SCRAPPERS NOTES | From Eastwood Field

There they go: After opening the season at home for the first time in team history, the Scrappers begin an eight-day, eight-game road trip today with stops at Auburn, N.Y.; Lowell, Mass.; and Brooklyn, N.Y. First-year Mahoning Valley manager Mike Sarbaugh spoke about his first road trip while playing in the minors, to Butte, Montana. "It's a little different part of the country," Sarbaugh said. "All these kids, it'll be a good experience for them." Many of the players have left successful college careers where they flew to road games. Now, they face a lengthy bus trip to New England. "It's different," he said of the travel plans. But the biggest change will come from staying focused for playing every day. "Knowing how to get yourself prepared and ready to play every day, that's the hardest part."Lucky bounce: Following the game, a helicopter over center field dropped 3,000 golf balls as a fund-raiser for the Warren and Youngstown Rotary clubs. Fans had a chance to purchase raffle tickets with the ball landing closest to a golf flag winning a $2,500 cash prize. Another 52 winners shared in $3,200 in prizes. Proceeds went to Rotary charities.Welcome aboard: Chris Niesel, the Cleveland Indians' ninth-round draft pick and a pitcher from Notre Dame, has been signed and will report to Mahoning Valley.Up next: Tonight, the Scrappers play at Auburn at 7:05. Justin Pekarek will see his first pitching action of the year for Mahoning Valley. He's a 6-foot-4 lefty from the University of Nebraska and the eighth-round selection in this year's draft.
-- Bill Sullivan