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.

Finishing Strong: WG 17, Lutheran South 0

We looked to this game against the Lancers as a tune-up for tomorrow’s tilt against the Pioneers at Kirkwood, and the chance to maybe give some Orange players a shot at time to make up for a game they missed due to band obligations.

It all worked to perfection. Because I was subbing and wanted to save my favors to ride the bus tomorrow, Coach Cerutti took over the bus duties and I didn’t arrive until after stretches. I had wanted to tell the girls to play this game like it was Kirkwood, with the same intensity, the same drive that they will bring to the field tomorrow. I didn’t get the chance, but, turns out, it wasn’t necessary, because that’s exactly the approach they took, not only to this game, but every game. The three Orange players who came along fit right in when they got their chance (and they all got at least an AB) and will bring their energy with them and to us tomorrow.

With Nic Rikand in the circle, we dominated every aspect of the game and she picked up her third victory. TK closed out the game to get her work in and be ready for tomorrow. We adjusted quickly, hit the ball hard, ran the bases aggressively (Caitlyn Boyd upped her stolen base total with two bags to eclipse Olivia Weik’s JV record of 34, with one game to play), and fielded cleanly, including a drop step and retreat on a fly ball in the sun by our flex, Lydia (Lids) Beggs, who looked like she played LF every day. The Lancer hits were basically of the infield variety and Marko erased the first when the runner had the temerity to try to steal on her – not even close.

That’s about all I have (not even sure I have a worthy picture, but haven’t had time to check as I write this before heading to bed). If it’s there, well, great. If not, you’ll have to be content with the box score. See you at KHS tomorrow for a good game and a fitting finish to a tremendous year.

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.