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PSU notebook: Defense puts heavier emphasis on forcing, recovering fumbles

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Wyoming Valley Conference cross country runners excel in meet

MOOSIC &#8211; First came the Cy, then the relief.It was the second part of that pitching combination that made sure the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders season would end quietly Saturday night at PNC Field.Aaron Slegers struck out eight in 6 2/3 innings of scoreless relief while the Durham Bulls were building a comfortable lead in what eventually turned into a 17-2 rout to complete a three-game International League playoff semifinal sweep.With their season on the line, the RailRiders sent a pitcher with 20 career starts above Class A to the mound against reigning Cy Young Award winner Blake Snell.That was just the start of their problems.Walks, wild pitches, errors, hit batters, a missed cutoff and silent bats were all part of the equation as the latest International League playoff appearance by the RailRiders came to an early conclusion in humbling fashion.The RailRiders have made five straight postseason trips, including their 2016 Governors Cup and Triple-A titles. They reached the league final the past two seasons before going out a round earlier this year.RailRiders starter Nick Nelson, who made his Triple-A debut three weeks ago, and Snell were not even around when the second inning started.Durham was already ahead 4-1 at that point and the Bulls kept going.The Bulls scored multiple runs in the third, fourth and fifth innings to build an 11-1 lead.This was one deficit the RailRiders were not going to erase.The RailRiders won the North Division and earned this playoff shot against Durham when they rallied from being behind 5-0 in the first, 7-1 in the seventh and 13-6 in the eighth to defeat the Syracuse Mets, 14-13, in a one-game playoff Tuesday.There was no such magic left Saturday night.While Durham was piling up runs early, the RailRiders had 11 straight batters retired, including six by strikeouts.The RailRiders had threatened to bounce back quickly after the Bulls scored four times in the only inning pitched by Nelson.Four of the first five RailRiders reached as they scored a run and loaded the bases against Snell with one out.Snell, who went four pitches beyond his planned 20-pitch limit, got one strikeout before leaving.The Tampa Rays pitcher, who is coming back from surgery on his elbow, exited at that point and Slegers got another strikeout to escape the bases-loaded jam. It was the last difficult spot the Bulls would find themselves in during the series.Slegers, a 6-foot-10, right-hander, did not allow his first baserunner until the fifth and worked through the seventh inning. He gave up just three hits and did not walk a batter.&#8220;He was throwing his breaking ball for strikes, which is key for him,&#8221; RailRiders manager Jay Bell said. &#8220;He set up the high fastball off the breaking balls.&#8220;He had the benefit of having a nice lead to pitch with and he did an exceptional job.&#8221;A two-out error by shortstop Thairo Estrada with none on in the third opened the door for two unearned runs to make it 6-1.Estrada&#8217;s injury rehabilitation assignment from the New York Yankees was transferred from Double-A Trenton to the RailRiders earlier in the day. He batted second and went 1-for-3 while playing the first seven innings.Walks were a big part of Durham breaking the game open.The first three runs by the Bulls were scored by players who Nelson walked in the first inning when he also unleashed two wild pitches.The top of the Durham order drew consecutive one-out walks in the fourth and Jason Coats hit a three-run homer for a 9-1 lead.&#8220;They have a pretty good approach at the plate,&#8221; Bell said. &#8220;They got those runs early and it allowed them to settle into a rhythm both offensively and defensively.&#8221;Dalton Kelly, who scored four times and drove in four runs, and Rocky Gale, who drove in three runs, drew walks to start the fifth. They scored on a double by Nathan Lukes with the help of an errant throw in from right fielder Zack Zehner.Saturday&#8217;s loss ended a season in which the RailRiders used 84 players. Of them, 82 appeared in the regular season when the RailRiders went 76-65 before the sweep by Durham.NOTES: The game drew a paid crowd of 4,473.Kelly&#8217;s three-run homer capped a six-run ninth by Durham to complete the blowout.Erik Kratz drove in both RailRiders runs with a single in the first and a groundout in the eighth.Before joining the RailRiders, Estrada, who is working his way back from a right hamstring strain, went 3-for-3 with a walk and five RBI for Trenton when it completed a sweep of Reading in the Eastern League semifinals Friday.Estrada hit .266 with eight homers and 32 RBI in 60 games with the RailRiders this season. The 14th Yankee to rehab with the RailRiders this season, he is hitting .246 in 28 games for New York.Players said their good-byes in the clubhouse after the game. Bell said four players will be joining the parent Yankees, but because the moves had not been made official yet, he declined to reveal which ones. Other players may rejoin Trenton as it continues in the Eastern League playoffs.Durham will play either Gwinnett or Columbus for the IL title.<style>
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<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta>By Tom RobinsonFor Times Leader</bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta>Reach Times Leader sports at 570-829-7143 or on Twitter @TLSports</shirttailMeta></div>

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