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.

Rival Redux: Webster 10, Kirkwood 9

   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.

I am tired, but not so lazy that I can’t write new copy. The above paragraph is from LAST YEAR’s game against Kirkwood’s Pioneers (which ended 8-7; this year’s score was 10-9). What’s that expression, “Déjà vu all over again”? That’s what Kirkwood’s coach thought. In many ways, this was high school softball at its finest. The umpires concurred. “Best game I’ve had this year,” said both of them. Rival programs battling it out with heart and respect for their opponent. Sportsmanship prevailing (and isn’t sportsmanship essentially respect?).

Of course, in other ways, this was our most poorly played game of the year (I was going to say “arguably” but there really was no argument when I opened the post-mortem with, “Nice win, ladies, but we kind of sucked.”). Lots of mistakes on the field and on the bases (and one could argue in the 3^rd base coaching box). But the character of this team was revealed by its attitude (r-e-s-p-e-c-t) toward each other; no slumped shoulders, no pointed fingers, no recrimination, no cliquey huddles, just whose turn to pick us up? What fun to watch, what fun to coach.

Highlights? You want highlights? Yes, there were a few, and, then again, not too few to mention. Caitlyn Boyle (Yes, I’m going to bunt. What are you going to do about it?) had four hits and made two nice catches in RF (plus always being in the right place on throws to 1B). Alyssa Moran added a double and a triple to her extra base hit collection. Myah King cleared the fence by plenty for her third HR – no pressure, just the bottom of the seventh down by a run – which generated her third intentional walk (that HAS to be a JV record) when she came up in the eighth. Get used to it Myah. That loaded the bases, thanks to two well-worked walks by our 8 and 9-hole batters, “Lids” Beggs and “Friday” Graning.

Intentional walks don’t work if there’s protection behind the hitter, and for the second game in a row, “Marko” made the opposition pay, this time with a bases clearing bolt to the right center gap to drive in the walk off winner (It would have been yet another triple for her, but we only needed two runs, and I would guess she’s probably pretty happy getting credit of a double.) Shortstop Nicola Rikand made an eye-popping dive and throw to get the Pioneer leadoff batter in the top of the eighth, helping to limit their damage to just one run. And TK notched her 13^th win in the circle, keeping her composure (and helping her teammates keep theirs) despite 6 unearned runs.

Another team win. Going into “Sophomore Day” next Tuesday against Pattonville, our record stands at 13-1. We also have Lindbergh’s Flyers at home on Wednesday and travel to Bug Heaven (Northwest Cedar Hill – scouting report says, “Pack the Deet”) on Thursday. The latter two games are both winnable and losable and each should provide another good test. Whether we prevail or not, we now know this Statesmen team will not quit. And thanks to Karen Smith for these great pix!

That score is about to change in the bottom of the seventh. A no-doubter, "She Gone!" (apologies to the Hawk Harrelson)

Myah King gets her deserved Hero's welcome after belting her third home in two games.

What happens when you walk Myah King? Marko happens -- to the fence in right center for a walk off winner!

And another deserved hero's welcome. But these girls also know that none of this happens without the work of their teammates who created the opportunity for victory.

More Reasons to Celebrate -- The Magic Season Continues

It was a beautiful day (in the neighborhood) for softball, specifically the Hancock Tournament where we gathered on (Homerun) Field 2 to defend our title (actually, our three consecutive titles) and try to extend our 7-game winning streak to 10.

When the oddsmakers in Vegas heard that Affton had dropped at the last minute and been replaced by Parkway South’s upper echelon JV squad, the numbers on the big board changed rapidly and dramatically, perhaps fueled in part by the confidence exhibited by the Parkway South parents. “Webster who?” Of course, what were the odds of losing three straight coin tosses to determine home team? (Actually, as it turns out, according to Marilyn Vos Savant, 50-50, but never mind.)

An Experiment and Control Group: Webster 20, Gateway Science Academy 8

First things first. GSA (Gateway Science Academy) and their young program suggested a rule change that mirrors the WGBSL’s rec-league rules for 3^rd and 4^th grade: 5 runs or 3 outs, whichever comes first. We demurred and promised to find a more authentic way to end the carnage if that became necessary. In addition to letting GSA have the call on the coin flip we were beginning to second guess ourselves after our opponents answered our 4-run first with their own 8-spot. I wasn’t really worried, but we had never allowed that many runs to a team we had defeated all year.

