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Can You Manufacture a Rivalry?

May 11, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Photo by Steven Wilke - used by permission

In the summer of 2002 I had the luxury of going to Wrigley field to witness a Cubs-Cardinals game.  The crowd was about 60% Cubs fans and 40% Cardinals fans along with of course two Astros fans, my Dad and myself (they were in first place at the time so everybody hated us).

I had heard all my life about the rivalry and had witnessed it on television, but was joyfully amazed when I got to see it in person.  Fans, who are always passionate about their teams, had stepped it up to a new level to cheer on their team against their hated rival.

I was amazed but also somewhat jealous that my team didn’t possess something similar.  Only one of my teams has a definitive rival that I could love to hate like Cubs and Cardinals fans do, unfortunately even that has come to an abrupt ending.

I’ve watched the Texas Longhorns play football for as long as I can remember.  Although I have no family ties to the university I’ve always wanted to wear burnt orange.  My short tenure as a University of Texas student was a dream come true because I got to see my team up close and personal.  Naturally I screwed that all up…but that’s a story for another day.

Being a Longhorn fan meant that I was supposed to hate anything that had to do with Texas A&M.  To me anyone who went to A&M or was planning on going to A&M was a backwards redneck who didn’t know his right from his left.  That is of course until I married into a family of them.

Only in the past four or five years have I been introduced to a lot of very interesting and inspiring things that go on in Aggieland which has lessened my dislike for the school and caused me to actually enjoy many things about it.  That can’t get back to my family, of course, because it would diminish my opportunities to tell Aggie jokes like this one: Why is ice no longer available at Aggie sporting events?  Because the student who knew the recipe graduated last year.

These two schools have always split our great state in half (no, Tech fans, you don’t count at all), and unfortunately, thanks to greedy and jealous tactics on both sides, a rivalry that has lasted generations has come to an end.  Now the two are no different to one another than any other Division 1 school in the country.  It is a sad thing that will forever change Thanksgiving Day in the state of Texas.  The only question is where does each team go next?

The Aggies will look for a rival in the SEC, but Arkansas, LSU, Alabama, or any other school will never quite equal up to the tradition of a 100 plus year in-state rivalry.  Will Aggie fans link up and sway back and forth to represent sawing off a Tiger’s tale?  Will they change the words of the War Hymn to “Goodbye to Louisiana State University, So long to the purple and gold?”  Or is it possible to have a rival that you don’t play for seven or eight years?

The Longhorns will focus on their rivalry with Oklahoma, but it won’t be the same.  Hating OU in Texas is a given.  My wife and I were once walking in public, her in a maroon Aggie sweatshirt, me in my orange Longhorn shirt when a man wearing an OU pullover came and asked us “man is there anything you guys agree on?”  I responded as nicely as I could, “ya we both hate you.”

No rivalry in Texas will ever be as big as the one between Texas and Texas A&M.  However, Bud Selig and all his cohorts in Major League Baseball believe they can create something similar by moving the Houston Astros to the American League West with the Texas Rangers.  They are trying to manufacture a rivalry that does not belong.

I’ve already voiced my strong opinions on the matter, but unfortunately my letter did little good.  They found an easy way to do it by strong arming a new owner and giving him what it seems he cares about most, money.  I have no intention of hiding my dislike for what Jim Crane has said and done so far as the Astros owner, but once again…that’s another story.

For now, the fact that the game has decided to “create” this rivalry between two teams in the same state, rather than admit the fact that they shouldn’t have moved the Brewers to the National League in the first place 17 years ago is what disturbs me the most.  Will the Rangers/Astros be like the Cardinals/Cubs or Yankees/Red Sox in twenty years?  Who knows?

I do know that a rivalry should develop rather than be artificially created.  I would like more than proximity to be involved.  Officially the Yankees are closer to the Baltimore Orioles, but that doesn’t make them great rivals.  A history (of bitter hate) between the Red Sox and the Yankees has driven that rivalry for 90 years.

From experience I can tell you that a lot of Texas baseball fans enjoy watching their team play, but will also casually root for the other Texas team.  Now they will be forced to hate that other team despite the amicable relationship the two have had for years.  It will be an unnatural transition that many Texas fans (including myself) are not looking forward to.

