Tagged: SAL
Legend-wait for it-dary
Lexington Legends vs. Delmarva Shorebirds (South Atlantic League)
Whitaker Bank Ballpark-Lexington, KY: One our way back from Tennessee, we decided to make a stop in Lexington for a ballgame. Am a big fan of Single-A ball and Whitaker Bank Ballpark, so lots to like about this game. This was actually Brian’s first game here, also. It had been rainy all day, but cleared up enough for us to enjoy the game.
Brian also got a game ball, and got a photo op with Big L.
On to the game, as it was an exciting one. A couple different players pitched in offensively for the Legends. Chase Vallot went 1-3 with an RBI, while Matt Morales went 1-4 with an RBI. On the mound, Kris Bubic threw five innings, giving up four runs, but striking out seven. Jon Heasley earned the win, throwing a shutout inning in the ninth.
A fun night of baseball, even though we were pretty tired, but I’m always up for a game here. This trip was a great start to the 2019 season, and we look forward to some Bats games in the coming weeks.
Photos property of Minoring In Baseball
Legends Double-header
Lexington Legends vs. Hickory Crawdads (South Atlantic League)
Whitaker Bank Ballpark-Lexington, KY: Because I’m so far behind, I’m going to start combining some of these double-headers into one post. That being said, I can say that the rain down here is definitely a double-edged sword. Due to a rain out the night before, the Legends played a double-header, but also back in the OC, Brian’s little league game was rained out, and that was the most important game of the trip for his Papa to see. And I guess we were lucky to get any baseball at all, as it rained the entire trip from Nashville to Lexington, and cleared up just before the first pitch. I’d also like to point out that Whitaker Bank Ballpark is a great place to watch a game. It doesn’t have all of the bells and whistles of some of the other parks, but for a pure baseball experience I highly recommend it.
The first game we saw was a continuation of the night before, with the Legends up 1-0 after two innings on a Emmanuel Rivera home run. Unfortunately, we didn’t see any other offense during the game.
The rain also cancelled all of the elementary school field trips, but there was enough kids in the crowd to pull off a horse race between innings. We are in that part of the country, y’all.
I also got a game ball, which is a plus. There is still no better souvenir in sports.
On the bump for Lexington the night before was Andre Davis, who pitched two scoreless innings before the rain hit. Taking over and earning the win was Geoff Bramblett. He only gave up three hits and struck out four in the victory. Earning the save was Grant Gavin who struck out three. Final game 1: Legends 1, Crawdads 0.
The second game had a little more excitement, despite the fact that it was only a seven inning game. The Legends were led offensively by Manny Olloque, who went 2/3 with an RBI and two runs scored. John Brontsema also went 2/3 with an RBI and scored a run, while Kort Peterson had two RBI’s. The starting pitcher for Lexington was Jace Vines, who threw six solid innings for the win. He gave up four runs on six hits, whole striking out one. Final (7) game 2: Legends 9, Crawdads 4.
We did start to get a little rain toward the end of the second game, but that gave us a chance to move to the upper levels and still get a great view of the game anyway. Again, this is such a great ballpark and I hope to see many more games here over the years.
Photos property of Minoring In Baseball
Stache-A-Palooza
Whitaker Bank Ballpark-Lexington, KY: Despite having an easy winter, the weather isn’t cooperating a lot with us early this season. It was a balmy 35 degrees on Saturday, but at least we had the sun shining to help keep us warm during the Lexington Legends Stache-A-Palooza event. Brian was happy to meet the Legends mascots Big L and Pee Wee for the first time. He also had a blast on the slide and bouncy castle.
Inside, we were able to sample some of the new ballpark eats the Legends will be introducing this spring. My favorite was the bacon wrapped chicken nuggets. We were lucky enough to win a couple of small prizes at the wheel, but Brian wasn’t too enthusiastic about a credit card holder or a towel. They had some face painting available, but Brian declined on that. We still had a busy day ahead and he didn’t want to deal with it all day.
Brian with Pee Wee
Brian with Big L
After our fun inside was done, we decided to check out the field. It still looks like a great place to watch a game, and I still plan on doing just that this spring. I just hope our spring is as warm as our winter! We spent a little coin in the gift shop and spent some more time on the bouncy stuff before calling it a day at Whitaker Bank Ballpark. It was a fun event, and always good to get a preview of what to expect from the Legends this summer.
Promotion courtesy of the Lexington Legends
Photos property of Minoring In Baseball
Sneak Peak
Whitaker Bank Ballpark-Lexington, KY: While my dad was visiting from Michigan, we decided to take a little trip over to Lexington and see what it had to offer. Unfortunately, not much is going on anywhere tourist-wise, but I definitely wanted to stop by and see where the Lexington Legends played ball, as I wasn’t able to make it to a game there over the summer.
The Legends staff was nice enough to let us have the run of the place, and take a look around the ballpark. I really like the layout of the seating and how close the seats are to the field. I can only imagine sitting in the front row would be a great experience. The capacity is about 8,000 and I was told the Legends draw well, and that really doesn’t surprise me. It was nice to just be inside a ballpark, as this is the time of year I really start missing being at the games. Being a fan of the South Atlantic League, I’ll be able to see some familiar teams play against the Legends as well. Trevor had some luck, and found a ball from the Ohio Valley Conference that must have been playing some college games there. I took just a few photos, and this is just a sneak peak at the fun we plan on having in 2017. Have a safe and happy new year, and we’ll see you all at the ballparks the spring.
