FISHKILL, N.Y. - If the Jamestown Jammers are going to finish above .500 this season, it's going to take a sweep to do it.
Jamestown dropped to two games under .500 with a 4-2 loss to Auburn Thursday at Falcon Park and now returns home for a three-game series with Mahoning Valley that will complete the season. Games are scheduled for Friday, Saturday and Sunday at Diethrick Park. The Florida Marlins' 2011 first-round draft pick, Jose Fernandez, will start for Jamestown on Friday.
In his final start of the year, Jamestown's Jose Urena pitched well, leaving with the game tied 2-2 in the sixth. Reliever Jheyson Manzueta promptly allowed two Doubledays runs, giving Auburn a 4-2 lead that would prove to be the final margin.
Jamestown collected eight hits in Thursday's loss with Ryan Goetz, Brian McConkey and Viosergy Rosa collecting two each and Pedro Mendoza and Nestor Castillo one each.
Jamestown scored first in the loss, taking a 1-0 lead in the top of the opening inning. Goetz singled to start the game and advanced to third on a double by Mendoza. McConkey followed with a hit that made it 1-0 and put runners on first and third with nobody out. However, Auburn starter Taylor Hill got two straight strikeouts and Joshua Adams' groundout ended the inning with the score 1-0.
Auburn quickly tied things in the bottom of the inning, taking advantage of a Caleb Ramsey leadoff double. Ramsey moved to third on a wild pitch and scored on a Bryce Ortega groundout to tie the game at 1-1.
Fact Box
Jamestown 100 010 000 - 2 8 2
Auburn 100 012 00x - 4 12 0
2b-Pedro Mendoza (J), Caleb Ramsey (A), Russell Moldenhauer (A), Wilfri Pena (A), Matthew Skole (A). 3b-Justin Miller (A). WP-Manuel Rivera. LP-Jheyson Manzueta. Save-Christian Garcia.
The Jammers (35-37) again took the lead in the fifth, using four walks to force a run home. Mendoza, Terrence Dayleg, Jobduan Morales and Adams all drew walks to put Jamestown up 2-1 with one out. However, Auburn again got out of the inning with minimal damage allowed.
Just like in the first frame, the Doubledays wasted little time in tying the game. This time, Matthew Skole led off with a double and eventually scored on a Justin Miller single.
Auburn would only score once more with two runs coming in the sixth, but it would be enough. Miller tripled off Manzueta with two on and one out, scoring a pair and closing the scoring at 4-2.