Good rivalries are enriched in tradition and history, and are very good for sports.  I understand the want to develop a rivalry, but I believe that Major League Baseball is going about it the wrong way.  Unfortunately on the other hand, the people at Texas and Texas A&M had a great thing and ruined it.  It is a shame when the suits make business decisions that negatively affect the coaches, players, and fans.  Those are the people who lose the most with the elimination of the state’s best rivalry.

Maybe I’m bitter because my sports world is being turned upside down in ways I don’t agree with.  Maybe in the future the Rangers/Astros rivalry will be one of the best in the game.  Lastly, maybe I’m a little bit relieved because deep down I know my kids will eventually go to Texas A&M and it will make wearing maroon to support them a little easier.  I don’t know what the future holds, but I’m sad to say that for the most part, I’m not looking forward to it at all.  In the end I will continue loving my teams unconditionally.

Despite the fact that the Astros are the worst team in the league and are determined to sell off any players whom the fans recognize; and that the Texas administrators are money hungry business men who ran off their long-time rival.  I guess bad baseball is better than no baseball, and even though I won’t have an excuse to tell them, I’ll always have Aggie jokes.  Which reminds me, did you hear about the library at Texas A&M that burned down?  It was a shame because about half of the books hadn’t been fully colored in yet.  The OU library burned as well, their book could not be saved.

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Filed Under: John Briese, Sports Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , ,

Why Couldn’t I Have Been Born in New York?

April 11, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Photo by Eric Kilby

Sports fans, at least real sports fans, are run by proximity.  Where you live or where you grew up dictates your favorite sports teams.  Yes, there are those people who were born and raised ten minutes from where the Rangers and Cowboys play who mysteriously wind up Yankees and Steelers fans, but we don’t really count them.

I was born in the Houston area and have had an Astros hat on my head for as long as I can remember.  I grew up listening to Milo Hamilton on the radio calling out names like Mike Scott, Nolan Ryan, Glenn Davis, and Jeff Bagwell.  I used to practice in the mirror Craig Reynolds’ batting stance, how he held the bat lackadaisical on his shoulder until the pitch came and he hit a screaming liner over the shortstop’s head.  When he was playing, I told everyone that Kevin Bass and I had the same birthday, I guess because I thought it made him and me both special.  I even have a dog named Biggio (a name my Rangers fan of a wife was not too fond of to start out).  I am an Astros fan through and through, a trait I have had to keep to myself lately.

In the summer of 2010 I was flabbergasted to see my team trade off two faces of the franchise for the past decade, Roy Oswalt and Lance Berkman, for a few prospects that might be decent.  In the back of my mind though I believed that a fresh start would be needed, and all this team needed was some young blood to keep it going.  After all we still had an outfield made up of Michael Bourn and Hunter Pence; if we could get another key young piece we would be in good shape.

A year later Bourn and Pence, the only recognizable faces at this point on the team, were traded away for what seemed like a bucket of balls and a case of Big League Chew. All of a sudden, my team has fallen apart…little did I know it would only get worse.

The next fall my team, a member of the National League since its inception in 1962 would officially move to the American League West, and for the first time in my life make me actually question my allegiance to the team I have loved my entire life. For a short, very stressful time this baseball offseason I considered abandoning my team for a team that I now live closer to, and who’s owner is a man I’ve looked up to my entire life; the Texas Rangers.  After hours of deep thought and consideration I decided that doing that would make me no better than the fans that cuss the local team while donning a Yankees hat.  Like it or not, I am stuck with the Astros.

After clearing my head of the possible treason that I had considered, I got to thinking about what my life was going to be like over the next few years.  I still have one good year to root for the Rangers until they wind up in the same division as the Astros, but it will not be the same.  I had to physically sit down and make a list of things that would make this season a success for the Houston Astros.
It is inevitable that they will go 60-102, even in a division that lost Albert Pujols and Prince Fielder.  They will play in front of small crowds at home and on the road because they do not have one name that will really draw fans to the ballpark.  The only people at Minute Maid Park this year will be the hardcore fans that refuse to turn their back on their team (even though they really want to), business men taking out potential clients (who will to themselves say “You brought me to an Astros game?  You’re not getting my business”), and losers who are willing to jump out of the way of a foul ball so it will hit their girlfriend.  Real fans though will find success in ways that do not include the win column. Things that they will be looking for are:

