Finish Strong: WG 14, Ft. Zumwalt West 4

“I’ve been workin’ on a rewrite, that’s right, gonna change the ending….”

As we trailed 4-0 going into the bottom of the fourth inning against a strong opponent, I was composing my lead and headline, thinking about T.S. Eliot’s “This is how the world ends, not with a bang but a whimper.” But the JV Black Statesmen did their own rewrite and redefinition of the Big Bang Theory, forcing me to do a rewrite as they changed the ending, racing past the Jaguars of Ft. Zumwalt West with an 8-run answer, adding 5 more in the fifth inning and sending our guests hobbling home, reeling with the mercy-rule clincher in the sixth.

Ten games ago, JV Black’s record stood at 7-7. The girls closed their season with a 16-8, mark, winning 9 of their last 10. This was truly another team win and featured contributions from 15 of the 16 players (including three from our Orange squad) dressed for the contest (and that player, Faith Lowry, was ready to go in the circle if needed). 

As Coach Cerutti headed to the bench in the bottom of the fourth he was working on his pep talk. He decided it wasn’t needed. He was right. This team doesn’t quit, not on a game, not on each other. The end-of-season celebration, moved from Serendipity to Fro-Yo, was sweet, joyous, and well deserved. In the next couple days I’ll post a season-ending wrap up, but, for now, enjoy the box score and the memory of this come-from-behind season-ending victory over a good FZW squad.

Go, go, get ‘em…. They went and got ‘em.

Soggy Weather, Crisp Game. WG 7, NW 3

Raindrops kept fallin’ on our heads, they kept fallin’…. Much to our surprise, it was “Game On!” And so the girls played on. As Coach Cerutti described it, “I don’t think I’ve ever seen a team do a better job of making the weather irrelevant.” When the umpires called the game (official, 4 2/3 innings) because the playing conditions had moved from sloppy to something between unplayable and dangerous, we had tamed the dangerous Northwest Lions, 7-3. 

If you can play “crisp” ball in a swamp, well, that’s what we did. No errors, only two walks by Olivia Leaver (to the last two batters of the game before the Umps called the whole thing off) who notched her fourteenth win as Nic Rikand (2 RBI) prepared to come in. Taylor Smith backed that pitching with some great work at short and Caitlyn Boyle sped past her own (JV) stolen base record, set last year, with three steals to put her at 42 with one game left to play.

It is worth mentioning, I think, as our penultimate game put us at 15-8 for the season, that not that long ago our record stood at 7-7. The girls have done a great job of improving as individuals and as a team. Couldn’t be prouder of them and I will admit they exceeded my expectations. 

No school or practice tomorrow. We close out our season (although some will serve as a “practice squad” to help the varsity prepare for districts) Monday against what we expect to be a very good Ft. Zumwalt West squad. But win, lose, or draw, we will celebrate our success at Serendipity following the game. Apologies (sorry, not sorry) if I spoil their dinner appetites. Oh, and thanks to all those who cheered us on in the rain today. Your support did not go unnoticed.

Another Unsuccessful Crusade: WG 11, CJ 0

Can you play a good game against a not good team? Yes, you can. You do it by playing your game at your speed and not playing down to their level, which is what we did today against the Crusaders of Cor Jesu. Like most of the battles of the real Crusades, the battles were kind of one-sided and generally the Crusaders didn’t fare so well. Which sort of begs the question of why pick that as your mascot….

In any case, I suggested to the girls that they should put BTO’s “Taking Care of Business” on their warm up playlist. I only suggested the song; Coach Cerutti knew the group. He also gets credit for calling the play that resulted in the defensive highlight, a “strike ‘em out, throw ‘em out” double play to end the second inning and curtail a first-and-third threat with a strong throw from Marko to T. Smith at second.

Strong pitching in the circle from O and Nic. Our biggest struggle was waiting on the s-l-o-w offerings of CJ’s (not Muggs) pitcher. Friday and Morgan (helpfully batting in the 2 & 3 holes) stung the ball all four times, accounting for 7 hits and 7 runs between. Friday was our POG.

