Jun 6, 2016 3 min read

Steve Zavacky believes the state should be renamed.

He’d like to see it called Pennsyl-rain-ia.

The general manager of the Pennsylvania Rebellion and Washington Wild Things was joking, but he is growing weary of the best seats at Consol Energy Park being filled only by raindrops.

“There is just nothing we can do about it,” Zavacky said after another rainstorm stopped Monday night’s game between the Pennsylvania Rebellion and Houston Scrap Yard Dawgs, and shortened Sunday’s Wild Things game against the Evansville Otters to six innings.

“This kills attendance,” Zavacky said. “Any time there is rain in the area, whether it’s game time or 5 o’clock in the afternoon, it kills attendance.”

The Rebellion and Scrap Yard Dawgs made it to the second inning of a scoreless game, when ominous clouds slipped over the stadium, sending the 100 or so people seeking shelter. The rain poured down, creating small pools of water across the field, before draining off. The two teams were huddled in their respective dugouts, but it appeared the Rebellion got the worst of it because of its location to the oncoming wind and rain.

The game was finally suspended 24 minutes after the rain hit. The game will be resumed tonight in the bottom of the second inning of a scoreless contest with the Rebellion batting with one out and no one on base.

“What’s the alternative? Play in the rain or come back and play two (Tuesday)?” Rebellion head coach Craig Montvidas said. “It makes no sense to start and stop, start and stop. It’s the better decision and the safer decision.”

The poor weather has hurt attendance and that is a concern. This season, the Rebellion are playing 10 of their 25 home games at neutral sites to spread the product name and attract larger crowds. The past two days have limited attendance to about 400 fans combined.

“I’ve been dealing with it for 15 years combined with the Rebellion and the Wild Things,” Zavacky said. “The last few years seems like there have been more instances with the rain. We have to get them in (Tuesday). The weather is supposed to be really good. I don’t want to lose these two games.”

The attendance for this series also was hurt by the fact Monica Abbott, who signed a $1 million contract in the offseason with Houston, has not yet joined the Scrap Yard Dawgs. Abbott, normally a huge draw when she pitches in National Pro Fastpitch games, is finishing contract obligations with a league in Japan and will join Houston Sunday for its home opener.

Interestingly, Houston is having problems with not only major rainstorms but flooding. More than 15 inches of rain fell northeast of Houston in a span of 12 hours Thursday, just a few days after more than 20 inches fell in two days northwest of the city. At least nine people have died in flooding. Work on Houston’s new stadium was stopped and won’t be completed in time for the home opener, so fans will not be charged to attend the game.