  • Can Jason Castro, Brett Wallace, Chris Johnson, or Jose Altuve emerge as a legitimate star in the Major Leagues?  It would be great if two, three, or even all of them did, but getting one solid all-star out of that group would be fantastic.
  • Can Wandy Rodriguez become a top-flight starter?  We have seen shades of excellence on and off from Wandy for a few years, if he could become a solid starter that we can count on it would be a major step for this team.  He will no doubt lose some games due to lack of run support, but going .500 last season on a team as bad as the Astros is something to be proud of.  Can he do even better this season?
  • Can Jordan Lyles or J.A. Happ fulfill their potential and, well there is no better way to put this, not suck? Lyles is very young, so he may just need some maturing, but Happ doesn’t have that excuse.  If we could manage to get one decent starter out of the two of them it would be a huge win for the club.  They will need more depth in the rotation moving into the more offensive friendly American League next year.
  • Will Carlos Lee just do us all a favor and quit?  Every business has that guy who you would love to get rid of but can’t.  He may be the boss’ son or nephew, or he may be holding something over management.  In the Astros case they are buried underneath a contract that no one in the world would touch.  “El Cabello” was great when he was hitting .300 with 30 homers, but his numbers have steadily decreased since the first year he was with the team. At the pace he is on, he is set to hit .260 this season with 14 home runs.  Hell, I bet Jeff Bagwell could still do that, we should sign him.
  • What will Jim Crane do next to piss me off?  The move to the American League to fill his pockets, talk of name changes and flattening Tal’s Hill (yes, I know it is dumb, but I have become fond of it), all of these have almost driven me to the edge.  I hope that he can trust his front office and take a step back because I seem to dislike him more and more every time he opens his mouth.  Right now he belongs in a category next to David Carr, the 1992 Buffalo Bills, and dare I say, Bud Adams.

It is going to be a long season, but as I said, we may be able to find some small victories amongst the rubble. I understand Crane’s logic when he says that the payroll needs to stay small until our farm system builds, but that does not mean you should sign nobody.

While Jose Reyes would not have done this team any good (and probably would not have come here anyway for any amount of money) throwing us a bone would have been nice.  There is not one player on this team whose jersey I would buy because there is not one player that I can guarantee will be there for a long period.

I am not looking forward to the next few years as an Astros fan; I do not think anyone is.  It is going to be a losing battle that we will face every single night on Fox Sports.

When I first moved to the DFW area I cussed my cable company because I couldn’t get Fox Sports Houston to watch the Astros games.  Now I cuss them because I do get that channel and am forced to watch my team continually get stomped while the Rangers play quality baseball two channels down.  Pretty soon making children watch Astros games will be equated with child abuse.  It will become a popular form of punishment for children who get bad grades or refuse to eat their vegetables.

We do not get to pick where we were born, we are stuck with what we get.  While I love Houston and all my teams, I am wondering if, for my children’s sake, I should move to a place like New York so maybe they will not have to go through the agony that I have.  While I suffer they could know every spring that their team has a shot at the title, and will never have to question their loyalty to the team they love so much.

I long for the days of the “Killer B’s” and listening to Milo scream “Holy Toledo!” after a Bagwell home run, but those days are over. Milo will do his farewell tour this year and the Astros will say goodbye to the National League.  A new leaf will be turned over, and despite all my gripes and complaints, I will be turning with it.  There are days (like today for example) when I become jealous of the Yankees and Red Sox fans that have hope for their team every season, but in the end I am glad I am an Astros fan.  Being born in New York would have made my life easier as a sports fan, but who knows what other frustrations it would have brought.

I can only end by saying what I say to everyone who makes a comment about the Astros hats that sit on top of my head, “They suck, but they are MINE.  I love my Astros.”

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Filed Under: John Briese, Sports Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Looks Like Tiger is Done

February 11, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Photo credit: Wikipedia

There was a time in my life when I could walk out on the golf course and shoot no higher than 85 any day of the week.  While that may not sound stellar to some, the ability to walk out and manage to not embarrass myself was a blessing, not to mention it was slightly less agitating and stressful.

Notice I said, “there was a time in my life” (yes I just quoted myself from two lines ago) because that was the past.  The last time I played 18 holes and honestly kept score I wound up staring at a 108 on the scorecard.  Needless to say, I got my money’s worth.  The 20-stroke transition did not happen overnight, but it did happen quicker than I expected.  Slowly I became happy with a round in the 90’s, and then found myself complacent with a round that consisted of one or two “good” shots.  It took a while, but I finally came to the realization that I was done being a decent golfer, and would be reduced to being the D player on the weekly scramble team.   While not quite on the same level, I believe that it may be time for Tiger Woods to make the same realization.

