Tuesday, June 30, 2009

Game Postponed Due To Torrential Rains

Although the weather seemed mostly perfect, the rains received in Allen on Monday morning proved to be too much for Ford Field 3.

Thursday, June 25, 2009

Scandal Rocks Greenville...Four Players Receive 1-Game Suspension

Just when things seemed to be going really well for the Greenville Oaks softball team, the Allen Parks and Recreation office handed down a wire early Thursday morning that 4 players on the Greenville Oaks softball team had tested positive for a banned substance and will not be allowed to play in Greenville's upcoming game against Sons O Thunder.

Preliminary reports say that pitching coach/Outfielder Mike Mabry, Outfielder Grant Glover, Pitcher Shane Spencer, and Shortstop David Strickland all tested positive during a recent random drug testing mandated by the league. The substance found in their system was apparantly an ingredient used when making a special "Spice On The Side" at a local McKinney restaurant called Snuffers.

None of the four players could be reached for comment, but the team issued the following..."we believe our players had no idea that the substance was illegal. It is clearly a secret recipe, and we are currently investigating the situation internally. We believe the act was not done to enhance their performance on the field in any way."

Those, however, that have begun the investigation externally, have contacted the reported restaurant and have indeed found a special container with only the names of Strickland and Mabry. It seems the evidence will keep any of the accused players from appealing the suspension.

The league mandated that, in addition to the 1-game suspension, the four players must complete 45 hours of community service at an all-inclusive mission(resort) in Mexico in the coming week. The players should be eligible to play in the game against Allen Bible Church the following week.

If any further details that are made known as this story develops, we will be sure to have it right here.

Monday, June 22, 2009

Greenville Bats Carry Team to Victory

Greenville scored double digit runs for the first time in four games Monday night as Dustin Swart provide 6 RBIs to carry the team to a 13-5 victory. Swart continues to shine this season for Greenville as he doubled his RBI total for the season by hitting 2 triples in his first two at bats, and then finishing off his night with a homerun. It was his 2nd homerun of the season, and the 3rd team homerun.

You would assume that such a performance would cause a man to get a little cocky, but not this young top prospect. When asked about his tremendous performance after the game, Swart only focused on his throwing error in the 5th inning. On a slow grounder to 3rd, Swart charged the ball and threw it half way into right field. The runner never came around to score, but you could see his frustration as he squeezed his half empty capri-sun in the post-game press conference.

The scoring started for Greenville in the 1st inning. Michael Shivers got on with a single, and he scored later that inning when Swart hit his 1st triple of the game. Greenville would end up stranding Swart at 3rd and settle for 1 run in the first.

The 2nd inning provided two runs thanks to back to back doubles by Grant Glover and Randy Way. The third inning brought on 3 runs when Swart provided another triple to bring in Shivers and Carlson. James Manley also scored in the inning on a Levi Carlson Single.

The 5th inning is where the bats really came out. Greenville scored 6 runs in the inning. Brian Edwards reached on a fielder's choice and scored a run on a Sac Fly by David Strickland. Brokaw singled and scored on a Shivers' single. Manley singled and scored on an error while Levi Carlson was at the plate. Swart brought in himself, Carlson, and Shivers by hitting a line drive over the leaping left fielder that cleared the left field fence. It was his second homerun of the season.

Greenville added one more run in the 6th inning when Spencer reached on a single. He would be driven in by an RBI single by Randy Way. It finished off the highest scoring night for Greenville so far this season.

Greenville strengthened its hold on 2nd place, and the team now stands at 3-1 at the halfway point in the season. "I really like the way the bats are coming around," said Coach Brokaw. "If we can swing the bats like we did tonight, we should win a lot of ballgames. The way Shane (Spencer) has been pitching, if we can put 10 or more runs on the board, we really like our chances."

Spencer finished off his fourth complete game of the season, and he lowered his ERA to 7.67 despite allowing 5 earned runs. All five of those runs came in the 2nd inning when he allowed 3 singles, a walk, and a homerun. It was a great pitching performance once again from the ace of the staff as he proceeded to pitch 5 out of 6 shutout innings.

"My job has been really easy," added pitching coach Mike Mabry. "All I have to do is sit back and watch the games. I have only had to get someone warming up in the bullpen one time this season. Although I thought I was going to have to take him out of the game in the 2nd inning because of an illadvised base stealing attempt."

After hitting a single in the second inning, Spencer tried to steal 2nd base, and he was promptly thrown out as the shortstop waited with the ball for a few seconds for Spencer to get to the bag. After the game, Spencer still maintained that 1st base coach Michael Shivers sent him on the play. Shivers laughed when asked if he sent him.

It didn't seem to matter at the end of the game as Greenville came away with a win. After the game it was oranges and capri-suns for everyone. Even the umpire got in on the action despite a few questionable calls on both sides of the ball.

Greenville heads into next week's matchup with Sons of Thunder hoping to build on their offensive success, but for now the team will sit back and enjoy their unprecedented success for their inaugural season.

