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.

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.

Coasting at Full Speed: Webster 10, Mehlville 0

It took us twice through the order before we were able to adjust to the Mehlville pitcher’s soft tosses. We sort of knew the Panthers were overmatched (seldom do strong squads bring only 9 players to the field, plus their reputation preceded them) so we left some weapons unused, as well. It is often a challenge to maintain the level of your game against a weaker opponent, but our Statesmen did exactly that.

Meanwhile, Taylor Knapp filled the zone with strikes, Marko called a strong game behind the plate, and our defense made all the plays, including at least one missed by an umpire. More important, we were loud and working hard on every pitch, which has become the standard for Webster JV Softball. Kudos to the girls on that. The game broke open in the bottom of the fourth as we plated seven runs on 5 hits including a triple by Alyssa Moran and a double by Emmy Gary. Nicola Rikand made her pitching debut in perfect fashion as she closed out the win.

Not much more to say except I’m glad we have a day between Mehlville and Kirkwood on Thursday (we travel to the ‘Wood for the first of a home and home series between the rivals). We will have short practice tomorrow, get our swings tuned up and be ready to go (Gordon permitting, of course, which isn’t given at this point). Thanks to the photogs from both JV Orange and JV Black, plus Andrew Graning.

Alyssa Moran rounds first on her way to a triple over the CF's head.

Taylor Smith has yet to be retired this season, having reached by walk, hit or error in every AB.

Speedster Caitlyn Boyle gets her first JV hit on a bunt.

Venus (Flytrap) Moran gets the second out on a fly ball in the fifth inning.

Nicola Rikand made her 2108 debut in the circle with a 3-up, 3-down fifth inning to close out the game.

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.

Exit Laughing (with Tears): Webster 17, Cor Jesu 0

The only games all season to be threatened by rain were the first and last, and we had to play through some light sprinkles today. Not that the weather was going to slow down this team!

Last year, facing Cor Jesu in our last game, we had trouble regaining our momentum from the Hancock tournament and thus finished our season with a loss. A couple factors kept that from happening this year, including the minor detail that this year’s edition of CJ wasn’t very good. However, we also kept our focus, took care of business, and quickly dispatched the Chargers by a 17-0 score.

I’d feel worse for them except for a minor incident as we were cruising in what was clearly going to be our last at bat (in the bottom of the second inning). We had not only taken our foot off the gas, we had even slammed on the brakes, leaving base early to end the first inning, stopping stealing, not scoring on the multitude of passed balls and wild pitches, etc.

We wanted to make sure every player participated in the last game of this magical season and were freely substituting. Apparently the umpire did not hear me call out the substitution. (I was pretty casual, although loud enough to be heard by most everyone else, by this time.) Apparently not trusting us to not run up the score, the CJ coach complained that we had made an illegal substitution (of our #4 hitter and clean-up batter) because the umpire had not reported the change to her, thus generating an out for “batting out of order” and depriving our sub of a walk and RBI. The umpire apologized after the game for not hearing the change. Irksome, but not a real problem. We just started scoring on passed balls and wild pitches to ensure we ended the game as quickly as possible. Karma is a real thing.

At the end the girls presented Coach Kate with her own spirit animal (unicorn), shed a tear or six, enjoyed one last break (“WEBSTER!!”), applauded their parents and fans for the season-long support, and headed for what I hope remains a tradition long after my last game, a trip to Serendipity for ice cream and more memories. I’ll have more to say in a day or two, with photos from the tournament and this game, a season wrap up, and perhaps another article of observation, but for now, 22-2 will stand as a record for a long, long time.

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.