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Marvel, Black Bears too much for Scrappers
By Steve Ruman
NILES
On Superhero Night at Eastwood Field, it seemed only fitting that someone named Marvel turned in a strong performance.
The Mahoning Valley Scrappers and West Virginia Black Bears celebrated the Superhero theme night by donning Ironman and Captain America uniforms, respectively.
Black Bears pitcher James Marvel proved to be the game’s top superhero. In his first professional start, Marvel threw six scoreless innings, surrendering two hits and recording five strikeouts in West Virginia’s 3-1 win over the Scrappers.
Marvel outdueled Scrappers starter Triston McKenzie, who also worked six strong innings. McKenzie gave up one unearned run when Ty Moore stole home with two outs in the fifth. McKenzie gave up four hits and struck out six.
“Marvel came out tonight and really threw well while wearing a superhero jersey. You can’t make that up,” Black Bears manager Wyatt Toregas said. “James hasn’t been on the mound for two years because of a surgery. His confidence and the way he attacked guys was unbelievable.”
The Black Bears added a pair of runs in the eighth, while the Scrappers scored their only run in the bottom of the eighth when Mitch Longo tripled and then scored on a wild pitch.
MILOVICH RETURNS
Former Scrappers general manager Andy Milovich was in attendance for the opening series.
Milovich was the Scrappers’ first GM in 1999 and held the position until the end of the 2003 season. He is now the general manager of the Class-A advanced Myrtle Beach Pelicans.
“I had so many thoughts running through my mind when I walked into the stadium, mostly thinking back to the first-ever game here in ‘99,” Milovich said. “The park looks as fantastic as it did 17 years ago. I saw a lot of the same faces that I remember from back then. It was a true homecoming.”
Milovich said his fondest memory of the Mahoning Valley revolves around fan support.
“Northeast Ohio is extremely unique in the way that fans embrace their sports teams,” Milovich said. “Fans are passionate and protective of their own. They are very loyal, and that trickles down to minor league baseball.”
Milovich put the Scrappers in the national spotlight in 2002 as the mastermind behind the “Jim Traficant Night” which garnered national attention.
Milovich one-upped himself in 2014 when he underwent a prostate exam while singing “Take Me Out To The Ball Game” during the seventh-inning stretch on Prostate Awareness Night at a Myrtle Beach game.
“We’re always looking to push the envelope, but in this case we were able to do so while bringing awareness to very important and serious cause,” Milovich said.
“It wasn’t bad. The doc was done maybe 15 seconds into the song. I think my singing was the worst part of the ordeal.”