Getting After Affton: Webster 12, Affton 8

Affton returned to our schedule this year after a long absence and an extended hiatus for their JV team. This was the Cougars’ first game of the season; knowing that we tried to take advantage of an opportunity for our first “Non-Starter Start to give some playing time to girls who don’t get to see as much as some others.

Affton had other ideas, however, and kept putting pressure on us, even tying the game 5-5 in top of the 4^th inning, at which point we needed to squeeze every bit of offense our of our lineup. We used our speed advantage to pressure the Cougars and piled on additional 5 runs in our half of the inning.

That didn’t stop Affton from coming back, and they certainly earned our respect as they continued to battle and force us to make plays. Allyson Peters made her debut in the circle and pitched 5 strong innings. Josie Krueger brought the game home with a scoreless 7^th and we finally were able to send the Cougars home on the wrong end of a 12-8 score. It wasn’t the prettiest game, but it was competitive and entertaining, although it made for an almost undecipherable scorecard!

Becca DeGreeff was a wall behind the plate and did a good job of working with our freshman pitchers. Zoe Schulz continues to open eyes with her athleticism and instincts on the field and the basepaths. All in all, it was a good team victory with contributions up and down the lineup. We bent as Affton didn’t quit, but never went into panic mode and, as a result, prevailed.

We face our toughest test of the season tomorrow, when we take on the Seckman Jaguars, a team we’ve had trouble matching up with in the past. However, their varsity has a number of freshmen so perhaps they’ve raided the closet. Coach Cerutti and I believe we can compete with anyone, so we anticipate a good game. See you there.

 As always, thanks to Amy Jo Love for the pix:

Wrong Kind of Lightning: Fox 16, Webster 7

For a while we put a scare into the Fox Warriors, putting them on the ropes. We played fast, aggressive softball, took good at bats, ran the bases well. But a Fox pitching change, added to the fourth time through the lineup gave our opponents too many bites at the same apple; they adjusted, put good swings on the ball, and we made some mistakes on balls hit hard and soft, the result being a 13-run sixth inning and a 16-7 loss. Halfway through that inning, as the skies darkened, I suggested to the coaches that what we really needed was lightning. Unfortunately, the thunder was only coming from Fox bats. We did finally put a stop to the Warrior attack and got to the plate for our half of the seventh without falling victim to the 10-run rule. Sadly, the score alone makes the loss look far more one-sided than it really was.

One thing we are trying to learn is to limit our losses, to take the easy out and stop the bleeding, to keep from prolonging a big inning. While true at any level, it is especially important for JV teams, where things can get out of hand in a hurry. Despite the game being seemingly out of hand, we did put two runners on in the seventh, but couldn’t quite adjust to the second Fox pitcher.

I’m looking forward to seeing what we can do against Hazelwood West tomorrow and Marquette on Friday, leading into the (apparently chilly) Hancock Tournament on Saturday. The girls have done a good job of applying what they’ve learned this season and are making good progress.

Two final plusses: Claudia and I have clearly mastered to glove-bat exchange toss (see pix below) and Amy Love sent a beautiful message to Fox re: their absurd $3 admission fee. I also complained as we entered, suggesting schools should play people to watch JV softball, not the other way around. Apparently not the first complaint they’ve heard. I’m looking for parent volunteers to manage Admission Tables when Fox and Seckman come to visit. Webster families will be issued a pass with their athletic fee. Just sayin’....

Rounding Up the Longhorns; Webster 18, Parkway West 3

This wasn’t the game I would have picked as the warm-up to three upcoming tough games and the Hancock Tournament, but the girls did as good a job as possible of playing their own game and not letting down to the level of the opposition. We also inaugurated the striped socks to good effect. I was especially pleased that they did a much better job than previously of staying back and driving the ball against a very slow pitcher.

We enjoyed welcoming Olivia Weik back with two hits, as she was finally cleared to play and got rid of the cast on her hand. This was actually her first action on the field and she did a great job of staying involved and being a great teammate despite her own inability to play; she worked hard at the one thing she could do, base run. ACB was her usually steady self and notched her 8^th win as we moved our overall record to 11-6. Kate Nieman drove in the walk-off game-ender with her second hit and third RBI. We got some additional playing time for some of the girls who are not regular starters and I feel good about being prepared for the tournament on Saturday.

