Moral Victory: Seckman 7, Webster 3

I can’t remember when, if ever, we lost to Seckman by fewer than 10 runs; I declared a “moral victory” two years ago when we at least made them play all seven innings, but still lost, 11-0. This year represented real progress, as we actually led, 3-2, after 3 innings and kept the game close ‘til the end, before losing 7-3.

Props to our outfielders for their defense today. They looked better than their JV status, not just in terms of catching and throwing, but their movement without the ball, backing up both the infielders and each other, “up for whatever,” as the advertising slogan goes. Coach Cerutti accurately assessed their contribution when he noted, “With the average JV outfield, this game would have been over after 5 innings.” To be honest, I’ve seen varsity outfields that didn’t play this well.

Josie Krueger and Allyson Peters again shared mound duties and did a good job of keeping our defense in the game and tamping down on the Jaguar offense. Catcher Becca DeGreeff continued her strong work shepherding our hurlers through tough innings.

We faced a strong pitcher, certainly the best we’ve seen and although we only struck out six times, we only hit a few balls hard and want to put more pressure on the opposition defense. However, we generally took good at bats and can look forward to continued improvement.

We’ll work on some things Monday at practice before taking on Hazelwood West at home on Tuesday. Our game against them last year was postponed and never made up. Two years ago we dropped a 13-9 decision in a game that I felt we could have, and perhaps should have won.

Getting After Affton: Webster 12, Affton 8

Affton returned to our schedule this year after a long absence and an extended hiatus for their JV team. This was the Cougars’ first game of the season; knowing that we tried to take advantage of an opportunity for our first “Non-Starter Start to give some playing time to girls who don’t get to see as much as some others.

Affton had other ideas, however, and kept putting pressure on us, even tying the game 5-5 in top of the 4^th inning, at which point we needed to squeeze every bit of offense our of our lineup. We used our speed advantage to pressure the Cougars and piled on additional 5 runs in our half of the inning.

That didn’t stop Affton from coming back, and they certainly earned our respect as they continued to battle and force us to make plays. Allyson Peters made her debut in the circle and pitched 5 strong innings. Josie Krueger brought the game home with a scoreless 7^th and we finally were able to send the Cougars home on the wrong end of a 12-8 score. It wasn’t the prettiest game, but it was competitive and entertaining, although it made for an almost undecipherable scorecard!

Becca DeGreeff was a wall behind the plate and did a good job of working with our freshman pitchers. Zoe Schulz continues to open eyes with her athleticism and instincts on the field and the basepaths. All in all, it was a good team victory with contributions up and down the lineup. We bent as Affton didn’t quit, but never went into panic mode and, as a result, prevailed.

We face our toughest test of the season tomorrow, when we take on the Seckman Jaguars, a team we’ve had trouble matching up with in the past. However, their varsity has a number of freshmen so perhaps they’ve raided the closet. Coach Cerutti and I believe we can compete with anyone, so we anticipate a good game. See you there.

 As always, thanks to Amy Jo Love for the pix:

Lighting Up the Markers: Webster 17, Nerinx 2

Nerinx Hall’s softball program has fallen on hard times, especially their JV. It’s always nice to get a win, but I’m betting most, if not all, of the girls would say that Friday’s loss was a lot more fun than this rout this evening under the lights at KAA. Last year we beat the Markers 15-0, and they were better than this year’s edition! At least the weather was perfect this year. (Last year the heat, among other things, caused a postponement of the JV game, although the varsity did play on schedule.)

Still, we did a lot of things well, including treating a lesser opponent with respect and reinforcing our reputation with umpires and opponents as a classy program. 

Every girl wants to play as much as possible and it’s always a challenge to find playing time while remaining competitive in as many games as possible and providing players with an opportunity to have a successful game. Every player did get at least one at bat and time in the field. Skyler Jones had a successful pitching debut, throwing four ground balls in her one inning and walking no one, as Josie Krueger picked up her first Webster Win.

We did a pretty good job of keeping our weight back and taking good swings at the few good, and very slow, strikes we saw. 

One final note, no players were harmed in the making of this game, despite six hit batters. Even Coach Cerutti’s and my brittle bones could have withstood the love pats represented by those pitches!

Thanks for the pix Amy Jo Love. Sorry it took me so long to update.

Good Start: Parkway Central 4, Webster 2

We stress “Process, not results” to our players. Certainly we would have liked to have won our first game, but when you have a JV game tied at deuces after 5 innings, you're watching good softball. Spectators on both the orange and red sides saw a well-played, well-pitched JV game. And we played better than the Cardinals during their 5th inning in SanDiego!

The Colts featured an sophomore pitcher who is slated to move up to their varsity later in the season. Josie Krueger made her debut in the circle for the Statesmen and did a great job, giving up only 3 earned runs in her six innings. We also turned two double plays and Olivia Weik gunned out a runner at the plate. Zoe Schulz played a solid shortstop and paced the offense with two hits, including a long triple off the fence in left.

The season is off to a good start and as we approach full strength by the end of next week we are looking forward to an exciting season full of good softball. We play Monday evening (6 p.m.) at KAA against our neighbor, the Nerinx Hall Markers. Come join us under the lights and plan to attend the after game team social.