izzykareem
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http://www.gastongazette.com/sports/wilson-34434-grizzlies-home.html
| Quote : | "Grizzlies win opener before largest home crowd in history
Baseball
May 31, 2009 - 12:39 AM
Richard Walker
GASTONIA - Most area sports fans know Russell Wilson as the elusive, scrambling N.C. State quarterback who earned All-ACC honors at that position last fall.
On Saturday night, Wilson showed a record crowd at Gastonia's Sims Legion Park more of his diverse athletic talents in helping lead the Gastonia Grizzlies' Coastal Plain League baseball team to a 6-1 victory over the Martinsville Mustangs.
Wilson had two hits, scored two runs and drove in another while making some sparkling plays at second base as the Grizzlies opened their 2009 home schedule in front of 3,402 fans.
"It's not only good for us, it's good for the whole league to have a guy like him on our team," said Gastonia manager Eli Benefield, whose team plays again Monday night at 7 p.m. at home against Asheboro. "People who used to only follow him in football will now start following him, our team and our league."
Wilson's impact on the game began at the outset, as he led off Gastonia's first inning with an opposite-field double. He moved to third on Byron McKoy's infield hit, then scored the game's first run on Greg Van Horn's fielder's choice RBI grounder.
After Shelby's Seth Canipe hit a two-out RBI single to make it 2-0 in the second inning, Wilson sparked a three-run fifth inning that gave the Grizzlies (2-1) a comfortable 5-1 advantage.
His one-out RBI single scored Travis Witherspoon, who had led off the inning with a double off the right field fence. Then Wilson showed his speed by rounding the bases to score on McKoy's RBI double to right. Van Horn later capped the rally with a RBI double to left to score McKoy.
Benefield, the Grizzlies' third-base coach, said there was no hesitation to sending Wilson home on McKoy's double.
"He and couple of other guys on this team always have the green light," said Benefield, whose team's previous record for home attendance came on July 3, 2008. "Once I knew the ball was in the corner, he was going to be running. Plus, he's such a smart player, he made a great slide to avoid the tag."
For his part, Wilson said he was appreciative of the reception he received from Grizzlies' fans, many of them wearing N.C. State hats and T-shirts.
"It's definitely exciting with all the fans here to support us," said Wilson, who had two hits, a RBI and three assists in the field. "We need this kind of support from these fans all year long."
Wilson said he and his teammates felt no pressure to perform, even as the original home opener - Thursday against Forest City - had been postponed by rain.
"The key was to just play hard, stay focused and enjoy this night," said Wilson, who was signing autographs for 30 minutes after a post-game fireworks display.
Canipe and McKoy joined Wilson in collecting two hits for Gastonia, which got a three-hitter from four pitchers. Starter Ben Booker picked up the win after going five innings.
"It was great to play in front of a crowd like this," said Canipe, who played in front of a similar crowd for Shelby Post 82 when it hosted last year's American Legion Southeast Regionals. "Everybody knew who he (Wilson) was and knew he had a lot of hype coming in. He just came out and did his job and we did our job."
Top Grizzlies crowds
of all time:
May 30, 2009 3,402 (Saturday)
July 3, 2008 3,355 (Thursday)
May 30, 2003 3,304 (Friday)
June 1, 2002 3,218 (Saturday)
July 3, 2007 2,797 (Tuesday)" |
 6/3/2009 9:51:23 AM
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BJCaudill21
Not an alcoholic
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this one time, i got hit in the face with a baseball and had a concussion so i didn't start, so i threw the next day and only threw fastballs to the Grizzlies and shut them out for 7 innings. but i probably gave myself brain damage. the end. 6/3/2009 5:18:18 PM |
