Walk Off Winner: Webster 8, Kirkwood 7 (8 innings)

I.Love.This.Team!

Yes, still, even if they just added to my obviously folliculated-challenged status.

Because after an exciting walk-off win against KIRKWOOD!, what were they saying? That this was a team win, that everyone on the team was a part, an IMPORTANT PART, of this victory. Sorry if I’m shouting, but I’m still excited, even after a Pueblo Solis therapy session.

Finally, a real game! This would have been a heart-breaker to lose, but most of us know that you can, eventually, get over a broken heart. (Or so I’ve heard; I’ve been lucky enough not to have experienced that first-hand.) But how much better not to have to, to celebrate, as the girls are right now with a camp-out (See above and thanks to the Collins family for hosting--Yes, all 14 of them!), getting even closer (is that even possible?!?) as a team. The umpire asked Coach Cerutti, “Are they always this loud?” “That’s our team,” said Coach. Yep.

Darn those Pioneers! This well-coached team (we get to play them again later in the season) refused to quit, came back to not only tie, but take the lead – twice! But guess who else refused to quit – the Statesmen! Even after K-wood scored in the top of the 8^th to go up 7-6, our team willed itself to a victory.

Megan Hayes worked lead-off walk in a great AB. And with the bases loaded, Nicola Rikand UNloaded for a walk-off double and an 8-7 victory. Much more exciting and rewarding than our first five wins. The girls agreed, that, win or lose (and winning is better, of course) that this is the kind of softball game we want every time.

And here’s the thing. We can get better. We played far from a perfect game, far from our best softball. After Hannah Jansen took the air out of the Pioneer’s Conestoga tires (well, technically Conestoga’s didn’t really have tires) in a spectacular third inning display, we started making mistakes. In fact, up until the final inning, Kirkwood, quite frankly, outplayed us, making fewer mistakes than we did. But they couldn’t outheart us, and that proved to be the difference.

Kelly Collins, in relief of Taylor Knapp and Nicola Rikand, each of who recorded pressure outs, (and herself), picked up her well-deserved third win in the circle. The Kirkwood coach kept thinking, “What, another pitcher?” We used, and needed, all three. I close with this final obscure reference. We followed Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy Rule #1: Don’t Panic!

That’s a winner, 6-0. More tough games to come and, as Coach Cerutti noted in the post-game, now we know what we need to work on. Given the fire and work ethic of this group of great young women, you can expect to come out and enjoy even more and better softball in the games to come. And check back for pictures. You’ll forgive me if I was a little too wrapped up in coaching the game to take my camera off the fence, and our players were too excited to do any snapping either.

Just.Wow!