Opponent: Boise Hawks
When: 7:05 p.m.
Where: Everett Memorial Stadium
Radio: KRKO (1380 AM)
Pitchers: Everett right-hander Rafael Soriano (0-0) vs. Boise right-hander Mitch Atkins (0-0)
Owner’s approval
One can never say that AquaSox owners Peter A. Carfagna and Rita Murphy Carfagna aren’t willing to pull their own weight. In town from their home in Cleveland for the first two games of the season, the Carfagnas were put right to work in the front office.
“I had the fortunate job of phone duty because the phones were ringing off the hook before the game,” Rita Murphy Carfagna said, referring to inquiries prior to Wednesday’s game about whether the game would be rained out. “When they heard we were playing, the excitement was great.
“But it got a little tricky when they asked about ticket prices or the promotions in July,” she added with a laugh.
The Carfagnas, who bought the team from Mark and Joan Sperandio last September, were in town between Sunday and Thursday. And they liked what they saw from their first look at the team under their own ownership.
“We couldn’t be more thrilled with the wonderful response from the Everett AquaSox family of fans,” Peter A. Carfagna said. “It’s like an extended family. We feel the Everett family has welcomed us into their family, and vice versa. That’s how it felt (Tuesday) night, like a family get together, which is wonderful.”
The Carfagnas have previous experience in minor-league baseball as owners of the Lake County (Ohio) captains of the Class A South Atlantic League. Nonetheless, they were impressed by what they saw in Everett.
“It was filled all the way down the lines both ways, and we even had some lawn seating, which only happens when there’s a sellout,” Peter A. Carfagna said. “So everyone was just having a rollicking good time. The inflatables were just perfect for this age group, the concessions numbers were great for an opening night with rain in the forecast, the whole thing worked like a well-oiled machine.”
The Carfagnas plan three more visits during the season.
Heckman update: Everett infielder Corby Heckman will be out the next couple of days with a strained right knee, AquaSox trainer Spyder Webb said.
Heckman strained his knee during an awkward swing when he struck out in the third inning of the AquaSox 3-0 loss to Boise on Wednesday. Heckman, who started at third base in each of Everett’s first two games, is 2-for-7.
Boise bits: Two Boise players have significant ties to the Puget Sound region. Catcher Mark Reed, who was a thorn in Everett’s side the first two games by going 3-for-7 with three runs, is the younger brother of Seattle Mariners center fielder Jeremy Reed. And outfielder Jeff Culpepper is a 2000 graduate of Woodinville High School.
Nick Patterson, Herald writer
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