I apologize for not getting more pix on the blog. Please check back, maybe tomorrow, for today’s game and yesterday’s, but my energy is slipping away faster than the hours on the clock. So, far now, here’s the box score and the brackets for Saturday’s Fox JV Tournament. Friday will be a short practice, focusing on hitting. Given that weather is turning cooler, it may not mean as much but the girls can wear shorts for practice on Friday.

Surfin' Safari, Riding the Waves to an Easy Win: WG 21, Festus 3

It’s JV Softball and the one thing you know is that you never know. We travelled south to Festus down a player (freshman 3B Morgan Lawrence, who was ill), prepared to try to cage some tough Tigers. 

The safari ended quickly, if not officially, when we put up a 7-spot in the top of the first and Olivia Leaver, with defensive help from Taylor Smith who slid over to third from short, put up a quick zero. We added on each inning, and except for a field goal in the second quarter, I mean inning, clamped down on defense and walked, ran and hit our way to a 21-3 win, as Nicola Rikand threw two hitless innings to close things out. 

With hits up and down the lineup and speed putting pressure on the Tigers’ defense, it was just a matter of time before we decamped back to STL with our eighth win and pushed our record back over the .500 mark.

Hazelwood West comes to visit Tuesday and we head over to Affton Athletic Association to take on Cor Jesu in what we expect to be competitive games before prepping for the Fox JV Tournament next weekend. But the girls get this weekend, a long one because we’re including tomorrow in it, off and resume practice on Monday. Lots of noise and energy today as the girls cheered and supported each other and made Coach Kate’s bus ride a worthwhile trip.

The camera never escaped the backpack today, so the only pic we have is from a warm up game the girls invented (to practice their ABCs) as we waited for the bus.

This game, getting all the way through the alphabet song before the crumpled paper bag hit the ground proved slightly more challenging than our opponents today. See you at the field on Tuesday.

Too Many Mistakes Lead to 5-inning Loss. Marquette 15, Webster 5

You cannot give any team 7 extra outs of chances to advance and expect a positive outcome. And that many freebies to a team from a program as strong as Marquette’s is especially problematical. Of the 15 runs scored by the Mustangs, 11 were unearned. While a misplay on their side also led to a run or two, the game cold have been much closer.

Defense is an ongoing area of emphasis, “taking care of the ball,” and using good judgment on when and where to throw. We saw some progress, not just today but since the beginning of the season, but to this point our defense is somewhat inconsistent. Our pitchers deserved better fates than they suffered today, and we will need more consistent performance if we hope to go on a roll before the end of the season.

We head south, way south, tomorrow, visiting Festus before a long (for us) weekend. The varsity is over in Liberty and Coaches Cerutti and Wylie are accompanying them, so JV Black will get a long weekend with Friday off. Thanks to Karen Smith for the pix, and, oh, by the way, Happy Birthday to Our Gal Friday.

Nicola Rikand quickly changed course and took the out at home in the second inning.

Marko gets the forecourt at home from Nic Rikand in the top of the second.

Morgan Lawrence went 3-for-3 and slides in here with a triple to drive in Bailey Allen for our first run. Morgan later scored on a long sacrifice fly by Emmy Gary.

Maddie Keefer catches another Mustang runner at the plate on a heads up throw from shortstop Taylor Smith.

Credit the Mustangs with the courage call and execute a 2-strike bunt; Morgan showed good judgement by eating the ball.

Happy birthday to an important leader, Taylor Graning (TG[IF]) -- aka Friday. The nickname traces its provenance back to her freshman year, when we had TK and TG -- and you can figure the rest out yourselves.

