Visit gcronline.com

...End of the 2001 Season...

11-17  Golden Corral-2nd at Reidsville Open
     Golden Corral was invited to the season-ending Reidsville Open this weekend, and the team finished in second place.
     GC whipped William's Garage in the opener 17-10, and then stayed on the field to play Jones Frame (Paramount/Smokes/Hague).  haha...it wasn't really all of them, but some powerful players from all over got together for this "pick-up" team.  They slammed GC in this one quickly.  The Corral bounced back, however, to blast the next team in similar fashion.  This was another "pick-up" of guys that we have played over the last several years in Class B and C ball.  GC got the upper hand early and never let up in route to a 27-6 three-inning contest.  This brought up Jones Frame again, and this time GC stayed close through three innings, but gave out at the end as Jones Frame kept hitting it to win, 28-12.

10/13  Golden Corral wins NC Fall State!
     Golden Corral won the North Carolina Fall State on this weekend.  GC opened the tournament by avenging a 35-30 loss in the NSA Regional by beating GEM Construction by a 17-15 score.  Next up, GC didn't hit at all and was blown out by Hit & Run.  The Corral, then, bounced back to destroy a tough Blaze Air team in four innings by the count of 38-11.  The final game pitted GC against Lorillard, who was no match, as Golden Corral rolled to a 20-8 win and first place in the NC Fall State.

10/6-10/7  Golden Corral goes 2-2 in Fall State.
     Golden Corral went to Salem, VA for this year's NSA Fall State Tournament.  After opening with a couple of comeback wins against Bradley Insurance (19-14) and Polecats (23-22), GC didn't get it done against Alert Security (21-30) and came up just short in a heartbreaker Sunday morning versus Roanoke/Salem Merchants (25-26, 8 innings).  The team finished 5th out of the large field and will travel to Burlington, NC next weekend to battle for the North Carolina Fall State.

9/15-9/16  GC hits but doesn't catch in Florence.
     Golden Corral went South (traveling and playing) on this weekend at the NSA Regionals in Florence, SC.
     In the first match-up, GC met Carl Cannon Chevrolet from Alabama.   Both teams were hitting the ball well throughout the game, but it was CC Chevy who pulled away in the last inning to win 33-23.
     Next up, after a forfeit victory, The Corral met G.E.M. Construction from NC.  This was a good-hitting team, but GC made trouble for themselves by not making the plays in the field.  Golden Corral would hit it and hit it to average 4 or 5 runs per inning, but they would give up too many by errors on defense.  This was uncharacteristic of the Golden Corral team, but that's the way it goes some days.  The final score, 35-30.

9/8-9/9  Golden Corral rolls through Roxboro.
     Golden Corral steamrolled through the competition at the 3rd Annual Roxboro Invitational.
     GC hammered Elite Softball from Reidsville, NC in the opener by a count of 19-4 in 4 innings.
    Next up, The Corral faced a team of mostly local ballers who have always been tough.  This was a tight game most of the way, but GC pulled away to win it, 26-21.
    The Outlaws were next in line for Golden Corral, but they went quietly when GC started hitting early and were beaten by the 15-run lead after 4 innings rule.
     The undefeated game matched Golden Corral against Brandon's.    Brandon's came out hot and posted 8 runs in the top of the first, but when GC put up a 15-spot in the bottom of the inning, it seemed to sap their strength.  They fought back, but GC didn't need the last inning and won it 21-18.
     Affordable Glass stepped up battle The Corral for the championship, but was no match.  Trailing 3-5 after 1 inning, GC turned it up and started ripping the ball all over the field and cruised to a slaughter-rule 32-11 win.

