Eagle Baseball is closing the Fall 2017 semester with a special trip five day trip to the Dominican Republic. Redshirt sophomore catcher
Matt Anderson will share his experiences on the trip in this special journal on GSEagles.com. Fans can still contribute to Eagle Baseball's campaign to raise money for the trip at Give.GSEagles.com/Baseball.
-- Monday, November 20 --
We set out this morning to the baseball field a little sooner than expected to make sure that we had plenty of time to get both games in. The first game was against the Texas Rangers Academy. The team is full of young men who want to pursue baseball professionally.
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The game was very competitive and filled with excitement as we knew these guys would be trying to show out for the scouts that had come to watch. As the game rolled on, we found ourselves in a bind late into the seventh inning, but everyone knows not to count the Eagles out. With a few free bases, and a few base hits, we were right back in it and snatched the lead. The momentum swing and excitement was uncanny. We carried the momentum into the rest of the game and pulled out the victory.
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After the first game was finished we immediately headed to the second game against Los Delfines. Honestly, we did not know what to expect because this was the local team here in the Dominican Republic. So, naturally, we all were a little caught up in the different atmosphere that this game ensued.
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My first reaction when we arrived at the field was just how simple everything was. What I mean by this is how basic the field was, yet how incredible the support was for this team. The field was nothing more than a dirt infield, a beat-up grass/dirt outfield, two small dugouts, and many buildings surrounding it, yet when you stepped between the chalked-lines on the field, it was just baseball. That was the beauty of it all… it wasn't about what they had or what they didn't have, it was about how much they enjoyed playing the game.
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This country is built around the sport, so seeing that a lot of the people that lived near the field were out watching our game was not in the least surprising. There was even live commentating throughout the entire game which was something that none of us had ever experienced. We are blessed to see many new things along this journey, and we cannot wait to see what tomorrow holds.
-- Tuesday, November 21 --
I woke up this morning a little torn. The past few days have been life changing for me as well as the other guys, so knowing that today is our last full day here is a little upsetting. Call me crazy, but I have grown to respect these people and how they live, love, and care for one another in just a few short days. With this in mind, the team and I set out to finish a great trip on an even higher note.
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Today was our last game and last chance to compete against new faces. We left the hotel at 7:30 to make the drive into Santo Domingo. Here we were set to face off against a professional team which is something we had all looked forward to. We pulled up to the stadium around 8:45 and first pitch was set for 10:15. We got off the bus, and I think that most of us were awestruck at the field we were playing on. Don't get me wrong, we knew we were playing a professional team, but I don't think we knew that the field was going to be as nice as it was.
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When the game started, we knew we were in for a challenge when we went three up three down to lead off the first inning, and then their lead off guy hit a solo shot to start the bottom half of the first inning. However, this is exactly what we wanted… competition. So, as we competed pitch to pitch and inning to inning, we held our own against a much more physical team. Although the outcome of the game ended with a loss, the experience of playing the game against professionals makes us respect baseball much more.
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Later that evening we were in for a treat as we headed back to the stadium for a winter league game. Let me tell you first hand that the atmosphere was absolutely electric. There was not an empty seat in the house, which had to have been close to 10,000 strong. Flags were waving, fans were hollering, and we were like sponges soaking in the time we could spend there. In saying so, it was incredible to watch the players play with reckless abandon and sacrifice their bodies to make plays. These men love the game, respect the game, and know how to play the game.
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I wish very much that we had more time to spend here. Leaving tomorrow will be tough on all of us.
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