SAL1 Greenville Drive

Greenville Bombers-Second Half Excitement

Published on June 24, 2005 under South Atlantic League (SAL1)
Greenville Drive News Release


SECOND HALF EXCITEMENT The Bombers' kicked off the second-half of the 2005 South Atlantic League Season with a 5-0 victory at Columbus on Tuesday night. Greenville will attempt to capture the second-half Southern Division title after Charleston (New York Yankees) won the first half title with a 43-26 record.

FROM COLLEGE TO PRO The Savannah Sand Gnats roll into Greenville for a three-game series starting on Friday, June 24 at Municipal Stadium. The Sand Gnats (Washington Nationals) feature the 4th overall pick of the 2005 Major League Baseball Draft, third baseman Ryan Zimmerman. Drafted out of the University of Virginia, Zimmerman led Team USA to a gold medal at the World University Championships in Taiwan while setting a USA Baseball record with a .468 average. The Virginia native received a signing bonus of $2,975,000 to play with the Nationals.

SAVANNAH SUMMARY The Sand Gnats finished the first-half with a 31-37 record, 4.0 games behind the Bombers 35-33 record. Savannah is 1-1 in the second-half and finishes a three-game series against Charleston on Thursday evening in Savannah. The Sand Gnats are led by manager Randy Knorr, a former major leaguer who was a member of the Toronto Blue Jays 1993 World Series Championship team.

PITCHING PROBABLES FRI: RHP Jarrett Gardner (1-2, 5.00) vs. RHP Jim Henderson (5-5, 6.91) SAT: RHP Gary Galvez (4-1, 3.10) vs. LHP Ricardo Morales (4-4, 4.15) SUN: RHP Matt Goodson (5-4, 3.12) vs. RHP Daryl Thompson (2-3, 3.26)

PROMOTION PREVIEW The first 1,000 kids in attendance on Friday night will receive a 2005 Greenville Bombers team pennant. On Saturday night the first 1,000 fans in attendance will receive a Bombers window decal. Both promotions are sponsored by B-93.7 FM, http://www.b937online.com/. On Sunday the Bombers will play at 2:05 p.m. to help facilitate travel for the all-star break. As always, the team will offer "Kids Eat Free" (children receive a voucher for a hot dog, chips & soda with the purchase of a general admission ticket) during the game and "Kids Run the Bases" following the game.

FORD F-150 GIVEAWAY Don't forget that your Greenville Bombers are giving away a brand new, 2005 Ford F-150 pickup truck on the final game of the season this year thanks to Benson Ford, the Greenville News, Oldies 106.3 and Charter Cable. All you need to do to register to win is fill out an entry form at any Bombers home game or stop by Benson Ford in Easley for more information.

MAKE ROOM ON THAT BUS! That's right the Bombers learned this week that two more members of the team have been named to the Southern Division squad for the 46th Annual South Atlantic League All-Star Game in Augusta, Georgia on Tuesday, June 28. Pitchers Harvey Garcia and Ryan Schroyer join third baseman Andrew Pinckney and catcher John Otness to bring the total of Bombers representatives to four this season. Garcia and Schroyer have anchored the Bomber bullpen for much of the 2005 season and have been rewarded for their efforts.

ROSTER ROTATION The Bombers have added pitcher Randy Newsom and third baseman Jeff Natale to their roster. Newsom is in his second season with the Red Sox out of Tufts University while Natale was drafted in the 32nd round this year after concluding his college career at Trinity (CT) College. Second Baseman Tony Granadillo (.286, 3 HR, 25 RBI) was placed on the disabled list after suffering a broken left wrist against the Charleston RiverDogs. Pitchers Adam Blackley and Modesto Ozuna were assigned to the Red Sox short-season affiliate, the Lowell (MA) Spinners http://www.lowellspinners.com/.

EASLEY DOES IT Right Fielder Austin Easley has heated up at the plate the past few games. The 23-year old is hitting .357 over the course of his last 5 games. The University of Florida product is hitting .234 with 4 home runs and 8 RBI this season.

PINCKNEY PICKUP All-star third baseman Andrew Pinckney continues his torrid month of June. The Emory (GA) University product is hitting .400 over his past 5 games with 2 home runs and 8 RBI. This month the 23-year old Atlanta native is hitting .324 with 3 home runs and 13 RBI. Overall, Pinckney leads the Bombers in home runs, RBI and slugging percentage during the 2005 season.

GOOD-SON Pitcher Matt Goodson continues to impress in the month of June. The 22-year old right hander threw 6.2 innings of shutout baseball against the Columbus Catfish (Los Angeles Dodgers of Anaheim) on Tuesday, June 21. The Red Sox 23rd round pick out of Galveston College in last year's draft, Goodson is 3-0 with a 1.40 ERA in four appearances this month. Goodson has allowed only four earned runs in over 25 innings of work this month to help pace the Bombers' starting staff.

OUTSIDE THE LINES TO IN The Bombers want to congratulate RHP Russell Haltwinger of Newberry College on being drafted by the Cincinnati Reds in the 29th round of the 2005 Major League Baseball Draft. Both Russell and his father Roddy are valued ballpark employees and we wish Russell the best as he begins his journey to the major leagues. Good luck Russell!

SPONSOR SPOTLIGHT Greenville First takes a new approach to traditional banking. The cornerstone of our bank is the "relationship team" where every client has a specific senior banker and consistent support team responsible for their banking. Greenville First provides a professional alternative with local ownership and local leadership. Be sure to check out Greenville First at their locations on Augusta and Haywood roads or visit their website at http://www.greenvillefirst.com/.

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South Atlantic League Stories from June 24, 2005


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