"So Ugly It Could Sit on a Tombstone and Hatch Ghosts" Webster 10, Seckman 7

“The worst JV game I’ve seen in two years,” said the Webster coach. I’m not sure that’s really an exaggeration, but the best thing about yesterday’s 10-7 win over the Seckman Jaguars C-Team was that it was played on a satellite fields and the Statesmen fans who made the trek and braved the heat were not charged $2 admission. Even the field goal we won by bounced in off the crossbar.

The game was so ugly that there are no pictures. It reminded me of an old Moms Mabley punchline: “So ugly [it] could sit on a tombstone and hatch ghosts.” Of our 27 outs, we gave up 8 on called third strikes. Our 9 errors only exceeded that number by 1. Our pitchers deserved better, but also deserve credit for not letting our sloppy play distract them from their mission. They allowed only 1 walk, and half the hits credited to Seckman came from pop ups that should have been caught.

However, we stopped flailing and bailing long enough to right the ship and limp safely into harbor with our fifth victory of the year. (POG –>Freshman Bailey Allen) Heading into our Friday home contest against the Fox Warriors, we stand at 5-6. 

We will need to play more like we did against Summit or being late to the home football game for the band activities won’t be a problem. Monday will be a designated “non-starter start” game against the Colts of Parkway Central. 

Perhaps I’ll see some of you when the WGHS Jazz Band performs Saturday at the Jazz Fest.

Great Game, But On the Wrong Side of a 4-3 Score vs. Summit

“The best JV game I’ve seen in two years,” said the home plate umpire after the game. Softball is a game of inches and we were a bit unlucky and a couple inches (well, maybe feet) away from walking it off in the bottom of the seventh.

Lots of good defensive plays (unfortunately, sort of, by both teams), few walks led to a crisply played game that Rockwood Summit won, 4-3. We may get the series tiebreaker if we face them in the Fox JV Tournament at the end of the year.

Highlight performances included three scoreless innings in the circle by POG Nic Rikand, a caught stealing by Marko, who also made a good tag at the plate on a strong throw by Emmy Gary, and a nifty 6-3-5 double play from Taylor Smith, Maci Rekart and Morgan Lawrence. We struggled against a pretty good pitcher, perhaps a bit overanxious early, then a bit timid later. Balls that were hit hard saw good plays by their center and left fielders. Even so, the tying and winning runs were in scoring position when the game ended on Morgan Lawrence’s smash at the second baseman.

So it goes, sometimes. Our record stands at 4-6 as we head down to Seckman tomorrow. If you’re going to follow us, be reminded that there will be a $2 entrance fee, although today’s game would have been worth that admission price. Not too many pictures today (but thanks, Karen Smith) because the game was too exciting to view through a camera lens! 

Speaking of pictures, don’t forget to order your photo book if you haven’t already.

Olivia Leaver fields her position to get the first out in the 4th inning.

Emmy Gary fires a strike to Nora (Marko) Marcinkiewicz to end the 4th inning.

Happy Birthday, Morgan. Cupcakes! We not only have good players, but good people and teammates. #teambonding

Pioneers Axe the Statesmen, 13-5

We knew going in that this might be a tough contest. We had seen enough of Kirkwood this summer – and the past several years – to know that they had talent and coaching, a growing program that has closely paralleled our own. Add to that the long-standing (friendly, characterized by respect and sportsmanship) rivalry, well, it was going to be a big day.

Except for one bad (terrible, horrible, no good very bad) inning, we played even with that strong Kirkwood team. However, those were mistakes of execution, not preparation, not attitude, and they didn’t diminish our approach to the rest of the game. Olivia Leaver kept her cool on a hot day, just taking the ball and firing strikes. Another game with no walks from her. Nic Rikand finished out the last two innings with a solid effort in the circle, as well.

Maddie Keefer put us ahead, briefly with a bases clearing double and a 5-2 lead. She also was robbed twice by the left fielder. Caitlyn Boyd (POG) defied the Pioneers to throw her out and they couldn’t, not at first, not at second, not at third. Only a great diving catch by the Kirkwood backstop deprived her of a perfect day. 

