Off and Running: Webster 9, Oakville 4

Our first challenges of the season were the result not of the sport of fastpitch softball but the weather. Our opening game against the Lindbergh Flyers was postponed (to October 3) due to Wednesday morning’s deluge. Our next opponent, the usually powerful Oakville Tigers, called Thursday to let us know their field was unplayable (and their coach predicted it would remain so for the foreseeable future, to the extent that they have already moved some of their games to Affton Athletic next week). Coach Cerutti and Athletic Director Collins joined Webster maintenance in working and dragging the field to make it ready not only for the varsity contest but our JV tilt that formed the second game of the unplanned double header. The 5 innings constituted a complete game.

We have a challenging schedule this year and would have preferred to start with more of a confidence builder (there’s no guarantee Lindbergh would have met that description, by the way, but it’s been more than a few years since they’ve been able to fly past us). However, Mama Nature dictated this was how we would start.

We took advantage of shaky Tiger defense to score four runs in the first inning, taking tough at bats against a hard-throwing Oakville hurler (we defeated her last year, as well), putting the ball in play and pressuring their defenders. A key at bat was Nora Marcinkiewicz’s battle with runners on second and third and down to her last strike. Although she was out at first on a throw by their catcher, Ivy Clark used smart base running to score the first run, followed quickly by Myah King channeling her inner Harrison Bader and scoring from second. Three solid hits by Emmy Gary, Nicola Rikand and Taylor Smith plated two more runs and a 4-0 lead.

Oakville had a strong hitting club, but Taylor Knapp struck out six and walked no one to limit their opportunities. We also saw some standout defense, notably from Alyssa Moran, Rikand, Clark and Smith. Eschewing (yes, I really do talk like that) the easy out at first, TK, Nora and Myah cut down a “certain” run at the plate and kept the Tigers caged with a zero in that first inning.

Even when Oakville closed the gap to 5-4, the Statesmen kept their composure (as true statesmen do) and made the plays to give us time to add on with more good baserunning, excellent bunting, and opportune hitting. Rocket atom balls by King and Marcinkiewicz were caught to keep the score close. As darkness closed out the game, the new scoreboard lit up the night, Webster 9, Oakville 4.

We have another tough contest tomorrow when the JV of perennial state contender Eureka comes to call. I know the girls and the coaching staff appreciate the great support we had tonight, including the varsity girls who stuck around to cheer us on. Great energy from the bench was a fitting punctuation mark as we notched the first (but not last) win of 2018.