Tiger was the best that ever teed it up on the PGA tour or anywhere else.  His dominance lasted for twelve years before his golf game, love life, and personal reputation all crashed into a fire hydrant in November of 2009. Since then he has not won a PGA event, and has disappointed his fans and those who still believed he had it in him repeatedly.

Personally, I kept waiting to see the Tiger of old come out of his shell and run away from the competition on a Sunday the way he used to.  I thought he would do it at the Masters last year…he did not.  Then I thought the U.S. Open would be the stage for his grand comeback…it was not.  Finally, this weekend arrived.  All he needed was a good off season to get his head straight and his swing back on line.  Three rounds in the 60’s and he was back.  In the next to last group on Sunday paired with Phil Mickelson at Pebble Beach, it looked like he had returned to his old self.  We saw shades of the former Tiger, the one who was going to own every record ever written.  The one whom everyone imitated but no one would ever come close to.  Then…he blew it…again.

While he is not necessarily the D player on the scramble team, shooting a worse score than the amateur your playing with (a nice round for Romo by the way) must be a wake-up call.  Is it time to say that Tiger is done?  Sadly, I believe so.

I knew that someday I would watch and say to myself, “you know he just doesn’t have it any more”.  I believed though that it would not be for another 15-20 years. Never in my wildest dreams would I have believed that Tiger Woods, The Tiger Woods, would seem washed up at the age of 36.

I can hear you already yelling at the drastic nature of anyone calling Tiger “washed up”.  It is true; I may be taking it a bit far.  I believe though, that we must all come to the realization that his reign is finally over.

For two years, I have stood amidst laughter and sarcastic sexual references about him, all the while saying, “just wait, he’ll come back, and when he does you better watch out”.  Finally, it is time to grasp the fact that I was wrong (a feat that does not happen often).  This however is harder to comprehend then my own golfing downfall was.  It is difficult to watch a legend that we have adored for years fall apart both personally and professionally.  How do you react to the demise of someone who once seemed infallible?  It is impossible to put into words.

I am not saying that Tiger Woods will never win another golf tournament.  I am saying though that he will never be the Tiger that we once knew.

It reminds me of the only time I got to see Michael Jordan play in person.  It was 2002; he was 39 and playing for the Washington Wizards.  At times he showed flashes of greatness gliding across the floor and occasionally showing glimpses of the tongue waggling Jordan I had watched my entire life.  However, for most of the game, he resembled an old man that needed to be wearing a suit at the game rather than a jersey.

I’m sure Tiger will still find ways to hit a cut punch 210 yards from under a tree and around a TV tower to split two bunkers and roll to eight inches, it just won’t happen as often.  We can all find those shades of greatness from time to time.

Last time I played, I had a string of three pars and a birdie.  I almost had myself tricked into believing I was back; then I shanked two balls out of bounds on a short par 4 and holed a 12-foot putt for a 10.  It happens to all of us, even the great ones; at some point in your life, you will come to realize, I am “done”.

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Lady War Eagles Suffer Loss to Kingwood

April 3, 2011 By Leave a Comment

The visiting Kingwood Lady Mustangs rode into town with one thing on their mind — maintaining their second place ranking in District 14-5A. Oak Ridge had two things on their mind — not to let that happen and to redeem themselves after the Lufkin loss. However, in this fickle game of softball, you win by the sword and die by the sword and the swords, aka “bats”, once again waned for the Lady War Eagles.

It has been a struggle of late to manufacture runs for the Lady War Eagles in these crucial district games. Come from behind wins have put two W’s in the column for the struggling team who are left wondering where the hits have disappeared to. On this night, Kingwood would pepper enough runs on the board to take the W with them and leave Ridge with their third district loss.

After a quiet first inning, Kingwood came out in the 2nd with a lead off hit from senior Audrey Winders. A wild pitch from Oak Ridge starter Taylor Hastings moved Winders over to 2nd with no outs.  A line drive out to Hastings caught Winders off the bag but a failed pick-off attempt ultimately moved Winders to 3rd. A well executed bunt-and-run play by the Lady Mustangs made it a 1-0 ball game after the second frame.

Kingwood scrapped another run in the 4th inning after consecutive hits from pitcher Cassie McClure and senior Jordann Jezek. A fielding error in the outfield scored McClure that put the Lady Mustangs ahead 2-0 after four innings of play.

