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.

Arghhh! Sinking the Pirates, 23-0

Teddy Roosevelt counseled speaking softly and carrying a big stick. We’ve been swinging some big sticks lately.

When you look at the season-ending stats at the banquet, remember there were three (3!) games in which we scored 20 runs. Mismatches tend to have inflationary tendencies. There are many fewer of those at the next level, whatever level that may be; that lofty batting average cannot be expected to translate, and our varsity coaches know that. They’re looking for skill sets.

Fortunately, our players have been working hard to develop various skill sets, which are helping them to create some of these mismatches. 

Pattonville was not nearly as bad a team as the score makes it appear. Their first pitcher generally threw stikes, walking very few until her arm started to fall off. But we essentially crushed everything she threw. Our soft hitters placed the ball perfectly (Ally Marshall scored her first extra-base hit as the fielders headed one direction and the ball, well, it in another) and our bigger hitters crushed four (4!) homeruns, including 2 grand slams (Morgan Lawrence hit two, Wreck-It Rekart added her first, and Nic Rikand padded her cushion in the circle). Playing on what was essentially a baseball or slow-pitch softball field with no interior fence was to our batters’ advantage, as any ball past the outfield was a HR threat.

Nic came within a couple outs of a 3-inning no hitter as she dominated in the circle with 4 Ks and no walks to earn her first win to complement her four saves. Our defense made the plays we needed and the Pirates’ coach thought stealing second base down 20-0 was a good strategy. “Oh no,” said Marko. We deliberately ended the last two innings on Code Blue or we might still be batting. (jk, no lights that I noticed.)

We’ll try to tune up our swings tomorrow for a Northwest team that is better than it showed Saturday (not that the Lions played badly, we just played so well it seemed that way). Two more games to close out our season, at home on Thursday and Monday. If you haven’t had a chance to see how much the girls have improved since that first Saturday scrimmage, don’t miss your chance.

Nicola Rikand was our POG for her 1-hitter and Homerun.

Friday took advantage of the Pirate OFs understandably playing deep after Morgan Lawrence's 2 homers, and hustled a short fly ball in front of them into a double.

Despite not taking up slapping until this year, sophomore Ally Marshall sports a batting average around .500.

As a pitcher, Olivia Leaver usually gets a courtesy runner or is the flex, but  scored her first run of the season after a single in the long, long, long second inning.

Not sure about the strategy of stealing down by 20 runs, but we weren't napping. Marko to Ozzie for the quick tag and the second out.

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.

Taking Care of Business: WG 18, Parkway Central 1

It’s been a few years since Parkway Central has been competitive on the JV level. According to their coach, however, they are starting in the Feeder League, which offers some hope for their future, if they benefit the way our program has.

But, for today, that remains a dream down the road. Today, we dominated a weaker team as we expected to do. I was especially proud of how well we played against a less experience and talented team. Not the score, which was probably about what we expected, but how we played OUR game, at OUR speed, not playing down to the opposition, but still treating them with respect.

We used to start every game with, “Who do we respect? Everyone! Who do we fear? No one!” Not sure why I forgot about that -- #joysofaging perhaps. Nicola Rikand came within a homerun of hitting for the cycle, and with hits from every batter and speed for which the Colts had no answer, the game was never really in doubt.

Marquette will offer a stiffer test at home on Wednesday. Hope to see you at the field.

Olivia Leaver posted her seventh win, gets the final out in the first with a throw to Maci Rekart.

Nicola Rikand starts off her big day at the plate with a booming triple to left center.

Maci Rekart corrals a spinner before it goes foul and makes the tag.

The only well-hit ball by the Colts was held to a double by Jilly Sanders and her strong throw to the cut off.

Marko squeezes on of Olivia's four strikeouts. Marko also added two assists on throws.

Bailey Allen cleanly fields and throws the runner out at first.

Jilly Sanders connects in the fifth inning for her first hit this season, driving in two runs.

Apres Fox, Le Deluge Webster 20, Fox 5

Wait, what happened? Where did THIS team come from. Before the rain deluge there was a run deluge and we triggered the 15-run rule just in time to beat the downpour.

Fox scored three quick runs in the first inning, and based on their success in the Parkway South JV Tournament, I was fearing a short game with a mercy rule loss. Friday blocked their momentum like Jordan Binnington blocked shots in the Cup, taking a hit away from RF with a strong, quick throw to first and we were out of the inning.

I certainly didn’t envision the tables being turned so quickly or decisively, especially being down two starters. But there you go. It’s JV softball and the only thing you know for sure is that you never know for sure.

We countered with 5 runs of our own after only one out, and tacked on 2 more, batting around and forcing numerous Fox misplays and overthrows with aggressive base running. I think our outies saw how important hitting the cutoff can be when you don’t do it (not a critique of our outies, who generally do a good job in that department). 

A lack of experience and then a couple errors of our own handed 2 runs back to the Warriors, but Olivia Leaver (POG) just went back to work and retired the last 5 Fox batters as we continued to pile on with 11 in the bottom of the second and, almost literally, stole 2 more in the bottom of the third as Emmy Gary and Bailey Allen took matters into their own hands stealing on their own (or maybe I accidentally or magically gave signs I was unaware of). And just like that, the umpires threw up their hands to the darkening clouds swooping in from the South, calling the game at 20-5. 

