51s suffer lopsided defeat at annual School Day game

By Case Keefer (contact)

Tuesday, May 18, 2010 | 3:21 p.m.

The parking lot consisted almost entirely of school buses and the entrance line stretched all the way back to center field with screaming youngsters.

This was no ordinary day at Cashman Field. Tuesday was the seventh annual Cox Communications School Day, where area fifth graders are welcomed to the ballpark to enjoy some matinee baseball.

"It's great," 51s manager Dan Rohn said. "It gives exposure to the game and it gets the kids out of the classroom to do something different."

But apparently they picked a bad day for the festivities. The 51s dropped the final contest of an eight-game home stand against the Omaha Royals in an embarrassing 17-5 blowout.

There were plenty of high-pitched boos coming from the crowd in the second and third inning, when the Royals combined to score 11 runs off of Las Vegas starter Marc Rzepczynski and reliever Steven Register.

The 51s finished their home stand 2-6 and now are in last place in the Pacific Coast League Pacific Southern Division at 17-23.

"The No. 1 thing we need to do is pitch better," Rohn said.

The defeat didn't appear to sour the experience for thousands of Clark County School District elementary students. Most of the season-high announced attendance of 10,459 spectators were running around the concourse or searching to buy the perfect souvenir.

"It's out of control," said Joanne Boyd, a fifth-grade parent and chaperone from Lummis Elementary in Summerlin. "They've been so excited."

Boyd said it was the first year Lummis has joined in on the fun. For most schools, it's become a tradition.

Since the 51s held their first School Day in 2004, nearly 60,000 fans have attended the once-per-year game. The Tobacco Awareness Program held before the first pitch attracts more schools every year.

"It's important to make them aware of the dangers of cigarette smoking," Boyd said. "This is a great way to do it."

Before the game, 51s mascot Cosmo and public address announcer Dan "The Captain" Bickmore gave a quick anti-smoking presentation.

The crowd, full of fifth graders, screamed at the top of their lungs, "Smokers strike out" while the grounds crew prepared the field for the game.

"They got out of here fast," Rohn said. "But it was nice."

The buses started loading an hour and a half after the start of the game, which was around the top of the fourth inning. By the sixth inning, all of the children were out of the stadium and headed back to school.

They didn't miss much, except a continued showcase from local product Jordan Parraz.

The Green Valley High graduate went 5-for-6 with four doubles, four RBI and a home run for Omaha.

The 51s will head out on a road trip and don't return until May 28, when they host Tacoma.

"We've got to keep these five or six run innings to one run," Rohn said. "We've got to give ourselves a chance."