I don’t know how many games we will win this weekend, next week, this year. But given what we saw today, I’m optimistic that we’ll see improvement game after game, week after week, and I’m looking forward to seeing that happen.

Marko sets up to receive one of the many strikes thrown by....

One of my favorite moments in every game is when the IF gathers around their pitcher.

Nikola Rikand finished out the game with a strong two inning performance.

Bailey Allen forces the Pioneer runner back to second, backing up the throw back to the pitcher.

Caitlyn Boyle not only sparked the offense with 2 hits and 2 runs, but added a catch in RF.

Come From Away* --WG 18, PB 12

Apologies for the tardiness of this entry. Family obligations with lots of out of town cousins in for the interment of my aunt and uncle’s ashes in the Smith Sturdy Cemetery were complicated by the addition of this Saturday contest.

Watching the Poplar Bluff squad warm up, it appeared we would have our hands full, might even be a bit overmatched, especially after a rather ragged pregame of our own.

Pre-game style points don’t carry over on the scoreboard, however, and despite our being too slow in response to their opening short game salvo, we held the Mules to a single run in the first and used our speed and aggressive base running to counter with 7 of our own. It appeared that the opposition’s 3-hour drive might not have been worth it. To their credit, Poplar Bluff refused to quit, scoring in every inning until the sixth, and closing the run gap to just 2 runs going into the bottom of the fifth inning.

Olivia Leaver restored order at the end of the game, holding PB (no J) to just 2 runs over the last three innings to record both the win and a save. Orange call ups Faith Lowry and OP (Olivia Perry) both contributed to the win, as did every other player in uniform for the contest, whether afield, on the bases, or in the batter’s box. Truly a team win, and, while not as crisply played as we might want (despite only two official errors in the box score), we always regained our composure and kept the wheels from coming off.

POG Morgan Lawrence had 4 hits and an equal number of RBI and stolen bases, Taylor Smith, Emmy Gary, Olivia Perry (triples) and Olivia Leaver (double) all added extra base hits, while Caitlyn Boyle and Ally Marshall showed that the slap/bunt game is a two-edged sword that can be used by both sides. All in all a satisfying, if not particularly expeditious, victory over a dogged opponent.
    This week’s schedule features @Mehlville on Tuesday and a visit from Kirkwood’s Pioneers on Thursday, then an early morning (6:30 in front of Roberts) bus ride to the challenging FZW Tournament on Saturday. (Look for the brackets, directions, and tournament protocols for that event tonight.)

*Come From Away is an excellent musical (played the Fox last year, about the response of a small town in Nova Scotia to all the planes diverted there on 9-11-01) that I highly recommend if you get the opportunity. While it has nothing to do with softball, it seemed an apt article title given the home locale of our opponents.

"O" earned both her second victory and first save of the season, pitching 5 innings, allowing only 5 runs.

Marko guided the action from behind the plate, added a hit and two walks to the offense.

Taylor Smith had two hits, including a triple, and was solid at short.

Maci Rekart played the entire game at first base, added a hit in her only plate appearance, a short off the 3B's glove.

Morgan Lawrence earned her second POG honor, with strong defense, 4 hits, RBI and stolen bases.

Ally Marshal continues to grow as a slapper bunter, reaching base three times, and closed well on a dying quail in CF to close out an inning and threat.

Friday Graning was solid again at 2B, offers flexibility in her ability to play almost anywhere.

O gets support from her IF to start the game.

Webster 13, Lindbergh 0

The 2019 JV Softball season is now officially underway, and while we would have preferred a more challenging game, perhaps this was the best way to get the jitters out of the way, as all of our players saw significant playing time in the 5-inning 13-0 victory over the Lindbergh Flyers. Besides the victory, I enjoyed reconnecting with two former students from my Hancock days (two brothers who served as my yearbook editors and are now the head principal and social studies department chair at LHS) and Maddy Raimondo, a former WG player of mine who is now an assistant principal.