The rains came in fast and hard, but I don’t think the girls minded getting wet. We hit the ball hard, we hit it soft, at and past Fox defenders, we ran aggressively, and looked (today) like the team I hoped we would become. I’m looking forward to seeing that brand of softball for the last half, as we evened our first half record at 6-6. Our second half starts Monday and players who have patiently waited for their opportunities to show what they can do will be in the lineup for our tilt against the Colts of Parkway Central (I-64 and 141, more or less, near St. Luke’s Hospital).

Thanks to Lydia Beggs, who spent the last two years with us but came to cheer us on, for some of the photos. Don’t forget to get your orders in for the photo books. You can give them to me or skip the occasionally forgetful middleman and go straight to Karen Smith.

POG Olivia Leaver picked up her sixth win in the circle.

Emmy Gary laces a ball to the gap for a double. (Ball top right of pic)

Bunt until they show they can deal with it. Nic Rikand drops down, and beats out, a sacrifice bunt in an 11-run 2nd inning.

If it works once, try again. Bailey Allen beats out her sacrifice bunt for a hit as Fox throws the ball all over the place.

Jilly Sanders scored three runs and drove in one on a fielder's choice, earned her "Spirit Animal" (a cat) from Coach Kate.

Morgan Lawrence gets ready to make her trip around the bases under darkening skies.

Morgan's teammates celebrate her "Double + that drove in 2 runs.

Emmy Gary adds her own thunder with her third hit of the day, then scored the penultimate (19th) run.

Five in a Row -- Hancock Tournament Champs

Looking at the brackets for Saturday’s Hancock Tournament there was some hope that both Orange and Black would be playing for plastic in the final game. We didn’t play each other, but Orange did have a shot at the Consolation Bracket trophy. Unfortunately, the host Tigers came back to score four runs (with two out) to snatch that plastic.

Our road was smoother, although it looked fraught because Notre Dame had salted their roster with a varsity pitcher. I thought that our second game would actually be the championship tilt because of that and because I doubted Valley Park, a small school with a pretty good program, could have enough to compete.

With Nic Rikand in the circle, we made short work of the Lady Gators from Gateway Science, a (relatively) new school and nascent softball program, 17-2. Taylor Knapp muscled up with her first home run and catcher Sarah (Sockeye) Sammon cleared the bases with a triple to close out the scoring in the bottom of the second in this mismatch.

For the first inning and two outs into the second, the game against the Notre Dame Rebels (who apparently have no understanding of irony in mascot choices) the game was as advertised. Then Myah King, to paraphrase that famous country western song, “ripped out their heart and stomped that sucker flat” with a monster HR well over the 215 foot fence. There was no rebel yell after that. We added five more runs in the third and Notre Dame surrendered. Six runs each in fourth and fifth shut the door behind the combined shutout of Taylor Knapp (who picked up her 16^th win) and Nic Rikand, 18-0.

In the championship contest we faced a school we’d never seen, the Hawks from Valley Park. Although we were initially told there would be no time limit, that was contradicted by the umpiring supervisor when we were briefly delayed when one of the Blue became ill. That rule reversal seemed to discombobulate the VP coach, although by that time it seemed to me she needed to worry more about the run rule than the time limit; a line drive double play with the bases loaded prematurely ended the second inning, but our run total was still 14 after three innings. The Hawk pitcher struggled with the strike zone which slowed the game to a crawl. In any case, the final closed after three and a half innings, 14-4, and we had our fifth straight Hancock championship.

It may be time to move on, although I expect we will come back to the pack next year, but if we continue to have 3 teams, this tournament probably makes more sense for Orange, which showed it could compete. Just one of the many decisions we need to make about the program in the weeks and months ahead.

A couple more notes before sharing box scores (including, New This Year! a composite box for the three games) and some more Karen Smith pictures. As is our tradition, our lineup is statistical, not strategic. The girls with the fewest plate appearances over the course of the season bat at the top and the girls with the most at the bottom. That has been questioned in the past, but one of the reasons for our success has been that we have a depth to our lineup that few JV squads can match. Game after game we have generated offense from the bottom of our order – no easy innings for the opposition. Our other advantage is that we have catchers. It's one thing to have a pitcher, but catchers who can save wild pitches, avoid passed balls, and throw out runners trying to steal is a tremendous asset. Marko and Sockeye provided that for us, and Emmy Gary showed she’s much more than competent as an emergency #3 receiver.

We still have two games to go, including the season finalé against the Pioneers at Kirkwood on Tuesday, but this team has been remarkable. Not just its 19-1 record, but in their support for teammates and cohesion, their love of the game and each other. It’s been a remarkable year. I’ll revisit this in the season wrap up, but this also seems an appropriate time to mention it.

Nicola Rikand won her second game, makes the throw to first on a tap back to her.

Welcome back, Zoe Weik. This is how a bunter/slapper gets that run home from third -- and herself to first.

Myah King's bomb (her fifth overall, fourth over the fence) broke a scoreless tie and Rebel Hearts.

When you're happy for your teammate. Love those smiles.

No option to ask for the headphones and instant replay. Caitlyn was called out. She wasn't. It didn't matter.

Sockeye Sammon easily beats the throw home. Blue got this one right.

Taylor (Don't Call Me Swift) Smith continues to drive the ball. And the search for a good nickname goes on....

Sarah Sammon lays down a perfect sacrifice bunt against the Valley Park Hawks in the first inning.