9/1-9/2  Golden Corral goes 2-2 in Regional.
     Golden Corral traveled to Raliegh, NC for the USSSA Regional Championship.  First up, GC faced the very strong Plemmons team from NC.  Golden Corral came out hitting the ball well and run-ruled them, as they never got on track.  The final, 18-7.
     Next in the winner's bracket was Stovepipes.  GC scored a few early runs, but never hit the ball much this game, as Stovepipes hit quite well and rolled to a 27-9 victory.
     Golden, then pounded Eastbay into submission by the count of 20-5 and moved on to the next game.
     CB Express and Golden Corral have had some close games already this year, so they new each other well.  Both teams came out hitting and running each inning, but in the end a HR out was the difference as CB Express held on to win it, 30-28.

8/18-8/19  Golden Corral tanks USSSA State.
     Golden Corral ran into some tough luck (and tough teams) at the U-Trip State on this weekend.  GC opened versus the top-ranked Benfield Cobras and hung tough in the early going.  Entering the bottom half of the fourth, and a one run lead, Benfield got hot and basehit the ball something fierce.  GC didn't hit with them and fell, 13-28.
     In the next game, The Corral faced the team they had just defeated in the prior weekend for second place in the NSA State, Select Specialty.    This was a fairly low-scoring game, but GC held onto its early lead going into the bottom of the seventh.  After two quick outs, Select managed to plate four straight runs to win it, 15-14.
    Benfield went on to win the tournament.

8/11-8/12  Golden Corral - State Runners-Up
     Golden Corral made a strong showing at the NSA State Championship this weekend, but didn't have enough left at the end and had to settle for second place.
     GC began the tourney by facing Amaco Diamondsharks.  The team came out flat, and it showed in a 10-17 loss.
     Next up, GC met Carolina Softball.  This one was knotted at 4 until The Corral opened it up in the fourth, getting consecutive hits from Kevin Henderson, Carl Harris, Tony Conner, Matt Hunt, Curtis Duffer, Matt Scott, Charlie Perrow, and another from Hendo to pull out to a 12-4 advantage.  GC rolled to a run-rule final of 14-4.
     In their third game of the day, Golden Corral met the red-hot Kingsmen, who jumped out to a quick 10-8 lead.  GC battled back with a 7-run third behind more timely hitting and put the Kingsmen away with a 9-run fifth that saw consecutive hits from Scott, Perrow, Miles Conner, Kirk Barnes, Hendo, Harris, T. Conner, Hunt, and a big blast from Duffer.  The run-rule final, 25-15.
     After too much rain caused the tournament to be postponed until Sunday, Golden Corral came back to face TNT Ballbreakers.  This one went GC's way early on, as the team built a 19-8 lead going into the bottom of the seventh, only to see TNT make a run at it.  GC held on to win it 19-14.  Tony Conner was a perfect 5-5, and Kevin Neal, also, went 5-5, including a big 3-run homer in the seventh.   Miles Conner added 4 hits, and Perrow chipped in 3.
     To get to the championship game, GC would, now, have to beat Select Specialty.  Early homers from Scott and Perrow helped Golden Corral build a 16-3 lead after 4 and half innings, but Select battled back with a big 8-run fifth to close the gap.  GC added 5 more and made the plays in the field to win it, 21-16.   Harris had 4 hits in the game, and several others had 3-hit games.
     GC, finally, proved to be out of gas in the finals after winning four straight and were whipped by a tough Select Motorcars team, 19-4.

7/28/01 Golden Corral shares NSA Western State.
     Golden Corral was undefeated after Saturday but had to settle for Co-Champions with three others who were also undefeated.
     The team opened the tournament by playing Cornbeef & Co. and it didn't take GC long to get going in the top of the first.  After Carl Harris singled, Matt Hunt took a walk, and Curtis Duffer hit safely, Kevin Neal ripped a line shot over the scoreboard for a 4-0 lead.  A lead that the team would not relinquish.   Duffer hit a 3-run bomb in the second inning as GC cruised to a 18-6, 5-inning final.  Tony Conner and Kirk Barnes, both, went 4 for 4.
     As the rain continued to fall harder and harder, Golden Corral faced Skyhawks in the next round.  Matt Scott hit a titanic 3-run blast in the first to put GC up 4-3, and it was back and forth throughout the game.  Skyhawks held a 14-9 lead heading into the bottom of the sixth, but The Corral was up for the challenge.   Earl Orme led off with a double, Harris singled, Hunt singled, and then Neal crushed a 3-run homer way out of the park to draw GC within one.  Scott hit safely, as did Charlie Perrow, and Miles Conner's third straight hit tied the game.  Barnes, then, followed with a huge hit to put GC up one run.  After a solo homer from Skyhawks tied the game in the seventh, Harris singled and, later, scored on a sac fly to give Golden Corral the comeback victory.

