New Season, New Faces, New Results??

On a night when the Rangers almost no hit the Twins, Greenville Oaks brought all the hits to Ford Field 2 to start off strong in game one of this young fall season. Greenville dispatched of Suncreek UMC 21- 9 on Monday night to move them into a 4 way tie for first place.

The score doesn't tell the whole story, however, as the first 3 innings appeared as though the only team that showed up at 6:30 was Suncreek, as they jumped out to an early 8 to 1 lead heading into the top of the fourth. Greenville's lone run came on a single by Jimmy Campbell to score the leadoff man Bryan Brokaw. After that, the offense remained very quiet until the fourth inning.

Greenville, however, woke up in the fourth, and they scored 20 unanswered runs in the final 2 innings to win by a final score of 21-9. The team batted around twice in those two innings and they only seemed to get out when Clay Platt was at bat. It was wierd.

The last two innings were highlighted by some excellent plays, and excellent pitching. Shane Spencer went the distance for Greenville on the flat mound only allowing 3 runs in the last 3 innings to keep things close. Homeruns from Spencer and Shivers also helped bring the runs in. Brian Edwards also had a fantastic night at the plate. Wacaster ran down several balls in center field, and Dusty Swart got another triple because he can't quite run fast enough to turn them into homeruns, self-admittedly having lost a step in the last 3 weeks since our last game.

The win marked a great start for the team as they head into the fall season needing to finish in the final 4 to move on to the playoffs. The win also marked a great welcome to four new faces for the Greenville Oaks team. Michael Shivers was busy up until the trade deadline, as he added Jimmy Campbell, Bryon Adams, Ben Patterson, and Brandon Jones. All four players played pivotal roles in the victory.

So let's meet the new players...

Jimmy Campell - Batting third in the lineup, the only difference between him and Josh Hamilton is the fact the he is right handed. Jimmy also serves as executive assistant for Ben Patterson, so he has that going for him. Jimmy used to play college ball, so he automatically becomes the best player on the team. He is a high priced free agent coming back for his second tour of duty with Greenville Oaks, and it is expected that when his contract is up, he will probably go play with the RCN Stars.

Bryon Adams - I know what your thinking, and no he didn't sing the national anthem. The addition of Bryon brings a sense of professionalism to right field as he becomes the first player to wear actual baseball pants, which automaticall takes his WAR to 5.0. (That's wins above replacement for those of you wondering.) Speed on the field and the base paths are his specialty, and his bat speed is another high point that the scouts really like. Bryon took a few years off from Softball to discover himself, and now he returns as a new player as if he was playing for the first time.

Ben Patterson - Vladimir Guerrerro...that is all that can really come to mind when you think of Ben. He is a Designated Hitter deluxe that swings at everything and sometimes makes really good contact. He is one of those veteren bats that is key to every playoff team. His legend precedes him, and you can tell that most of his teammates are starstruck when they sit with him in the dugout. When he is not playing softball, Ben enjoys tea parties and hanging out with his "girlz."

Brandon Jones - Jones plays a mean outfield, and he draws a David Murphy comparison. He boasts a strong arm from the outfield, including an outfield assist in Mondays game. Brandon works in the land of professional athletes, so that makes him more athletic. Clay Platt was the lead scout in bringing Jones to Michael Shivers' attention, and the team is looking forward to having Brandon in the middle of the lineup. Anyone wearing a Ranger shirt to the game is good for the team.

Come out next Monday night at 8:30 as Greenville takes on the nemisis Chase Oaks. The battle of the Oaks V will no doubt be a great matchup.