Monday, August 31, 2009

The Bats Come Out for Greenville To Pull Back to .500

Greenville bounces back from their opening night loss to beat Christ the Servant 12 - 5 in the late game on Monday night. After scoring just 4 runs in their Fall season opener, Greenville broke out to score 12 runs and take the victory.

It was a night where many could be named as mvp for the game, but one person stood out. Shara Strickland was named player of the game. Not only did Shara keep the stats in the dugout, but she also served as Greenville's only fan. Shara waited out the late night and the cool temperatures to serve as the only moral support for the boys on the field. At one point she even noted how she wished she had a blanket since she had no friends to keep her mind off the cold.

On the field, it was the 2 cleanup spots that provided the extra pop in the lineup that Greenville needed. Dustin Swart busted out with his first homerun of the season, which brought in 3 runs. He also added a Sacrifice Fly to score another run. Batting in the 2nd cleanup spot, James Manley broke out for two run-scoring singles in the game, including the hit that started the scoring for the team. "I felt good tonight," noted James Manley. "I had some Captain Crunch before the game on the recommendation of Marty B, and I think it really helped." It was a great way for Manley to put last week behind him, as he got robbed of a grand slam in the final inning.

Making his first appearance of the season, John Garrett made his bid to be rookie of the year this Fall as he added a single and scored a run. Shane Collins continued his flawless record at the plate as he still has not been out in the first two games. He had two singles and a walk. Michael Shivers added two RBIs of his own. Bryan Brokaw and David Strickland both got their first hits of the fall in the contest, and they both drew a walk. Grant Glover made his debut as the starting catcher, but he had to be pulled out in the third inning with what they believe to be Thorasic Outlet Syndrome. Mike Mabry added an RBI as well in his first night back this fall. Clay Platt locked down the left sid of the field on defense and also added two singles and scored a run.

The team narrowly missed having two homeruns on the night, but as Shane Spencer placed one perfectly over the right fielder's head, the umpire ruled that he did not touch third base. Shane was able to keep the triple and drove in two runs in the process. Spencer also pitched his second complete game of the fall allowing only 3 earned runs. It could have been pitched in 4 innings, but instead of taking one pitch in the bottom of the 4th, Spencer swung at the first pitch and flied out leaving 12 seconds on the clock forcing one more inning. Spencer has now been blacklisted by the umpires, as it was the last game of the night. It is safe to say that Spencer won't be getting those calls on the corner anymore.

Next week the team has the week off due to Labor day, and they will be back for a double header on September 14th starting at 6:30.

Sunday, August 30, 2009

Greenville Set to Face Christ the Servant...Glover Nervous

After a shaky performance in game one of Fall Ball, the Greenville team looks to bounce back in game 2 tomorrow night at Ford Field 2. The first pitch is scheduled to be thrown at 9:30. Greenville opened a season 0 and 1 for the first time since the team formed back in June 2009.

"I am excited to see how our team handles adversity," Coach Brokaw remarked after team batting practice Sunday afternoon. "We have never been in this situation before, but I think out team will rise to the occasion. We are getting some key players back tomorrow night, so we have that going for us."

Coach Brokaw declined to answer any questions about whether hitting coach Dustin Swart's job was in Jeapordy. After the poor offensive output last week, it caused some to speculate that Coach Swart would be replaced, but so far there has been no announcement to suggest that.

Shane Spencer is set to be the starting pitcher tomorrow night for the 2nd time in as many games. There was some controversy in last weeks game as Spencer tried to throw pitches from different parts of the field. Apparantly, the umpires have ruled that you must pitch from the pitching rubber. Pitching coach Mike Mabry said they have been working on it this week and it shouldn't be a problem again.

Tomorrow night's opponent is a relative unknown Christ the Servant. Having not played last week Christ the Servant really has a pure and perfect record of no wins and no losses. After last week's performance, they are not expecting the crowd to be large, so there are plenty of great seats available. Please call the ticket office or come out to Ford field tomorrow night if you wish to see Greenville take on Christ the Servant.

Monday, August 24, 2009

Greenville Gets the Call to the Majors...Greeted Rudely

Greenville was sent word last week by the league commissioner that they would be moving up to play in the Major Church League. It was exciting news for about a week. The first game of the fall season took place on Monday night, and Greenville found themselves a little rusty. Having a 6 week layoff between games proved to be too much for the Greenville Oakies to overcome. St. Jude Alpha dished out the first loss of the season for Greenville with the final score reading 14-4. It was the first time that the team has had to open a season on the road.

Michael Shivers, who spent the off season in the weight room every day working with strength and conditioning coach Shane Collins, stormed out of the locker room screaming, "Embarassing."

"It was a tough loss," said coach Brokaw. "We looked a little shell shocked, but we'll bounce back. I think the one thing that we proved is that we can play with these guys. We won't look so nervous next time."

It was clear that coach was on to something because it was more a case of missed opportunities. The team left men on base in several innings as well as hitting into two double plays. "I felt like we were one timely hit away from being right in the game all night. It just didn't happen," added right fielder Grant Glover. Glover spent the off season working with new hitting coach Dustin Swart, and it paid off with a hard line drive to left field. Swart also added a hit in all 4 of his at bats including a triple.

One player that may wish he had spent more time with Collins doing one more curl is James Manley. Manley just missed a grand slam homerun in the top of the sixth as the pitcher made a leaping grab to just barely rob Manley of the homerun. "I thought I really got the good part of the bat on it," said Manley. I guess luck was on their side, along with the field umpire.

It was mostly a case of the bats not showing up on Monday night. St. Jude's pitcher kept throwing moon balls to the plate, and the fighting Green Oakies kept swinging at it.

Next week brings a new challenge however, and it will only improve. In the summer, the team's bats didn't come alive until the second half. This is a team that always comes on strong as the season wears on. It is a challenge that this team can definitely handle.