;s hard double brought home Ramon Santiago in the seventh, then Hague came home when Andy Burns grounded out.That ended the scoring, and pretty much an endless day of baseball.&#8220;It&#8217;s baseball, especially during a day-night doubleheader. This is the second of my career,&#8221; said Gamel, who said he played through a similar day in Double-A Trenton last year. &#8220;It&#8217;s a long day to play. It is what it is. You know what you&#8217;re getting into before the day.&#8221;First GameRailRiders 4, Buffalo 0Buffalo`AB`R`H`BIDiaz ss`4`0`1`0Gindl lf`4`0`0`0Hague 1b`3`0`0`0Scott dh`3`0`0`0Glenn rf`3`0`1`0Burns 3b`3`0`1`0Thole c`3`0`0`0Mesa cf`3`0`0`0Kawasaki 2b`3`0`1`0Totals`29`0`4`0RailRiders`AB`R`H`BIGamel cf`4`2`3`1Judge rf`4`0`1`1Bird 1b`4`0`1`0Refsnyder 2b`4`0`1`0Roller dh`4`0`1`1Romine c`4`1`0`0Figueroa 3b`4`0`2`0Noonan ss`3`1`1`0Dugas lf`4`0`1`0Totals`35`4`11`3Buffalo`000`000`000`-`0RailRiders`101`101`00x`-`42B - Figueroa. 3B - Gamel.Buffalo`IP`H`R`ER`BB`SOPineiro, L (0-1)`7`10`4`3`0`6Burke`0.1`0`0`0`0`0Korecky`0.2`1`0`0`1`0RailRiders`IP`H`R`ER`BB`SODe La Cruz, W (6-0)`6`3`0`0`0`1Pazos, S (1)`3`1`0`0`0`4Second GameBuffalo 6, RailRiders 4Buffalo`AB`R`H`BIMesa cf`5`1`2`0Santiago 2b`5`2`1`0Hague 3b`2`2`0`0Scott dh`4`0`2`2Burns 1b`5`0`1`2Gindl rf`5`0`1`1Hassan lf`3`0`1`0Ochinko c`4`0`0`0Kawasaki ss`4`1`2`0Totals`37`6`10`5RailRiders`AB`R`H`BIFigueroa 3b`5`0`2`0Judge rf`4`0`1`1Bird dh`5`0`1`0Refsnyder 2b`3`1`2`0Roller 1b`4`1`1`0Noonan ss`5`0`2`0Graterol c`4`1`1`3Dugas lf`4`0`1`0Noel cf`3`1`1`0Totals`37`4`12`4Buffalo`004`000`200`-`6RailRiders`000`013`000`-`42B - Scott 2, Kawasaki. HR - Graterol.Buffalo`IP`H`R`ER`BB`SOWolf`5`6`1`1`0`3Castro, BS (1), W (1-2)`1`2`3`3`1`2Jenkins`2`3`0`0`2`1Rasmussen, S (1)`1`1`0`0`01`RailRiders`IP`H`R`ER`BB`SORogers`4`5`4`2`1`4Foley, L (0-1)`2`2`2`2`3`2Cotham`3`3`0`0`1`2<div class="metaInfo"><factboxMeta>The T.L. ExpressGame Highlights: Ben Gamel got the RailRiders going with three hits, two runs scored and an RBI during a 4-0 victory over Buffalo in the first game of a day-night doubleheader. Then backup catcher Juan Graterol made things interesting with a game-tying three-run homer in the nightcap before the RailRiders suffered a 6-4 defeat. &#8230; Cole Figueroa finished with two hits in each game Sunday to run his streak to nine consecutive games with two or more hits. &#8230; Yankees first base prospect Greg Bird picked up his first Triple-A hit in the opener when he slammed a single to right field in the third inning. He also singled in the second game, and is now 2-for-12 after being promoted to the RailRiders from Double-A Trenton on Saturday. &#8230; RailRiders starter Joel De La Cruz keeps cruising, as he&#8217;s now 6-0 on the season after throwing six innings of three-hit shutout ball in the opener. &#8230; James Pazos picked up his first save of the season for the RailRiders with three scoreless innings in the opener.Attendance: First Game 5,579; Second Game 5,185Time of Games: First Game 2:05; Second Game 2:59Today&#8217;s Game: The four-game series with Buffalo concludes as Jaron Long tries to pick up his sixth victory and match fellow starters Joel De La Cruz and Kyle Davies for the most wins among RailRiders starters.Tonight at PNC Field: Happy birthday, Champ! The RailRiders mascot turns 8 and should be in an excited kid&#8217;s mode. It&#8217;s also Dollar Dog night, and a good chance to stack up on some extra Fourth of July hot dogs.Today&#8217;s Probables: RailRiders RHP Jaron Long (5-5, 4.74) vs. Syracuse LHP Daniel Norris (1-8, 3.88)On Deck: Syracuse swings by PNC field for a two-game set starting with a 7:05 p.m. game Tuesday.On the Radio: All games can be heard on NEPA Sports Radio WYCK 1340-AM, 1400-AM, 1440-AM, 100.7-FM, 106.7-FMHOW THEY SCOREDFIRST GAMERAILRIDERS FIRST: Ben Gamel slipped a single into left field and Rob Refsnyder later punched a two-out single to center. Kyle Roller followed with an opposite-field single through a big hole at shortstop to bring Gamel home. RAILRIDES 1-0RAILRIDERS THIRD: Gamel drove a triple to deep right field, then trotted home when Aaron Judge smoked a single to right field. RAILRIDERS 2-0RAILRIDERS FOURTH: SWB scored one on sheer speed. Nick Noonan bounced a single off diving second baseman Munenori Kawasaki, then charged to third base on a single to left by Taylor Dugas. Noonan then darted home when Gamel beat out an infield single to shortstop. RAILRIDERS 3-0RAILRIDERS SIXTH: Some sloppy play gave the RailRiders another run. Austin Romine reached on an error by third baseman Andy Burns and moved to third when Cole Figueroa doubled off the tip of the glove of leaping first baseman Matt Hague. Romine scored when Kawasaki dropped Noonan&#8217;s popup. RAILRIDERS 4-0SECOND GAMEBUFFALO THIRD: Munenori Kawasaki started a four-run rally with a single to center field then stole second base. Melky Mesa singled to left field, sending Kawasaki to third base, and a wild throw home on Ramon Santiago&#8217;s topper to the mound allowed Kawasaki to score. Matt Hague drew a walk to fill the bases and Mesa scored on Luke Scott ground out. Andy Barnes sent a sky-high chopper to third base for a single, driving home Santiago. Hague then scooted home when Caleb Gindl grounded out. BUFFALO 4-0RAILRIDERS FIFTH: Rico Noel dropped down a bunt single and Cole Figueroa followed with a single to center. Both runners stole a base, and Noel scored on a close play at the plate on a sacrifice fly by Aaron Judge. BUFFALO 4-1RAILRIDERS SIXTH: Rob Refsnyder drew a leadoff walk and Kyle Roller&#8217;s high fly to left field was lost in the lights and dropped for a single. One out later, backup catcher Juan Graterol lifted a towering three-run homer just inside the left field foul pole. TIED 4-4BUFFALO SEVENTH: Santiago singled and Hague drew a walk to open the inning. Scott slammed a deep double to right field to bring Santiago home. Hague later scored when Burns grounded out. BUFFALO 6-4</factboxMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta>Reach Paul Sokoloski at 570-991-6392 or on Twitter @TLPaulSokoloski</shirttailMeta></div>

Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders split day-night doubleheader with Buffalo Bisons