High-flying ‘Hawks hoping attendance picks up

AUGUSTA - The stats are there, and so, too, are the results. But the attendance is not quite where it ought to be for the Sussex Skyhawks. Still, for a team that got a late start, the overall picture seems encouraging, and team officials are convinced the ‘Hawks, the newest member of the Can-Am Independent league, are on the right track. “I’m not going to lie,” said Sussex general manager Ben Wittkowski. “It (attendance) started slower than we wanted, but we’re certain the numbers are going to pick up. It certainly started out slow, but that doesn’t surprise me. We really didn’t get started until March, so we didn’t have much time. Then, you throw in the weather. In our first 17 home games, we had rain in 13 of them.” Courtesy of a four-game winning streak, including a three-game sweep at home over the Nashua Pride this past weekend, the Skyhawks found themselves at 23-19 Monday morning, good enough for a share of first place along with Brockton. A half-game behind is the North Shore Spirit of Lynn, Mass., with whom the ‘Hawks were scheduled to play three road games this week, prior to the league’s All-Star break. Depending on how well the Skyhawks fared, they could have already clinched a playoff spot, since the first-place team for each half of the season automatically qualifies for the Can-Am post-season. Through July 9, the team averaged about 2,100 fans per night at Skylands Park, which has a seating capacity of about twice that much. On one or two occasions, attendance was 1,000 or less. Wittkowski feels that part of the problem stems from the fact the team began its season nearly a month earlier than the previous tenants of the park, the New Jersey Cardinals, had begun their season. Many fans, he theorizes, simply aren’t accustomed to going to the ballpark so early in the year. As the season progresses, he says, more fans are likely to come out. ‘That’s for anything in life,” Wittkowski explained. “If you get a haircut just once a month and you see signs for specials, you’re not going to get three haircuts a month. You’re just going to do what you’re used to. But our goal for next season is to make sure we get fans out for the early games, too. And our games, attendance-wise, are going to be good from here on out. I have no doubt.” For a while, the Skyhawks appeared to have a grip on first place, thanks to a stretch in which the team won eight of 10 games. However, the team also endured a recent 1-7 slump until breaking out of it with a 5-3, come-from-behind win against New Haven on July 5. That was followed by the three-game home sweep against Nashua, including a 10-1 win that featured a 15-hit attack. Three of them were by second baseman Marcos Agramonte, who leads the team’s regulars in total hits (49) and batting (.304). Alternate catcher Jason Alcott, with just 23 at-bats, has a .391 average. Agramonte, who was not selected to play in the league All-Star game July 18 in El Paso, Texas, also has 20 runs batted in. Outfielder James Cooper is third on the team in hits (44) and tied for first in doubles (10) with Ryan Lehr, who is second on the team in hitting at .302. Those players aren’t going to El Paso, either. The lone Skyhawk representative making the trip will be pitcher Jose Correa, who is 5-0 with a 3.13 earned run average. Opposing hitters are batting just .195 against him. He has become the ace of the staff, replacing Kevin Olsen who took his 4-0 record and 2.45 ERA with him to Midland, Texas, the AA affiliate of the Oakland A’s, about three weeks ago. “I hope they do well because I love minor league baseball,” said Franklin resident John Scott, who was a big supporter of the Cardinals, usually attending eight to 10 games a year. “You get to know the players up close better, and there’s usually not a bad seat in the house. It symbolizes small-town America, and you really can’t beat it. “And the Skyhawks have a lot of exciting players, like Agramonte and Cooper,” Scott added. “They’re just a fine team, I think. Hey, I’ve been a Kansas City Royals fan since they started, and I like to stick with one team.” Wittkowski, considered one of the top GMs in the league, said that because one of the fireworks displays was rained out on June 2, he plans to reschedule it for the team’s first post-season home game, provided the Skyhawks can clinch the first-half league title this week. If not, the fireworks display will take place on Aug. 25. Also upcoming is a fireworks show after a 7 p.m. game with the Worchester Tornadoes on July 21, along with the team’s first antique car show two days later. There are also scout troop sleepovers scheduled for both July 22 and Aug. 19, according to the team’s Web site. “In our last six games, we’ve been averaging about 2,800 a game, and that’s pretty good,” Wittkowski said. “But you know what? Whether there’s 4,000 people in the stadium or 1,000 people in the stadium, we’re still going to do what we’re doing, including all the entertainment. “We have an excellent manager who has the respect of his players,” Wittkowski added in regard to Brian Drahman. “And we have a great atmosphere in our clubhouse. We are a team.”