Navigators can’t get a break from Mother Nature

LYNN – It was supposed to be a huge night for the North Shore Navigators … big crowd, a couple of big events … and all general manager Bill Terlecky wanted was a break from the skies above.No such luck.First, it was the night where the players were pink uniforms in a united effort to fight cancer.”We had some cancer survivors on hand, and we just wanted to have a special night,” Terlecky said.Moreoever, it was St. Mary’s night, and there were 1,500 people in the stands … a pretty big haul considering the difficulties the team has had with the weather this summer.”We were just looking for some help from above,” Terlecky said.Instead, two innings into the game with the Old Orchard Beach Raging Tide, the heavens opened up with a brief – yet instense – thunderstorm.”We tried,” said Terlecky,” to maybe get the game going again, but it became pretty obvious we couldn’t, so we pulled the plug.”But,” he said, “you know this going in … that it’s part of the game. You know it can happen.”You just hope that it doesn’t happen on a night where it can hurt you, and tonight it hurt us.”Since the Navs only have two home games left this season (tonight being one of them), the rainout was even more ill-timed. If there’s a need, the game will be resumed, but it’ll be up at Old Orchard Beach, where the Navs will play a game Thursday. The home season ends Friday against the Seacoast Mavericks and the regular season ends the following night with the Navigators at Nashua.As for Sunday, the Navigators were in third place in the Futures Collegiate Baseball League and “unless we lose all the rest of our games,” they should be in the playoffs, which begin next week. Teams three through six will have one play-in game, with the winners paired up with the first- and second-place teams, which have byes.