Oak Ridge appeared to have a spark in the 6th inning when lead-off hitter Kris Davila sent a rocket out to left field for a standup double. A fielders choice from Taylor Ervin moved Davila over to 3rd and another attempted fielders choice placed senior Jessi Burnett on first base. However, the rally was killed after an untimely double play was produced off an infield grounder.

With two outs in the 7th inning, Kingwood posted two more runs off consecutive hits from lead off hitter Anna Olejniczak and Jess Rubin. Olejniczak moved to 2nd on her hit from an outfield error and moved to 3rd on Rubin’s hit.  Kaitlin Munoz hit a double to left center, scoring Olejniczak and Rubin before getting thrown out at 3rd on an 8-4-5 play.  Despite Oak Ridge’s five batter appearance in the bottom of the 7th, McClure handled the Lady War Eagles one pitch at a time and produced a strike out to end the game.

Oak Ridge is now 3-3 in district play and sits in 3rd place behind The Woodlands and Kingwood. The second round of district action will begin on Friday, 4/1, as the Lady War Eagles host the visiting College Park Lady Cavaliers.

Oak Ridge       0 runs, 4 hits, 3 errors        0-0-0-0-0-0-0
Kingwood        4 runs, 9 hits, 2 errors        0-1-0-1-0-0-2

WP: Cassie McClure (5-1; 7 IP, 3 K)
LP: Taylor Hastings (2-2; 7 IP, 3 K)

Oak Ridge Leaders: Taylor Ervin 2-3, 1B, 3B;  Kris Davila 1-3, 2B;  Taylor Duck 1-3, 2B
Kingwood Leaders: Jordann Jezek 3-3, 3 1B

Comments to Doug Sarant at doug@oakridgenow.com

 

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Lufkin JV Team Too Much For Sophomores

April 3, 2011 By Leave a Comment

The Oak Ridge sophomore baseball team took on the JV team from Lufkin after a scheduling mistake. This would be a learning experience for the young War Eagles. The War Eagles took this one on the chin loosing 11-1.

The Sophomores were able to hang with the Lufkin JV Team for four and two thirds innings, the score was 3-0. Tyler Miller got the start on the hill for the War Eagles, Miller proved he could hold his own against the older team. He pitched four and two thirds innings giving up four runs (three earned) on five hits, while striking out four Panthers.

With two outs and runners on first and second in the top of the fifth inning, the wheels came off the once close game, the War Eagles committed three costly errors allowing four more runs to cross the plate, putting an end to any thought of a War Eagle come back.

The Lufkin pitcher was too much for the young War Eagles, he had a nasty curve ball that he threw every other pitch it seemed like and War Eagle batters just couldn’t lay off it.

There were a few bright spots for the War Eagles, Derek Davis, Tanner Doyel and Jacob Norton collected hits, War Eagle back stop Alex Walker threw out a would be base stealer and Peydon Vasquez had an outfield assist, throwing out a base runner trying to score from second.

In all this was good experience for the Sophomore War Eagles, maybe it will help prepare them for the rest of the district schedule.

Next up for the Sophomores: Rudder @ Oak Ridge, Saturday at 12:00. Hope to see you there.

Team    1          2          3          4          5          6          7          R          H          E

Lufkin JV           2          0          0          1          4          1          3          11         11         1

Oak Ridge         0          0          0          0          1          0          0          1          3          6

This article was contributed by Derrick Walker

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War Eagle Bats Go Cold in 3-2 Loss to Lufkin

March 30, 2011 By Leave a Comment
On a perfect night for baseball in Lufkin, near perfect pitching by Oak Ridge’s Josh Smith was not enough to take the victory as the War Eagles lost to the Panthers 3 – 2 in the bottom of the seventh inning.

Josh Smith faced off against Lufkin’s Texas A&M commit Gandy Stubblefield in a classic pitcher’s duel.  Smith gave up one hit to Lufkin’s powerful team striking out nine Lufkin batters while Stubblefield gave up two hits striking out five Oak Ridge batters.  The difference in the game was in the field.  Lufkin made no errors while Oak Ridge made four.

Lufkin started the scoring in the first inning when Smith walked the lead off hitter then hit the next two batters.  A Stoehr to Burke to Navarro double play allowed the runner to score from third and the Lufkin Panthers took a 1 – 0 lead.

