A not-so-supper soaker

By Tom Williams

Scrappers all wet in 5-3 loss to aberdeen

Postponement washes out Procner return

NILES— Thanks to Tuesday’s rainout, the Mahoning Valley Scrappers tried to squeeze two promotions (Presidential Election Night, New Year’s Eve party) and two games into one evening at Eastwood Field.

But Mother Nature decided to stage her own return engagement (April Showers Night), delaying Wednesday’s first (and what proved to be the only) game by about 100 minutes about a half hour after it started.

Shortly after Wednesday’s game began, rain fell steadily and the umpires called for the tarps in the middle of the second inning.

When play resumed, the Scrappers jumped ahead of the Aberdeen Ironbirds, 2-0.

But the lead quick evaporated as the Ironbirds scored twice in the fourth inning and three times in the fifth for a 5-3 seven-inning victory.

Moments after the game ended, the Scrappers announced that the second game was postponed and would be made up today with two seven-inning games that begin at 6:05 p.m.

The postponement wiped out a start for Aberdeen pitcher Stephen Procner, a Girard High graduate who said at least 25 family members were in the soaked stands hoping to see him on the mound.

Procner said he doesn’t know if he’ll be one of today’s two starters.

“I really haven’t heard any word yet, so I’m not sure,” said Procner (0-0, 4.26 earned-run average) who normally is a reliever but has made one recent spot start in a doubleheader. “It’s a big mess right now.”

Despite the rain, Procner said he wasn’t sure if the second game would be called off.

“I just kind of sat there, wondering,” the 23-year-old said. “We just have to take it one day at a time.”

Procner said the weather didn’t trigger any childhood memories of rain.

“But it did bring back some memories of snow, the wind coming off of Lake Erie,” Procner said.

Scrappers manager Travis Fryman said Russell Young (today’s scheduled starter) would get one of today’s starts.

“The other one probably will be [Brad] Hinkle, who was scheduled to start the second game tonight,” Fryman said.

He’s not surprised that it wa a struggle to complete one contest.

“We knew we had rain forecast for the next few days,” Fryman said. “We knew when we scheduled the doubleheader today that we were going to have trouble.

“But with the delay and the weather forecast, we knew for certain that we would run into delays in the second game.”

Scrappers catcher Ryan Alcombrack enjoyed his best night of the season, connecting for three hits and three RBIs.

But it wasn’t enough as the Ironbirds pounced on relievers Carlos Arias (two runs) and Daniel Morales (three runs) in the fourth and fifth frames.

“He’s been swinging the bat much better made some real strides offensively and defensively since the start of the year,” Fryman said of Alcombrack. “He’s been working hard physically and improving his fitness level.”

With two outs in the third inning, Alcombrack singled to left field to bring home Walter Diaz and Brock Simpson for the Scrappers’ only lead.

In the fifth inning, Jeremie Tice and Alcombrack hit back-to-back doubles off Ironbirds reliever Joe Esposito to reduce the Scrappers’ deficit to 5-3.

In the seventh inning, Tice came close to tying the came with a long fly ball to the right-field warning track.

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ABERDEENSCRAPPERS

abrhbiabrhbi

Figueroa dh2100Velasquez 2b3010

Joseph c4010W. Diaz ss3110

Julius rf3110Simpson dh2100

Kolodny 3b3100Tice 3b4110

Baxter 1b4120Alcmbrck c4033

Stephen ss2122Hernandez rf4000

Widlansky lf3011Booker 1b1010

Binick cf3000Webb cf2000

Lester cf0000Armstrong lf2000

Edwards3000

Totals27573Totals25373

Aberdeen0002300—5

Scrappers0020100—3

E—Baxter (5), Arias (1), Velasquez (8). DP—Aberdeen 1, Scrappers 1. LOB—Aberdeen 6, Scrappers 9. 2B—Julius (10), Tice (5), Alcombrack (3). 3B—Stephen (1). SB—Widlansky (1), Stephen (2). CS—Velasquez (3).

IPHRERBBSO

Aberdeen

Zagone120010

Smith W, 1-13 2-353133

Esposito2 1-300022

Scrappers

Langwell230013

Arias222203

Rodrigues L, 1-1113131

Morales210010

HBP—By Smith (Booker). Umpires—Home, Aaron Larson; First, Jose Esteras. T—2:21.

HOW THEY SCORED

Scrappers 3rd—Velasquez struck out.Diaz walked. Simpson reached on error by first baseman Baxter, Diaz taking second. Tice grounded out, Diaz taking third, Simpson taking second. Alcombrack singled toi left scoring Diaz and Simpson. Hernandez popped out to second baseman Edwards. 2 runs, 1 hit, 1 errors, 1 LOB.

Ironbirds 4th — Baxter singled. Throwing error by Arias on pickoff attempt sent Baxter to third. Stephen tripled off the center-field wall, scoring Baxter. Widlansky grounded out, scoring Stephen. Binick grounded out. Edwards lined out to center field. 2 runs, 2 hits, 1 error, 0 LOB.

Ironbirds 5th — Mark Rodrigues pitching. Figueroa walked. Joseph flied out to left field. Julius doubled to left field, Figueroa taking third. Koldoney was intentionally walked. Baxter struck out. Stephen walked, Figueroa scored, Julius took third, Koldoney took second. Widlansky reached first on an error by second baseman Velasquez, Julius scored, Koldoney scored, Stephen took second. Stephen stole third, Widlansky stole second. Binick grounded out. 3 runs, 1 hit, 1 error, 2 LOB.

Scrappers 5th—Simpson fouled out. Tice doubled to right-center field. Alcombrack doubled to left field, Tice scored. Hernandez grounded out. Joe Esposito came in to pitch. Booker walked. Webb struck out. 1 run, 2 hits, 0 errors, 2 LOB.