Perfect Sweep for GO!!

Opening Day for the Texas Rangers has always been a sacred day in the Brokaw household. In fact, it happens to be a holiday every year at my office. My office administrator and I both take the day off to enjoy the sights and sounds of major league baseball. So you can imagine, when the Rangers came back from a 3-0 deficit this afternoon to win it in the ninth, I was a pretty happy camper. But when you throw in a sweep of a double header for the Greenville Oaks just hours follwoing the Rangers first vicotory......Heaven?

Yes it's true. The Greenville Oaks softabll team captured it's first and second win of the season on Monday night, and they were both down to the wire. Greenville captured their first win with a four inning slugfest with FUMC Blue, with the final score ending at 18-15. The second game shaped into a pitchers duel that left Greenville on the better end of a 9-7 score against Chase Oaks.

The wins push Greenville to 2 and 3 on the season, and it puts the team back in contention for a playoff run. The wins didn't come without some in game heroics from several members of the squad.

Just as the Rangers had Nelson Cruz, GO had...Michael Shivers. Shivers provided two offensive homeruns on the night. He had one for each game, and thus was named the night's MVP.

The team also welcomed some new faces to the team, as Kurt Wasemiller and Tucker Pierson joined the squad. Tucker not only provided a fresh face, but also became the first Greenville Oaks rookie pitcher to win his first start as he took the mound in the first game against FUMC. Kurt and Tucker now are undefeated in games in which they have played.

Shane Spencer made his first appearance of the spring. Spencer was coming of a 3 game stint on the D. L. suffering from some kind of disorder that causes your legs to swell and make your shorts look to small for you. Spencer got his first win of the season as he pitched a flawless game against Chase Oaks.

It was a team effort though, as the defense has begun to show some improvement over the last few weeks.

Randy Way and Brian Edwards held down the catching duties in platoon roles keeping the runners from steeling relentlessly. Edwards came into the game suffering from a terrible allergic reaction to an unknown substance. Way came into the game suffering from a pregnant wife. Both are listed day to day.

Grant Glover played the first game and contributed well, but a late game injury forced him to be on the 1 game D. L. and miss the second game. He is expected to be able to play next week.

David Stickland contributed some big time defense in the victory as they successfully completed a 6-4-3 double play in the second game to keep the defensive battle going.

Dustin Swart switched positions back over to 1st base, and fielded the position without error. Dusty continues to hit the ball really hard, and run really slow. He could probably lead the team on in-the-park-homeruns, but he usually only makes it to 2nd base.

Clay Platt continues to lock down the left field position making plays all over the field. He turned over a new leaf, however, as witnesses report that he did throw it to the cutoff man at least twice.

Cade Thompson came out and played a great third base for the club, despite the sun completely obscuring his vision. Third base was played well until Brokaw came in and messed it up. Cade continues his hot hitting spring, and he made a habit of going to the opposite field.

John Garrett and Mike Mabry continued to play solid outfield positions, and Mike Mabry continues to hit the ball very well. John added a great on base percentage and gives the team tremendous speed on the bases, and he also brings a healthy amount of panther pride to the squad.

Add all of that up, and you get a great night for the Greenville Oaks team. They get their first win, and they hand Chase Oaks their first loss of the season. GO will be back in action next Monday night and Christ the Servant, with the first pitch being thrown at 9:30 pm.