🍀 Away Game -- Reidsville Luckies @ Oak City Gliders 🍀

Luckies lose, now on three game skid

Lucky City’s baseball club fell to the Oak City Gliders, 8-5, in a divisional clash at Optimist Park.

Oak City jumped out to a quick, 5-0 lead in the third inning. The Luckies didn’t lie down and take that, and fired back with three runs in the top of the fourth. The Gliders tacked on three in the next two innings, and it was an 8-3 ballgame two-thirds of the way through the game.

The Luckies put another run on the board in the seventh, and, in the top of the eighth, they put a pair on the board. It was now just an 8-6 ballgame, and it looked Reidsville had a legitimate shot at finishing off their fifty-ninth wild comeback win against Oak City. However, in the top of the ninth, the Gliders actually held on to take home the victory.

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Extra Bases: Joe Dexter, “the Voice” of the Reidsville Luckies, and the All-Star game play-by-play commentator for the Old North State League, answered a few questions for today’s edition of “Extra Bases.”

When did you first begin dreaming of becoming a sports broadcaster?

The first time I watched a baseball game, at the age of six, I fell in love with the game, but broadcasting in particular. I didn't think about broadcasting other sports until I was a bit older, but the first time I listened to the Detroit Tigers, my dream was to be Hall of Fame announcer Ernie Harwell more than it was to be HOF Shortstop Alan Trammell.

Who inspired you, and who is your favorite broadcaster to listen to?

Legendary Tigers Broadcaster Ernie Harwell is who first inspired me to pursue broadcasting. His story is very inspiring. He went from having a strong speech impediment, to being so valuable, the Brooklyn Dodgers were willing to trade a position player for him. It's the only time in the history of the game that a broadcaster was traded for a player. 

His voice was the soundtrack of my summers, and hummed through my radio almost every night when I was a kid. 

I'm was also inspired (Baseball Wise) by: Jon Miller, Bob Uecker, Steve Stone, Dick Enberg, Dan Dickerson

Today, I really enjoy these baseball announcers: Dan Dickerson (Tigers Radio) Melanie Newman/Brett Hollander (Orioles Radio), John Sadek (Cinci TV), Duane Kiper, Mike Krukow (Giants TV), Charley Steiner (Dodgers Radio)

When did you first hear about the Reidsville Luckies?

I was fortunate enough to first learn about them prior to their first season in 2021 and interviewed both city officials and ONSL's Alec Allred about the return of Luckies baseball to the Lucky City. I also contracted with the organization to help sell advertisements at the field prior to their annual year.

How did the opportunity present itself to become "the Voice" of the Luckies?

I was contacted by General Manager Justin Dill about the position prior to the season and couldn't pass up the opportunity. I was very thankful and like I told Justin a few weeks ago, I plan on continuing until he kicks me out of the press box. 

The Luckies experience is unlike any other, and I enjoy being able to portray the talent of these young collegiate athletes.

And I get to do it in a family-friendly atmosphere, with great fans, an awesome team in the press box, and great leadership throughout the organization. 

Who is your favorite player on the team?

My favorite Luckies player will always be the one who is either at the dish, on the mound, or in the field making plays. 

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Notes: Coming into this game, the Luckies and Gliders were tied for last place in the Central Division. Unfortunately, due to this game, Raleigh has jumped into the fourth place spot and the Luckies have fallen to last.

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Upcoming: This was the first of six games in six days for the Luckies. They’ll face the Sanford Spinners and High Point Hushpuppies in away games, before taking on the Marion Swamp Foxes, Hushpuppies, and Hendersonville Honeycrisps in home games at Jaycee Park.