UPDATE 9/21: Bears are now up to 13-0 with Monday victory over Twin Rivers.
For the past two years and continuing this fall, Bears pitching staff has been outstanding. In the first 11 games, the Bears have played 69 innings and only trailed their opponents for six innings. Four of the Bears victories have been by shutout with Trey McDaniel (on 8/28 vs Doniphan and 9/3 vs Cooter), Trynt Tompkins (9/11 vs Bismark) and Cody Jackson (9/17 vs Puxico) on the mound.
Three of the first five games of the season were won by walk-off victories in the bottom of the 7th. And four of the Bears’ games have been won in 5 innings by the run rule (leading by 10 or more runs after 5 innings).
One outstanding performance of the first 11 games was Trynt Tompkins hitting for the cycle (hitting a single, double, triple and home run) in a 6-16 win over Neelyville on September 1.It has been called one of the rarest and most difficult feats in baseball. The probability of an MLB player hitting for the cycle (0.0059%) is similar to the odds of a pitcher throwing a no-hitter. Some argue that a cycle is easier for a high school player, but the Neelyville game was only 5 innings and Tompkins had only 4 at bats (AB). Anyway you cut it, Trynt Tompkins cycle is a highlight for Greenville’s recordbook.
Baseball is a team sport, but if you break it down, every pitch is 1 batter vs 1 pitcher and every at-bat is 1 hitter vs 9 defenders. The individual nature of this team sport is unique to this sport and the reason it is the only sport with an entire section of the rulebook dedicated to scoring and statistical recordkeeping.
Here are some more individual performances which have captivated the Bear’s first eleven wins.
8/21 vs Bloomfield – Trey McDaniel hits a walk-off single in the bottom of the 7th winning 3-2.
8/25 vs West County – Trynt Tompkins hits a walk-off home run in the bottom of the 7th winning 5-4.
8/28 vs Doniphan – Trey McDaniel pitches his first of two shutouts and wins 11-0 in five innings.
9/1 vs Neelyville – Trynt Tompkins hits for the cycle winning 16-6 in five innings.
9/3 vs Cooter – Wil VanMatre hits walk-off single in the bottom of the 7th winning 1-0.
9/4 vs Van Buren – Tompkins get the win.
9/11 vs Bismark – Jake Dorris hits double and single and scores both RBIs in win – 2-0.
9/12 vs Arcadia Valley – Ben Becker records his first varsity win as a pitcher – 17-4 in five innings.
9/14 vs Bismark – Ben Becker hits double for 2 RBIs scoring the go-ahead and winning runs – 4-2.
9/15 vs Arcadia Valley – Trey McDaniel hits single for 2 RBIs scoring the go-ahead and winning runs – 4-2.
9/17 vs Naylor – Ben Becker goes 4 for 4 with 3 doubles. Cody Jackson gets the win with only 8 balls thrown on 53 pitches. – 17-0
9/18 vs Puxico – Trynt Tompkins picks up 4th win in 5 innnnigs. Grant Miller goes 4 for 4. – 12-2
9/21 vs Twin Rivers – Trey McDaniel picks up 5th win. Ben Becker scores 3 and drives in 2 more accounting for 1/2 the runs. 10-0
Pitchers’ records:
Trey McDaniel (5-0)
Trynt Tompkins (4-0)
Cody Jackson (2-0)
Ben Becker (1-0)
Grant Miller (1-0)