The Dawsonville Post 247 American Legion baseball team opened the 2008 season with a sweep of visiting Post 251 from Grayson.
Head coach Kasey Wilson's team took game one by a score of 6-2, then in the nightcap they ran away with an 11-3 decision.
Dawsonville currently stands at 2-0 on the young season.
"We have a very talented team," said Wilson. "This may be the most talented team we have had so far."
In game one, pitching was the story. Wilson used several different pitchers in a scoreless contest until the fourth inning. The bats from Post 247 came alive in the fourth.
Former Dawson County Tiger Michael Huber led off the inning by reaching first base on an error by Grayson's shortstop. With one out, Parker Jarrard reached first by way of a walk, in turn moving Huber to second.
Another former Tiger player Austin Lark singled to score Huber from second base.
Bases became loaded after a walk to Chase Queen and an error by Post 251's first baseman, which put Shawn Baker on first. The big hit came off the bat of Kevin Kinsey, who roped a double to right center clearing the bases and giving Dawsonville a 4-0 advantage.
The four runs proved to be all the runs post 247 needed. Strong pitching performances by Adam Heykens, who got the win, James Davis, Greg Weaver and Chase Gilreath nailed the first win of the season for Wilson's squad.
Heykens pitched three innings and only gave up one hit, a walk and a strikeout.
"We used a lot of pitchers in the contest because it's early in the season. Adam (Heykens) has been our main pitcher for the last three years and he turned in a fine performance today. Our pitchers did a great job," said Wilson.
In the second game, Dawsonville connected on three home runs to run away with an 11-3 victory.
Post 247 jumped on Grayson early in the game. Dawsonville scored five runs in the second inning and it was all they needed in the 8-run victory. The inning was highlighted by a homerun by Kevin Kinsey, which drove in three runs. Kinsey's blast cleared the left centerfield fence with plenty of room to spare.
Dawsonville added one more run in the fourth inning to extend its lead to 6-1.
Wilson's team put the game away in the sixth inning off the bat of Heykens. Heykens took a 2-2 fastball and deposited it over the left field fence for a solo shot. Post 247 added two more runs in the inning and held a commanding 9-2 lead.
Huber added another homerun shot in the final inning driving in two more runs.
Drew Uptegraph picked up the win for Post 247. He pitched four innings and tallied five strikeouts. Lark pitched two innings of relief before Jacob Barr came in to record the final three outs.
"Everybody did their part today," said Wilson. "We gave effort and played hard. The players seemed to pick each other up when things went wrong and that's a sign of a good team."
Wilson also added, "We still have several things we need to work on but overall we did very well."
Post 247 traveled to play in the prestigious Pigeon Forge Tournament in Tennessee this past weekend. Teams from all over the southeast participate in this tournament. "We will see some pretty good teams," said Wilson. "This will be a great weekend for baseball."
The American Legion baseball experience is something every fan should come out to see. Wilson has assembled a team of college and high school all-star players that are very talented. Some of these young men will be drafted by pro baseball or will go on to have successful college careers. Watching the games on Sunday, I noticed the level of ability and excitement these young men possess.
Come out to a game and watch these talented players. Post 247 will host perennial power Gainesville today at Tiger Field in Dawsonville. Game time will be at 7 p.m.
Head coach Kasey Wilson's team took game one by a score of 6-2, then in the nightcap they ran away with an 11-3 decision.
Dawsonville currently stands at 2-0 on the young season.
"We have a very talented team," said Wilson. "This may be the most talented team we have had so far."
In game one, pitching was the story. Wilson used several different pitchers in a scoreless contest until the fourth inning. The bats from Post 247 came alive in the fourth.
Former Dawson County Tiger Michael Huber led off the inning by reaching first base on an error by Grayson's shortstop. With one out, Parker Jarrard reached first by way of a walk, in turn moving Huber to second.
Another former Tiger player Austin Lark singled to score Huber from second base.
Bases became loaded after a walk to Chase Queen and an error by Post 251's first baseman, which put Shawn Baker on first. The big hit came off the bat of Kevin Kinsey, who roped a double to right center clearing the bases and giving Dawsonville a 4-0 advantage.
The four runs proved to be all the runs post 247 needed. Strong pitching performances by Adam Heykens, who got the win, James Davis, Greg Weaver and Chase Gilreath nailed the first win of the season for Wilson's squad.
Heykens pitched three innings and only gave up one hit, a walk and a strikeout.
"We used a lot of pitchers in the contest because it's early in the season. Adam (Heykens) has been our main pitcher for the last three years and he turned in a fine performance today. Our pitchers did a great job," said Wilson.
In the second game, Dawsonville connected on three home runs to run away with an 11-3 victory.
Post 247 jumped on Grayson early in the game. Dawsonville scored five runs in the second inning and it was all they needed in the 8-run victory. The inning was highlighted by a homerun by Kevin Kinsey, which drove in three runs. Kinsey's blast cleared the left centerfield fence with plenty of room to spare.
Dawsonville added one more run in the fourth inning to extend its lead to 6-1.
Wilson's team put the game away in the sixth inning off the bat of Heykens. Heykens took a 2-2 fastball and deposited it over the left field fence for a solo shot. Post 247 added two more runs in the inning and held a commanding 9-2 lead.
Huber added another homerun shot in the final inning driving in two more runs.
Drew Uptegraph picked up the win for Post 247. He pitched four innings and tallied five strikeouts. Lark pitched two innings of relief before Jacob Barr came in to record the final three outs.
"Everybody did their part today," said Wilson. "We gave effort and played hard. The players seemed to pick each other up when things went wrong and that's a sign of a good team."
Wilson also added, "We still have several things we need to work on but overall we did very well."
Post 247 traveled to play in the prestigious Pigeon Forge Tournament in Tennessee this past weekend. Teams from all over the southeast participate in this tournament. "We will see some pretty good teams," said Wilson. "This will be a great weekend for baseball."
The American Legion baseball experience is something every fan should come out to see. Wilson has assembled a team of college and high school all-star players that are very talented. Some of these young men will be drafted by pro baseball or will go on to have successful college careers. Watching the games on Sunday, I noticed the level of ability and excitement these young men possess.
Come out to a game and watch these talented players. Post 247 will host perennial power Gainesville today at Tiger Field in Dawsonville. Game time will be at 7 p.m.