SCRAPPERS

Monday's rained-out game will be made up as part of a doubleheader.
By BRIAN RICHESSON
VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF
NILES -- First, a flash of lightning and some rain. Then the sky lit up like the Fourth of July.
The severity of the onrushing thunderstorm swelled when eerie, dark clouds began circulating Monday behind Cafaro Field, sucking the surrounding clouds together, almost in a funnel formation.
Moments later, the stadium disappeared in a wave of relentless, violent rain.
Forget the Mahoning Valley Scrappers' eight-game losing streak. Run to safety.
"Just when you think you've seen everything," Scrappers general manager Andy Milovich said, "you get something else thrown at you."
Interruption
The Scrappers' return from a six-game road trip was met with severe thunderstorms that rolled across the Mahoning Valley.
Poor weather conditions canceled Monday's game against the Auburn Doubledays and forced two seven-inning games today beginning at 6:05 p.m.
Not since 1999 had a storm of this magnitude blown through Cafaro Field. That year, the Scrappers' first as a Class-A affiliate of the Cleveland Indians, high winds blew most of the field tarp into the stands as grounds-crew members hung to its edges.
"Because the game was going on, we couldn't put the tarp down before the winds hit," Milovich recalled of the 1999 season. "The wind got underneath the tarp and dragged our entire staff around 20 yards before it blew into the stands.
"This [storm] ranks right up there" with 1999, Milovich said.
Calm before the storm
The tarp was on the field before the game Monday under cloudy skies and light rain.
"We put a lot of time into today," said Matt Duncan, director of stadium operations, who had to squeegee standing water from the left-field warning track.
"We had the tarp on since last night," Duncan said. "We were ready for the game, but [this storm] just caught us off guard."
Milovich said his crew was in contact with WFMJ-TV, a promotional partner of the Scrappers, and its weather staff. They also were watching the radar at Cafaro Field.
"They told us that they thought a storm was coming," Milovich said of the television station. "But according to the radar, it looked like we may just catch the tail of that band [of storms].
"All of a sudden, it circled back and got us."
Safety concerns
Just before 7 p.m., the lightning started and the rain intensified while some fans remained in their seats.
"We didn't want to make an announcement prematurely because we didn't want to set anybody off," Milovich said.
Scrappers officials were scattered throughout the stadium, Milovich added, in case they needed to alert fans of potential dangers.
"Once we saw it was heavy rains and high winds, in our minds nothing to be overly concerned about, we just let everybody stay put in the concourse and wait it out," Milovich said.
Cafaro Field suffered some damage in the storm.
A shield on the scoreboard panel in right-center field and part of the batter's eye screen in center field had been torn, Milovich said.
"We had so much rain that there was standing water everywhere," Milovich said. "But the field drains exceptionally well. We shouldn't have any problems, as long as the rain stops and we have a few hours to get everything prepared."
Duncan added, "We'll rest up and come back [today] for round two."
Fans can redeem their Monday tickets at any other home game this season, including tonight's doubleheader, the Scrappers announced.
richesson@vindy.com