As a reminded, we will start on Field 5 at Affton Athletic Association, and I’d like all the girls to be ready to warm up by 7:20. Based on the weather forecast, I don’t expect we’ll have any trouble playing the tournament, but from experience I can tell you it will be chilly when we start. Wearing the long-sleeve shirt under the uniform will be helpful, as will gloves (not softball gloves, although those are essential). It may not feel that bad walking out the door at 7 a.m., but it will standing around a little later. If we get some sunshine, things should be pleasant – about the time the tournament is over, say 12:30 or so.

The No Fun Tourney; Francis Howell Tournament

When even the game you win isn’t fun, or even competitive, you may begin to question whether this is the right tournament for your team. You might be able to learn a little from getting clobbered 15-0 by a superior opponent, buy you learn almost nothing (except how to be a gracious winner, perhaps) from winning 23-3 (and 3 of the 9 outs made by the opponents coming from deliberately leaving the base early). Even the third game, which could or should have been the most competitive, wasn’t, at least in part because the first two games didn’t prepare us for anything. (We lost to Timberland, 11-1; we’re better than that, but I don’t want to claim how much better.)

We dropped out of the Parkway Tournament a few years ago because we couldn’t compete with most of the teams. I think that has changed. Perhaps I’m being premature, because we have even played for the championship in the Francis Howell Tournament; perhaps the last two years have represented a bad run or draw. On the other hand, if I’m putting together my own tournament, I schedule my first game against a beatable opponent, and we’ve faced host Francis Howell the past two seasons, and they have been loaded. In previous years, when we had been successful, we found ourselves facing the defending champion. Maybe I am being paranoid, but remember, just because you’re paranoid doesn’t mean they're NOT out to get you.

Still, the results were what they were, and it’s time to move on to our last week, a tough one, with a 10-6 composite record, and the Hancock Tournament ahead, where we are the defending champions. The box scores, such as they are, are below, with some pix by Amy Love.

    We will practice on Monday, have our last home game on Tuesday (Sophomore Day, although that designation means less than in other years, with only three sophomores who are already key starters), against Parkway West.

With apologies in advance (although I want to point out that the coaching staff is not subject to HIPA rules*), I’m going to share some statistics from last year (on the blog in the season summary) that I think are significant. Our captain, Hannah Love, played in only 17 of the 23 games last season, with only 37 plate appearances. Our lead pitcher, AnnaClaire Bryant, played in only 16 of the 23, with just 26 plate appearances. Even Maggie Pool, who was more of a starter last year, only saw action in 20 of the 23 and made it the plate just 48 times. Their response to their limited playing time was to go to work to get better and work hard during the off-season. Their reward: lots of time this year and an expanded role on and off the field. Coach Gibson is looking forward to their continued improvement and joining him on the Varsity Squad next year.

We are road warriors Wednesday, Thursday and Friday as we travel to Fox, Hazelwood West, and Marquette, respectively. All will be challenging games. Our final game will be at McCluer North,, Coach Poe’s alma mater (and a school that didn’t even exist when I did my student teaching up in Ferg-Flor) next Tuesday.

We are looking forward to the Hancock Tournament next weekend. We take advantage of the “Bat the Lineup” and “Free Substitution” rules, and use this tournament as a showcase event that gives our players a chance to show off their skills and their parents a chance to see the same. When we win the plastic, as we did last year, it’s a bonus.

We do NOT provide transportation to that tournament, based on the fact that some kids could get to Affton Athletic almost as quickly as they could get to the high school to take a bus. The first game starts at 8:00 a.m., the games are on a strict 1-hour 20 minute time limit, and we’ll be done by 12:30 at the latest. I would like the girls to be at AAA ready to warm up no later than 7:20, so they can help get the equipment to our first field, (Field #5, against Parkway South).

HIPA Joke of the Day: Knock knock; Who’s there?; HIPA; HIPA Who? Sorry, can’t tell you.