The score remained 1 – 0 until the sixth inning when Oak Ridge’s Logan Boren reached first on a fielder’s choice.  Connor Sarant followed with a single and two passed balls allowed Boren and Sarant to score taking the game to 2 – 1 with Oak Ridge up going into the seventh inning.

The War Eagles could not close the deal in the bottom of the seventh as they committed three errors which was enough to allow two Lufkin base runners to score.

Lufkin’s lone hit came in the seventh inning when pinch hitter Chris Bean hit a double down the left field line.  An infield error allowed Bean to score tying the game at two.  A ground out to the pitcher advanced Lufkin’s base runner to second. On the next pitch, the runner from second scored on an infield grounder. Running all the way, the runner scored on a bang-bang play where the first baseman was pulled off the bag by the throw and his throw home was late which concluded the game.

Oak Ridge’s two hits were a single by Connor Sarant and a single by Dylan Cyr.

Oak Ridge now drops to 1 – 4 in district play and have a bye this Friday.  Oak Ridge will travel to Bryan-Rudder Saturday in a non-district game.  District play resumes on April 5th when Kingwood comes to Oak Ridge for a 7pm tilt.

Box Score

1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th 7th
Oak Ridge   2 Runs 2 Hits 4 Errors 0 0 0 0 0 2 0
Lufkin   3 Runs 1 Hit  0 Errors 1 0 0 0 0 0 2

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Oak Ridge Golf Teams Search for Consistency

March 29, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Golf is really a frustrating game in that most of us can only manage a few great shots each round, and yet those shots keep us coming back to the golf course time after time, thinking that we can replicate them more often.

The boys and girls golf teams at Oak Ridge High School, have been striving to produce more of those great shots, and though they’ve not had the success this year they may have had in the past, they’re still putting up numbers much lower than the rest of us.

Both teams played this past weekend, the girls in Bryan and the boys in the Kingwood Spring Invitational. The girls team finished 11th our of fourteen schools competing in Bryan, and the boys were 11th (A Team) and 22nd (B Team) in their tournament.

These were the individual results:

Oak Ridge Boys A

Jimmy Anderson 75-79-154
Blaine Ray 77-78-155
Grant Godfrey 78-78-156
Tanner Doyel 85-82-167
Jameson Batchelor 85-90-175

Oak Ridge Boys B

Drake Barlow 85-87-172
Philip Woods 91-83-174
Kyle Cowden 86-89-175
Zach Schwarzer 89-89-178

Oak Ridge Girls

Danielle Word 102-109-211
Rachel Lamphier 116-104-220
Sally Munguia 116-108-224
MeKenzie Cooper 107-118-225
Abigale Nowak 118-107-225

 

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The Ridge Tops The Woodlands in Sophs 12-11 Wild Win

March 27, 2011 By Leave a Comment

The Oak Ridge Sophomore baseball team improved their district record to 3-1 with a 12-11 victory over the Woodlands Highlanders.

This game had just about everything a game could have … there was a triple play, homerun, an attempted steal of home, twenty six hits combined, and a amazing comeback by the War Eagles!

You knew in the first inning that this was going to be a strange night as the first two War Eagle batters reached base on walks and then on a three and one count the War Eagles DH Evan Eshelman hit a line drive to the Highlander shortstop, who then tagged the runner at second, then he threw on to first base to complete the rare triple play. In the bottom of the third inning, another rare baseball play happened as the Highlanders attempted a straight steal of home. However, was not the first rodeo for the War Eagle back stop Alex Walker and he was waiting at the dish for the runner and that would end the scoring threat for the Highlanders.

Throughout the first five innings, the War Eagle batters just couldn’t get the big hit, but the sixth and seventh innings were different. Going into the top of the sixth inning the War Eagles were down 10-2, and that’s when the War Eagles started their comeback. Oak Ridge scored three runs on two walks and hits by Ryan Hoepner, Tanner Doyel, Brock Woody and Evan Eshelman. In the bottom of the sixth, the Highlanders were able to scratch across one run making the score 11-5 after six innings of play. In the top of the seventh, the Highlander pitching staff completely fell apart, walking seven War Eagle batters and giving up hits to Joey Barrile, Tanner Doyel, Clayton Grett and Evan Eshelman. After the War Eagles batted around, Joey Barrile delivered the go ahead RBI with a sac fly to left field. Tyler Miller was called on to pitch the bottom of the seventh and put the stamp on the comeback for the War Eagles! Miller gave up just one hit and struck out two Highlanders to end the game and send the War Eagles home with the victory!