Photos property of Minoring In Baseball
So long, Sand Gnats
With the conclusion of the 2015 Minor League Baseball season, so comes the end of the franchise of the Savannah Sand Gnats of the South Atlantic League. The Sand Gnats played in one of my favorite ballparks, Historic Grayson Stadium. Having been built in 1927, you can really feel the history and ghosts of baseball past as you enter the gate. Unfortunately, the owners believed that the age of the ballpark and it’s 4,000 capacity was no longer conductive to a Single-A baseball team. When the city of Savannah made the decision not to build a new stadium, the owners made the decision to move the team to Columbia, South Carolina to become the Fireflies. Here are some nice ballpark photos HERE at one of my favorite websites.
I’m disappointed that the Sand Gnats are leaving, because they are one of the reasons that I love Minor League Baseball. It was ten years ago, the summer of 2005 that revived my love of baseball. I was down training in southern Georgia, and we were able to make it to a few Gnats games, as well as the Jacksonville Suns in northern Florida. I really did fall in love with the stadium for the reasons I stated above. Not only did great players take the field at Grayson in their Minor League days, but the fans there love to tell stories of the Major League teams stopping in for some games on their way north after spring training. I was lucky enough to take in another couple of games back in June of 2009 (about a month before I started this blog) when I was down that way for some more work-related training in Charleston, SC and Savannah. The photos posted are from those games against the River Dogs with a disposable camera, which can explain the very low quality of them. I was also down south there this April, but unfortunately the Gnats were out of town the entire time I was there. I really hope they can get another pro team in Savannah, because it’s definitely one of the more beautiful places I’ve ever visited, and I plan on going there again when I get a chance. Well, so long Sand Gnats, I will miss you when I go back there, for your historic ballpark, awesome logo, and cool mascot (Gnate the Gnat)
Photos property of Minoring In Baseball
2013 Baseball Trip-Game 8: A Driving Tour of Asheville
Asheville Tourists vs. Greenville Drive (South Atlantic League)
McCormick Field–Asheville, NC: I just want to start off by stating that I loved this game. I love McCormick Field, and this should be on every baseball fans bucket list. Another downtown stadium, so parking is a little rough. That, however is the about the only thing you’d have to worry about. The stadium is located on a large hill, or mountain, I guess, which make for some nice scenery. The whole setup of the stadium is nice, with the concourse and gift shop in a nice setting. Part of the concourse is limited by part of the mountain, also. Our seats were great, as we got the dugout suites right next to the home team dugout. This luxury comes with snacks, drinks, and a chicken dinner from Bojangles’. We really felt we were treated like royalty! It was a day game which saw some buses of school kids enjoying the game also. This helped make for a great atmosphere, as well as the loyal regulars of McCormick Field. Another unique aspect, is that one lucky fan gets to deliver the game ball via a zip line. It was fun to watch, and must have been a great experience for that fan! The fact that it was a day game make it a little warm for us, but I can only imagine how awesome a night game would be here. The home team put on a great show, and I also got my first South Atlantic League game ball. This honestly rivals Durham for the best game on the trip. You can also see McCormick Field at the end of the movie Bull Durham, where Crash hits his record breaking home run.
Me with Mr. Moon. The moon out in the daytime, hhmmm…
A fan delivers the game ball on a zip line. One of the coolest things we’ve seen.
The game itself was a good one for the Tourists. When we saw the Drive a few days before they looked like a pretty solid hitting team, but Asheville hurler T.J. Oaks seemed to keep them of the kilter all day, as he went seven innings and only gave up the one run. The Tourists took the game over with a huge seven run fourth inning. It seemed like they were pounding doubles off the wall left and right. Second baseman Juan Ciriaco seemed to be the player of the game. Not only did he toss me the game ball, but he went 3-5 with an RBI. Rosell Herrera also pitched in, going 2-5 with a pair of RBI’s. Final score: Tourists 8, Drive 1.
Finally! My first South Atlantic League game ball!
The mural you might have seen in ‘Bull Durham’
I think the Tourists newest uniforms are pretty cool
Photos property of Minoring In Baseball
2013 Baseball Trip-Game 7: Creeping into Hickory
Hickory Crawdads vs. West Virginia Power (South Atlantic League)
L.P. Frans Stadium–Hickory, NC: The fifth day of our trip was pretty busy also. We spent the morning and afternoon visiting some Civil War battle fields, and I was in heaven at the Under Armour outlet store. We then started the long road back west toward Hickory. We pulled into L.P. Frans Stadium ready for some baseball, though. There seemed to be another small crowd, but there were a few buses that arrived to fill the seats. Our seats were front row, right behind home plate. It’s a given you’ll have to deal with some netting with these seats, but the netting just seemed to keep going and going. I don’t think there were many seats at all with a clear view. Not sure if this is just the team teams in the Carolinas that love the net, or the SALly league. Hickory seemed to be a team that is community based, and the fans all seemed to know each other for the most part. Again, I’m sure with a bigger crowd the atmosphere would greatly improve. They did have a nice play area for the kids and a carousel, also. The Crawdads do host a nice game, and this was a good addition to our trip.
The game gave us a victory for the home team, but not much offense for either team. Center fielder Lewis Brinston led the ‘Dads going 2-3 with a double. On the mound, C.J. Edwards earned the win going over five innings. Final score: Crawdads 2, Power 1.
Chillin’ in the bullpen…
Photos property of Minoring In Baseball
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