Monday, June 15, 2009

Greenville Holds On To Split Double Header

Greenville Oaks earned a split on their two games Monday night. Both games proved to be close with the maximum 7 innings being played in both contests. They left the field Monday night in sole possession of 2nd place at 2-1 trailing only Allen Bible Church who handed Greenville their first loss of the season in the first game of tonight's double header.

The first game featured some great defense and supurb pitching for all seven innings, but Allen Bible Church proved to be too much for Greenville Oaks on this night. The final score said 13-6, but 5 of ABC's runs came in the seventh and final inning. At one point, Greenville held the lead 4-3 heading into the third, but they couldn't hold on.

"Our bats just fell asleep in the last five innings," said shortstop Dave Strickland. "We felt like we were in it the entire game, but they just came out on top this time." Strickland also added that the game may have turned out a little different had Dustin Swart and Clay Platt not carelessly allowed a warm up throw fly into the shin of Julie Mabry(an innocent spectator, X-rays were negative) before the game even started. "I thought that really set a negative tone for the first game," said Strickland.

The first game featured another 2 RBIs by cleanup hitter Dustin Swart, who seemed to be unphased by the pregame blunder. He brought in two runs with a triple that scored both Strickland and Clay Platt who both hit doubles. The second inning brought another pair of runs produced by a James Manley fielders choice and a sacrifice fly by Levi Carlson. Grant Glover and Michael Shivers provided the runs. Shivers quietly becoming one of the leaders in batting average for the team at .667 for the year.

Greenville was able to push across only 2 more runs in the next 5 innings courtesy of an RBI single by Blake Wattenburger scoring James Manley who had reached on a single. That run came in the 5th inning. The next run came in the bottom of the 7th with an RBI single by Grant Glover, with Shane Collins scoring the run having led off the inning with a triple. Collins also could be seen flying around in center field throughout the contest.

In the end it wasn't enough to overcome the solid play by Allen Bible Church who was able to touch up pitcher Shane Spencer for 13 runs, despite his second complete game of the season. It seemed as though Spencer would overcome some early control problems, but he couldn't overcome the lack of hitting provided by the offense.

The second game featured more excellent defense and solid pitching, and this time it paid off. Greenville was able to overcome the heat and take the second game, despite having another light offensive performance. The game was highlighted by a diving grab by left fielder Mike Mabry, an outfield assist by Mabry, a near spectacular diving catch by Cade Thompson, and an incredible leaping catch by Blake Wattenburger that he was able to turn into a double play.

The star, however, was on the flat mound. Shane Spencer going on 30 seconds rest came out and pitched his 3rd complete game and earned his second win. He only allowed 4 earned runs, and even struck out a few batters using his constant talking to distract them from the task at hand. More impressive than the pitching though was his 2 for 3 performance at the plate including a homerun and a double. Spencer managed 2 RBIs and scored three runs in the contest. It was a gutsy performance by the pitcher, who came into the two games with some question as to whether he was even awake. He could be seen sleeping on the concrete behind the bleachers just before the first game.

Joining Spencer on offense, Bryan Brokaw led off the scoring in the first with an RBI single driving in Strickland who had reached on a triple. David Strickland added an RBI single in the 3rd which drove in Levi Carlson. Mike Mabry came through with and RBI in the fourth as he drove in Spencer who had reached on an error. Levi Carlson drove in Michael Shivers in the 5th inning with an RBI single, and Shane Collins capped off the scoring with an RBI in the seventh scoring Spencer from second.

"I was really proud of the way we bounced back," said James Manley after the game. "It was a real tough test going out there because we were all feeling some serious fatigue. It was a good win for us to get because it sent us home on a good note." What a good note it is.

Greenville sits in second place, and looks poised for a fantastic season.

Sunday, June 14, 2009

Team Gets Set for Two Monday Night

The Greenville Oaks softball team faces its toughest test of the season Monday night as they prepare to play back to back games on the same 93 degree night. Greenville will face Allen Bible Church at 8:30 in the first game and finish their evening by playing Frisco Bible Church at 9:30. The team is riding high after winning their first game of the season last week 9-6 against FUMC Blue propelling the team to a tie for first place.

One of those teams sharing first place with Greenville is Allen Bible Church. Those two teams will meet at 8:30. When asked about the matchup of first place teams, Greenville DH/Outfielder Levi Carlson asked, "Who are we playing?" Clearly, nerves are very high for this young franchise, and it should be a very compelling test for the team.

Pitching Matchups:

Greenville: SP Shane Spencer. Coming into the double header, Spencer is 1-0 with a 1.29 era. Last week Spencer allowed six runs in seven innings, but 5 of the runs were unearned. It was his first complete game of the season for Spencer.

Allen Bible Church: TBD. Although it is not certain who will be on the flat mound for ABC, you can bet that they will have a crafty veteren looking to pitch well on the corners. Last week, the Allen Bible Church pitching staff held their opponent to 3 runs, which is the fewest runs allowed in the league.

