Finale goes up in smoke

By BRIAN RICHESSON
VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF
NILES -- Cafaro Field vanished in a milky film of heavy smoke. And just like that, the Mahoning Valley Scrappers' season came to a close.
Minor league baseball certainly has its quirks. Add another to the list of wild and wacky, which occurred Wednesday night in the season finale against Jamestown.
"It's been one of those years when you think you've seen it all," Scrappers general manager Andy Milovich said. "Now, I think we officially have."
Leading to two
Rain canceled Monday's game, and unplayable field conditions Tuesday forced a doubleheader Wednesday.
"We had so much stuff that was backed up promotionally that we just felt we should play a doubleheader to try to squeeze in everything," Milovich said.
The Scrappers (38-36) lost the first game 7-3, and in between games fans were treated to a fireworks show.
"A postgame fireworks show on a school night, to wait until 11:30 or 12 o'clock at night, wouldn't make sense," Milovich said.
"We felt we were better off doing it in between games, take a little extra time and start the second game late."
Though, nobody expected what followed.
Heavy smoke from that display engulfed the field, making it impossible to see any part of it. Because of high humidity and little air flow, the smoke hovered.
"We talked about it before the game, but we've never had smoke hover for more than 10 minutes," Milovich said. "Obviously, 45 minutes later, it's still hovering out there."
Timetable
The fireworks show, which took place beyond the left-field wall, ended at about 9:10 p.m., and the second game was scheduled to begin at 9:35.
That never happened.
"It's just been a strange year, and I guess these fireworks top it off," Scrappers manager Ted Kubiak said.
While fans waited in the stands, Scrappers officials stood by the pitcher's mound, hidden in a sea of white. Some players joked outside the dugout and playfully tossed balls that disappeared in an instant.
"I was at a hockey game that was fogged out, but I've never seen anything like this," said Scrappers pitcher T.J. Burton, a Canadian.
Pregame promotions were stalled, and fans chuckled upon the announcement that the game was being delayed because of "unplayable field conditions."
"Whenever [the smoke] moves one direction, it comes back another. It's swirling," said Matt Duncan, director of stadium operations for the Scrappers.
Scrappers officials canceled the game around 10 p.m. At 10:45, some smoke still lingered in patches on the field.
"It's unfortunate, but it's one of those things, you just gotta chuckle," Milovich said. "It's the last game of the year."
Up in smoke
One person who might not be chuckling is Eleanor Harnevious of Youngstown, who had a chance to win $100,000 toward a new home in a promotion sponsored by First Place Bank.
If the Scrappers' Brad Snyder had homered on the first pitch of the second game, Harnevious would have won the promotion.
Milovich said he plans to work out the details today with First Place Bank.
"We could use it for the first game of next year and carry that promotion over," Milovich explained, "or we could work on some type of alternate prize package for the contestant."
Snyder is a first-round draft pick of the Cleveland Indians. He went 3-for-4 in the first game, with a home run.
JAMESTOWNSCRAPPERS
abrhbiabrhbi
Seifrig 2b5122Snyder cf4132
Young ss5000Conroy lf3010
Miller cf3121Garko c3010
Bear 1b3111Goleski rf3010
Dierks dh3111Mulhern 1b4010
Olsen 3b3101Parker ss4000
Schade lf3130Colmenter dh3110
Alen c4020Suarez 3b2110
Bastardo rf4110Lunetta 2b3011
Thedorf ph1000
Totals347126Totals293103
Jamestown4020001--7
Scrappers0012000--3
E--Parker, Young, Garko. DP--Jamestown 2. LOB--Jamestown 10, Mahoning Valley 9. HR--Snyder. 2B--Miller, Dierks, Lunetta. SB--Dierks, Miller, Seifrig, Schade. CS--Goleski. SH--Conroy.
IPHRERBBSO
Jamestown
Bostick W, 4-65103315
McCormack S, 4200023
Scrappers
Cevette L, 0-2396300
Lincoln310012
Rickert121111
WP--Cevette 2, Rickert. HBP--by Cevette (Bear), by Lincoln (Dierks). Umpires--Bob Price, home; John Gelatt, bases. T--2:40. A--5,766.
HOW THEY SCORED
FIRST INNING
JAMESTOWN 4, SCRAPPERS 0
Jammers: Dan Cevette pitching. Cole Seifrig reached on an error by the shortstop. Dusty Young grounded out to second, Seifrig to second. Jai Miller doubled to left, Seifrig scored. Ryan Bear singled up the middle, Miller scored. Bear advanced to second on a wild pitch. Scott Dierks doubled to left, Bear scored. Dierks stole third. Mikela Olsen grounded out to the catcher, Dierks scored. Ryan Schade singled to right, Luis Alen singled to left, Schade to third. Alen advanced to second on a wild pitch. Frederick Bastardo flied out to center. 4 runs, 5 hits, 1 error, 2 left.
THIRD INNING
JAMESTOWN 6, SCRAPPERS 1
Jammers: Cevette pitching. Olsen flied out to short. Schade singled to center, Alen lined out to left. Bastardo singled in the infield, Schade to second. Seifrig singled to right, Schade scored, Bastardo to third. Seifrig stole second, advanced to third on an error by the catcher, Bastardo scored. Young grounded out to short. 2 runs, 3 hits, 1 error, 1 left.
Scrappers: Adam Bostick pitching. Brad Snyder homered over the left center field wall. Mike Conroy flied out to left. Ryan Garko singled to right, Ryan Goleski singled to right, Garko to third. Ryan Mulhern struck out, Goleski thrown out at second trying to steal. 1 run, 3 hits, 0 errors, 1 left.
FOURTH INNING
JAMESTOWN 6, SCRAPPERS 3
Scrappers: Bostick pitching. Brett Parker struck out. Jesus Colmenter singled to center, Cesar Suarez singled to right, Colmenter to second. Anthony Lunetta doubled down the left-field line, Colmenter scored, Suarez to third. Snyder singled in the infield, Suarez scored, Lunetta to third. Conroy bunted to sacrifice Snyder to second. Garko flied out to second. 2 runs, 4 hits, 0 errors, 2 left.
SEVENTH INNING
JAMESTOWN 7, SCRAPPERS 3
Jammers: Brandon Rickert pitching. Olsen walked, pinch hitter Chris Thedorf struck out. Olsen advanced to second on a wild pitch. Alen singled to left, Olsen to third. Bastardo flied out to right. Seifrig singled to center, Olsen scored, Alen to third. Young reached on a fielder's choice, Seifrig out at second. 1 run, 2 hits, 0 errors, 2 left.
richesson@vindy.com