Ladies and gentlemen, the 2010 Compton Tarbabes are, after game one, tied with Lakewood and Poly for first place in the Moore League, thanks to an 8-5 road win over Jordan.  “That’s right,” said a relaxed coach Brian Reed, celebrating with his team at McDonalds after the game.  “Compton is undefeated in Moore League for the first time in a long while.”

Obviously, Reed and his team know it’s a long season, but the Tarbabes were certainly content to enjoy a league victory on opening day; last year they finished 1-11 in league, so they evened that win total on their first trip out.  Underscoring the financial and support issues that hinder many Compton teams, Reed said his team almost didn’t make the game because their best didn’t show up to transport them.  “A while ago I bought a big van,” he said, “because buses can have a tendency to not get to our school.”

After making it to the game, the Tarbabes took an early 1-0 lead, then gave it up, then took a 2-1 lead and never looked back.  Jordan had back-to-back homeruns in the bottom of the fifth inning, but Alberto Becerra (who got the decision) kept the lead and Pedro Venegas came in to close and stopped the scoring.  Michael Joyner went 3-3 with three doubles for the Tarbabes; he reached base on an HBP as well, and scored all four times he got on base, with three stolen bases to boot.

The Tarbabes will face Cabrillo at the MLB Academy on Friday, while Jordan will their next league game against Poly at Blair on March 30th.