6/9-6/10  The Corral places 4th in N.I.T.
     Golden Corral softball lost their first game Saturday morning to a very strong Team Inc./WORTH team, but then ran off three straight (beating Select Motorcars 11-3, and run-ruling Jerry's Softball from North Carolina 17-7, and Ferguson's/Mulligan's 22-10) before losing to a white hot Red Robin team, who went on to just miss winning the tournament.

5-19-01  Golden Corral blows chance to gain ground at Dixie-Dudley Round 2 in Petersburg.
     Golden Corral got off to a hot start by disposing of Select Specialty and The Kingsmen, but the team put forth a sorry effort in the "undefeated game" against Amaco Diamondsharks and slipped to third place after failing to give Select Motorcars a decent game.  With such poor overall hitting this weekend, GC didn't give themselves a chance to win it.

5-12-01  NSA WORTH 3DX-Round 2
     Although Golden Corral had not entered the first round of this tournament, the team visited Richmond this weekend for the WORTH 3DX.  The team could only manage a fourth place finish in this one, but The Corral expects to be running on all cylinders in the weeks to come.

4-28-01  Dixie-Dudley Series Gets Underway.
     Golden Corral has their work cut out for them if they are
going to defend last year's Dixie-Dudley Series Points
Championship.  The team managed only a 3rd place finish in
the first leg of the series.  There were some very strong teams in this
tournament, so a 3rd place is respectable, but not satisfying.

4/21-4/22  Time for the Annual Chance Crawford.
     Golden Corral battled a tough field in the Upper Bracket Division
of the Chance Crawford on this weekend and came away with
a 3rd place finish.

Cool Links

      

Chance Crawford
S. Lester   .941
T. Conner .694
K. Neal    .686
J. Owens  .633

Dixie Dudley "1"
C. Womack  .846
S. Lester       .700
K. Neal        .636
E. Orme       .636

WORTH 3DX "2"
S. Lester      .857
M. Hunt       .733
3 tied at       .667

Dixie Dudley "2"
S. Lester       .769
R. Mosley     .667
T. Eggleston  .583
E. Orme        .533

"Super C" N.I.T.
K. Henderson  .800
S. Lester          .765
J. Owens         .692
T. Conner       .667

NSA Western State
T. Conner      .875
M. Hunt         .778
M. Scott        .750
K. Barnes       .750

NSA Overall State
T. Conner      .800
K. Neal*        .667
C. Perrow      .652
C. Duffer        .625

USSSA State
C. Perrow       .714
T. Conner       .714
M. Scott         .571
M. Conner      .571

USSSA Regional
K. Newton     .800
M. Scott        .786
M. Hunt         .778
K. Barnes      .733

Roxboro Benefit
T. Grissom     .786
T. Newcomb  .778
M. Hunt         .762
T. Conner      .714

NSA Regionals
C. Duffer       .818
M. Scott       .818
K. Neal        .818
K. Newton   .727

VA NSA Fall State
C. Duffer       .750
C. Harris       .682
M. Conner     .619
C. Perrow      .571

NC NSA Fall State
T. Grissom      .800
M. Dalton        .800
C. Harris         .778
S. Lester         .733

Reidsville Open
K. Newton       .786
K. Neal           .667
C. Duffer          .643
T. Conner        .643