Next up for the Sophomores: Lufkin @ Oak Ridge Monday at 6:30, make plans to come out and support these young War Eagles! See you there.

Team    1          2          3          4          5          6          7          R          H          E

Oak Ridge         0          0          1          1          0          3          7          12         13         3

The Woodlands          3          2          0          1          4          1          0          11         13         2

This article was contributed by Derrick Walker

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War Eagles Get Roughed Up by The Woodlands

March 26, 2011 By Leave a Comment

The Woodlands bats exploded for six home runs, 14 hits and 12 runs behind the near perfect pitching by The Woodlands’ Andrew Godail, taking a 12 – 1 mercy rule victory over the Oak Ridge War Eagles in their first meeting of the season.

The War Eagles scattered five singles off Godail in the five inning contest.  Oak Ridge’s lone run came in the first inning when lead off hitter Connor Sarant reached first on a single and Matt Burke knocked him in with a single to right field.  Connor Sarant went three for three at the plate while Matt Burke and Tyler Cook both had a single.  Otherwise, Godail struck out seven and walked one in his five inning complete game gem.

Oak Ridge’s starting pitcher Blake Stoehr was credited with the loss as he gave up 11 runs off 13 hits and one free pass in 3.2 innings of work.  Relief pitcher Tyler Cook allowed one run on one hit in 1.1 inning.

Hitting home runs for The Woodlands were Elliot Richoux, Robbie Goldsmith, Landon Merka, Ryan Flynn and Garrett Hope had two.

Oak Ridge plays Lufkin next Tuesday at 6 pm at Lufkin.

Box Scores

1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th
Oak Ridge 1 Run  5 Hits 0 Err 1 0 0 0 0
The Woodlands 12 Runs 14 Hits 2 Err 5 2 1 4 0

 

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Oak Ridge Edged by Lady Panthers

March 26, 2011 By Leave a Comment

The Oak Ridge Lady War Eagles traveled to Lufkin on Tuesday and dropped a 4-3 heart breaker to the Lady Panthers. It was a hard loss for the young Oak Ridge team who have typically handled Lufkin with strong offensive results.

Ridge bats have been appearing late in district games, and the Lady War Eagles have managed to come from behind in two of the last four games played prior to Lufkin. The third time did not prove to be the charm.

Oak Ridge took an early lead with a lead-off walk to Kris Davila. A sacrifice bunt by Taylor Ervin, a base hit from Taylor Duck, and a RBI base hit from Carley Latta crossed Davila over the plate and produced the first run of the game. The Lady Panthers answered back quickly as Lufkin lead-off hitter Nicole Castillo stepped up to the plate and placed a base hit to left field. Lindsey Lyles reached on an error and Blaire Reynolds produced a walk from Oak Ridge pitcher Danielle White. A base hit from Angela Batson scored Castillo and the Lady Panthers were up 2-1 after the first inning of play.

Oak Ridge bats began to rattle in the 4th as Jessi Burnett and Alayna Ammons worked their way onto the bases. A single from Lauren Hoffman, RBI single from Davila, and an RBI single from Duck produced two more runs for the Lady War Eagles to put them ahead 3-2 at the end of four innings.

Ridge’s hopes of a come from behind win began to re-emerge. But the Lady Panthers had plans of their own and sealed the deal in the fifth inning off a single from Castillo and a home run shot from Lyles. Oak Ridge bats didn’t come through for an encore performance and the Lady War Eagles lost a huge one in this ever so tough District 14-5A race.

Oak Ridge has a district bye on Friday but will be playing the Hudson Hornets at Oak Ridge in two “Play for the Cure” games at 5:30p (JV) and 7:00p (V). The softball players will be wearing a ribbon of their choice
that represents a form of cancer that has stricken a loved one. Parents and players will be sporting a Play for the Cure shirt as well. Proceeds from the sale of the t-shirts will be donated to a selected foundation.

The next district game is Tuesday, March 29, at Oak Ridge. The Lady War Eagles will take on district newcomers, the Kingwood Mustangs.

WP: Angela Batson (5 IP, 4 K)
LP: Danielle White (7-4; 5 IP, 2 K)

OR: 1-0-0-2-0-0-0
LUF: 2-0-0-0-2-0

OR Leader: Taylor Duck (2 1B, 1 RBI)

 

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