Our next opponents will provide us with plenty of challenge as we face Oakville at home tomorrow (Thursday), visit Eureka on Friday, and host Poplar Bluff in the second game of a double header on Saturday. We know the first two will test us and I expect Poplar Bluff didn’t decide to drive three hours to get clobbered.

But we’ll celebrate today’s win (all 3 teams won today) and worry about tomorrow, well, tomorrow. Behind the pitching of Olivia Leaver, who picked up her first JV win and Nicola Rikand (a 3-inning “save”), the inexperienced Flyers were overmatched. We put the brakes on early but also struggled against the soft tosses of the Lindbergh pitcher (the principal’s daughter). Our defense was generally solid, with Taylor (Friday) Graning especially flashing some leather at 2B. Thanks to Karen Smith for the photos that follow. Okay, also thanks to the "Live" feature on my iPhone (I do not stock, but I do admit to having been an Apple Fanboy for 35 years now) for some of the others.

Freshman Morgan Lawrence contributed two hits including a double and drove home three runs; Maddie Keefer added her own double and drove in two. I know the girls appreciated all the fans in the stands for their first game as we look forward to our home opener tomorrow against the Tigers from Oakville.

Go go get 'em.... Let's play ball!

The Flyers decided to test Olivia Leaver right away with a bunt -- Put out, 1-3

Taylor (Friday) Graning played a solid 2B, solidified the right side defense with 3 put outs and 2 assists.

Ally Marshall settles under a fly ball to CF for the last out of the first inning.

Nora Marcinkiewicz prepare to grab Strike 3 for Olivia Leaver's first JV-Black K.

Maddie Keefer hangs on the Strike 3 from Nicola Rikand

Freshman Morgan Lawrence flips to Friday for a force at second and almost a DP.

Nicola Rikand finished the game with 3 innings in the circle, four strike outs.

Statesmen Tame the Lions: WG 5, NWCH 2

We got the challenging game we expected (and hoped for) on our Jeffco trip to play the Lions of Northwest HS. It was a crisp game that an inexperienced observer might have confused with a varsity tilt. For sure the level of sportsmanship from both teams was worthy of accolades at any level. Not even sure TK worked up a sweat, needing only 57 pitches to record her 21 outs in the 5-2 win, tying Olivia Collins’s record for most wins in a season with 15 (of our total 16 against a single loss). The defense made the routine plays she generated behind her and in slightly over an hour we were talking, packing up, and heading back to our own ‘hood.

Today’s offense featured Lydia Beggs and Taylor Smith, each with 4 hits and 2 runs; Taylor had 2 doubles and a triple in her collection. We also saw fundamentally sound softball with 2 sacrifice bunts each from Sarah Sammon and Caitlyn Boyle (who added a great throw from RF to defuse a potential threat in the fifth inning when Lions tried to roar).

This was another team win, with contributions all over the field, at the plate, and in the dugout. Veteran leadership has done what I didn’t think was possible, creating the beautiful team-first attitude and chemistry that rivals what Coach Cerutti and I marveled at last year.

We are Road Warriors for the rest of the season, as tomorrow we send a hybrid team (in what is technically an Orange game) to Lutheran South (where Black will travel again on Monday – we can’t quite explain that either), with a roster complicated by band conflicts. And then Saturday will see us at the KAA for the annual Hancock Tournament, where we will be defending our fourth straight title. We finish at Kirkwood on Tuesday, looking for a season sweep of our rival.
Photos thanks to Karen Smith.

We were a little bit out in the country. Bug forecast proved correct.

You can try to bunt on us if you want, but we'll all be moving. Note LF Sarah Sammon on the move in the background.

Taylor Smith's 4 for 4 day included two doubles and a triple.

Emmy Gary and her magic bat drives in Taylor Smith with a big seventh inning insurance run.

Lydia Beggs also went four for four, scoring 2 runs and driving in another.

The injury to Alyssa Moran necessitated moving Nic Rikand to CF and Taylor Smith shifted over the left side at short.