SPRINGFIELD – Last Thursday, The Drifters capped off their series vs. Walla Walla last Thursday by beating the Sweets 2-1. The victories gave the Drifters a winning record at home (8-7). The Drifters built on that record by winning two-of-three games against Corvallis to close out the week.
The Drifters’ home record is 10-8 now, and 13-23 overall.
Road games have been a different story, where they are 3-15 so far.
Home-field advantage is a common concept in sports, but for Drifters coach
Jeff Lyle, the advantage goes past the home crowd.
“It’s just a routine. The things that we get to do, we get to do them. They get to sleep in their host family’s beds, which are basically their own beds,” Lyle said. “We do a lot of stuff at home. We practice, we have a full day, so I think it’s the preparation, the work, and the pregame that goes into it.”
Now, the Drifters are at the All-Star break with an upcoming four days of rest and rehabilitation. They are eager to get back to full strength.
“Personally, I don’t really like (the days off), but we need them,” Lyle said. “We’ve got a lot of banged-up guys right now, so to have to have that break and get some guys healthy again, and see if we can get back to full force, that means a lot to us.”
The Drifters have been resilient all year, demonstrating a tendency to get back on their feet. This was on display Thursday night, as after the Sweets scored three early runs in the first two innings, the Drifters locked in to score 11 runs in five innings to get the win 11-5.
“We’ve talked about the last few nights trying to come out and punch first, carry the energy and attitude, and we got punched early and we felt it in the dugout and we knew we were in a fight right away. And to respond in the fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh, eighth innings is huge,” Lyle said.
The key to this attitude seems to be the team’s unwavering chemistry. Throughout his time as coach, Lyle has emphasized the need for each player to support one another, and that’s been no different this season.
“We have a group of amazing men, a great group of teammates, and a great clubhouse. Like these guys battle for each other. They fight for each other, and you don’t find that in the summer very often,” Lyle said.
Going forward, the Drifters are looking to improve. So far this season, the team has been prone to errors and mental mistakes.
“We need to focus from the minute we get to the yard till the last out is recorded,” Lyle said. “Not having any lapses, not having games where we win an inning, then lose an inning and take a couple of pitches off. We need to just try to win every pitch.”
The Drifters season continues at 6:35 p.m. on Friday, July 17 against the Marion Berries at Chemeketa Community College.
