Put the Hood on that Falcon: Webster 9, Summit 3

Was this a perfect game? No, but it was awfully good as we beat Summit, a team that had been improving steadily, according to their coach, for the second time this year. I think she expected this game to be closer, given the 12-8 loss the Falcons had taken when they visited us in August.

Our pitchers continue to impress, as we improved our overall record to 11-2. In those 13 games, our pitchers have walked 15 BATTERS TOTAL. That unbelievable statistic actually improved as our tandem of freshman Megan Hayes (3-0) and sophomore Josie Krueger (2 saves, 4 in her career) gave zero (0, nada, not one, none, etc.) free passes to Summit.

That kind of pitching deserves, and received, excellent defense, with 10 infield assists and a strong patrol of CF by Rebekah Riefle. Add in a balanced offense (each spot in batting order scored a run), with 10 hits spread across the lineup, paced by 2 each from our 4-5 hitters, sophomore Allyson Peters and freshman Claire Kellick, and the result is a 9-3 win. The umpire told Coach Fechtel he had never seen so many hard hit balls in a JV game. 

We still have room to improve in our baserunning, but on the defensive side of the ball we clearly had superior focus and concentration, as we (literally stole two runs and took advantage of Summit mistakes for three more. I cannot think of a single mental mistake behind our pitchers. That’s good softball.

Believe it or not, we have just one week left in our JV season, although it’s a busy one. Our last home game (Sophomore Start) is Tuesday against Fox, followed by a non-starter start game against Ritenour, a tilt against perhaps our toughest foe to date, Marquette, and the season-ending Hancock Tournament on Saturday, when we will go for the 3-peat and try to bring home the gold (plastic trophy).

Four of our JV sophomores, Josie Krueger, Julia Love, Allyson Peters and Zoe Schultz, will get to play with the varsity this weekend in the Parkway Central tournament, the sole benefit our tournament rainout last week. This team has a chance to break some records, including most wins and best winning percentage. I’d offer some incentive to them if they needed it to finish strong, but that’s just who they are.

Freshman Megan Hayes notched her third win against her toughest opponent to date. 

Julia Love continues to anchor the hot corner with consistently sold defense.

Noel Spatola did a great job calling pitchers and keeping our hurlers in the zone (the strike zone, that is).

Allyson Peters had two hits, played flawless defense and even converted an unassisted double play.

Freshman Rebekah Riefle recorded three big outs in CF, made a strong throw on a Sac Fly in the 6th.

Josie Krueger followed Megan with three strong innings to record her second save this year and fourth overall.