Frisco Bible Church: TBD. FBC comes into their matchup with Greenville already having played a double header in the first week of the season. It is unclear who will be pitching, but in both games they allowed more than 10 runs to both of their opponents.

Game Notes:

Greenville is already making some roster moves after the first week. Randy Way DH/2B suffering from an abdominal strain has been placed on the 2-day DL. He will be eligible for reinstatement next week. Way suffered the injury flopping into 3rd base while running the bases. He is going to see an abdominal specialist in Cancun, Mexico while celebrating his anniversary, and he should rejoin the team when they face Mosaic.

In other injury news, Brian Edwards has been listed as day to day. It is unclear whether he will be available to play tomorrow evening. Edwards is suffering from a sore shoulder, but he should be able to avoid a stint on the DL.

As a result, the club has called up free agent Blake Wattenburger to make his league debut.

Monday, June 8, 2009

Swart Powers Greenville Oaks Into First Place!!



No one new what to expect coming in to the new expansion season for the Greenville Oaks Softball Team. Well, the season is still young, but it is safe to say that with the first game ending in a 9-6 victory over FUMC Blue, the team has exceeded all expectations. "It's great to get the first one under our belts," said Coach Brokaw moments after the conclusion of the teams first game ever. "I could tell there were definitely some first game jitters, but I was proud of the way our guys continued to battle all seven innings."

And battle they did.

Playing in front of a sold out home crowd of 14(and a couple of dogs), the game started a little shaky when starting pitcher Shane Spencer lost his bid for a no hitter by allowing a hit to the first batter he faced. He bounced back strong though retiring the next 3 hitters to get out of a jam in the top of the first inning.

The team responded by plating two runs in the bottom of the first thanks to the first homerun of the young season by Dustin Swart. With Dave Strickland on base with a leadoff single, the opposing pitcher retired the next two hitters only to bring up Swart hitting cleanup. He took a 2-1 pitch into left field that made it all the way to the fence. By the time it was relayed to the infield Swart was already sipping some gatorade in the dugout enjoying his first two RBIs of the season.

Spencer once again managed a shutout in the second inning, and the team responded with another two runs. With a Mike Shivers single and a Grant Glover double, Randy Way brought in two RBIs with a single to center field. This took the lead to 4-0 for Greenville Oaks, which looked to be enough the way that Spencer was pitching, but FUMC Blue came roaring back in the top of the third when they brought in a run of their own to make it 4-1.

In the bottom of the third, Brian "the pain train" Edwards made his presence known by singling, and later scoring on a hard hit ball by David Strickland. Strickland would later score on a Sacrifice fly by Shane Spencer. It was the teams third 2 run inning in a row, and they sat with a comfortable lead at 6-1 going into the fifth, but FUMC was not done yet. They struck with an unearned run in the top of the fifth to cut the lead to four. At that point, the pitching coach Mike Mabry made the call and got some action going into the bullpen in case it would be needed, but Spencer responded by pitching a scoreless inning in the sixth.

The bottom of the sixth was highlighted by what proved to be the gamewinning hit by none other than Dustin Swart. With Strickland and Clay Platt on second and third, Swart sent one into deep left that also made it to the fence which he turned into a triple. It was his second 2 RBI hit and his forth RBI of the game. He finished 3 for 3 with a single, triple, and homerun giving him the player of the game honors and pushing him into the early season race for MVP. Shane Collins brought him in from third on a sacrifice fly, and that would finish out the scoring for Greenville Oaks at 9.

With Spencer working on a quality start, Brokaw and Mabry made the decision to stick with him to close out the game. It may have worked out well if not for the over eager third baseman(player/coach Bryan Brokaw) booting an easy double play ball. After that, FUMC plated 4 unearned runs, but the final out was recorded with a force out provided by excellent glovework by Dave Strickland and Cade Thompson. That ended the game with a final score of 9-6, and sent the Greenville Oaks faithful home happy.

The game was not without its stranger moments. Most of the great comedy happened on the basepaths. Randy Way provided us with his impression of a fish out of water as he flopped around 3rd base. Brian Edwards gave us a great demonstration on what happens when you don't tag up, and James Manley gave us a great display of a twirling foul ball strike out. Edwards also followed up with the rare bounce pass put out to first base on a bunt.

All in all, the team begins its season 1-0 with a share of first place for the first time in franchise history. With performances like this, the team might just continue it's sellout streak to 2.

Sunday, June 7, 2009

The Season Opens Tomorrow!

The buzz around water coolers everywhere this spring has been the introduction of a new slow pitch softball team in the Allen Parks and Rec Summer Church D League. That team is the Greenville Oaks Church of Christ Young Married Men's Softball Team, and the new season is now just one day away.

The season opener will be played at Ford Park on Field 3 against a formidable FUMC Blue squad tomorrow night at 9:30 pm.

Get your popcorn ready!