Order was restored with a pitching change and our own 9-run 2^nd inning. We tacked on 7 more in the 3^rd, including two “leaving early” calls (yes, there’s an app, I mean sign, for that) to end the inning and move us into the semi-final round with a 20-8 victory. Sarah Sammon (double) and Nicola Rikand (home run) each contributed an extra base hit to go with many walks, wild pitches and uncontested stolen bases.

The mismatch wasn’t really a challenge, but neither was there any sense of panic on the bench or in the coaching box after we fell behind. The victory meant we were able to stay at Field 2 for Game 2 against the Parkway South JV-Blue (freshman) squad.

Blue Patriots: Webster 16, Parkway South (Blue) 0

Well, that didn’t take long. I didn’t have the heart to tell the Patriot coach we were featuring an “upside down” lineup after 2 of the first three batters banged home runs and we led 3-0 before the umpire had a chance to dust the plate again. By the time P. South had recorded their third out, we were up 11-0. Taylor Knapp notched her eighth win by keeping things that way, pitching a 3-inning, 1-hit shutout and we added more runs in the second (2) and third (3), with a triple from Hannah Jansen and a homer from Kelly Collins. Errorless defense supported the pitching and the game ended quickly on the 15-run rule, setting up the championship finale.

Red or Blue, We Don’t Care: Webster 9, Parkway South (Red) 7

This was a worthy championship game, featuring two strong programs, even if only one thought they deserved the trophy. Because we had the same plate umpire for all three games, I was saved the trouble of giving him a new roster each game. “Same as last time,” said I. Parkway South declined the “Bat the Roster” option. (That’s the primary reason we play this tournament – if we didn’t want the chance to showcase ALL our players, we’d find a different tournament.)

In the post-game autopsy, Coach Cerutti praised the girls, saying “Parkway batted their best 9.” Hannah Jansen’s perfect rejoinder? “We batted our best 14.” Does anyone wonder why the coaching staff loves this team? Life doesn’t always turn out this way, sadly, but when doing (what you think is) the right thing has the desired result, well, it’s just (insert your adjective here).

The Patriots jumped out to a 2-0 lead, but the Statesmen pitching and defense adjusted and cooled their momentum. In our top of the third, Megan Hayes worked a walk, Rebekah Riefle added a single and Jessica Peterson bashed her first career home run to seize the lead. Kelly Collins drove in Hannah Jansen and Carissa Castro with a double to stun the Patriots and their supporters.

Good baserunning by Guin Ellsworth in the 4^th saw her cross the plate as Sarah Sammon battled a 2-strike count to make contact and get an insurance run across. We flirted with disaster, in more ways than one, in the fifth. A line drive up the middle skipped off the top of Kelly Collins’s head, temporarily putting her on the bench. A Field 2 home run off Taylor Knapp knotted the score before she could get the third out.

As Coach Knapp pointed out in the post-game, this team doesn’t play for themselves but for each other. With Kelly on the bench and under an ice bag, we rallied for three runs, with a huge hit by Taylor Graning and a clutch single by Maya Litton that drove in two and scored another when the Patriots panicked. With a 9-6 lead and time expired, a single and error put a runner on second with no one out in the sixth; Kelly returned to the circle. She recorded two quick outs (scoring P. South’s seventh run), but the third, fourth and fifth hitters in their lineup all reached. Bases loaded, two outs, momentum seemingly on the side of the Red Team.

But the red faces belonged to the Patriots as Kelly induced a ground ball back to her and she made no mistake in getting the ball to Maya for Out #3 and a hard-fought 9-7 win. Can you say, “Four-peat?” I can. The pride I have in this team, their hard work, their unity, their general attitude and love for the game, would not have changed, no matter the outcome, no matter the score. But it was such a pleasure, such an honor to take the trophy from Hancock’s A.D. (and my former student and softball scorekeeper from my days as a Tiger) and hand it to the most deserving group of young women with whom it’s been my pleasure to associate.

Well done, ladies. Couldn’t be happier for you reaping your deserved reward. With or without the trophy, you are champions! Look for Tourney pix tomorrow or Monday (after a short practice to prep for our last game against Cor Jesu on Tuesday) after I get a chance to download them. Oh, our record, you ask? 21-2.