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.

Walk Off Winner: Webster 8, Kirkwood 7 (8 innings)

I.Love.This.Team!

Yes, still, even if they just added to my obviously folliculated-challenged status.

Because after an exciting walk-off win against KIRKWOOD!, what were they saying? That this was a team win, that everyone on the team was a part, an IMPORTANT PART, of this victory. Sorry if I’m shouting, but I’m still excited, even after a Pueblo Solis therapy session.

Finally, a real game! This would have been a heart-breaker to lose, but most of us know that you can, eventually, get over a broken heart. (Or so I’ve heard; I’ve been lucky enough not to have experienced that first-hand.) But how much better not to have to, to celebrate, as the girls are right now with a camp-out (See above and thanks to the Collins family for hosting--Yes, all 14 of them!), getting even closer (is that even possible?!?) as a team. The umpire asked Coach Cerutti, “Are they always this loud?” “That’s our team,” said Coach. Yep.

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.

Megan Hayes worked lead-off walk in a great AB. And with the bases loaded, Nicola Rikand UNloaded for a walk-off double and an 8-7 victory. Much more exciting and rewarding than our first five wins. The girls agreed, that, win or lose (and winning is better, of course) that this is the kind of softball game we want every time.

And here’s the thing. We can get better. We played far from a perfect game, far from our best softball. After Hannah Jansen took the air out of the Pioneer’s Conestoga tires (well, technically Conestoga’s didn’t really have tires) in a spectacular third inning display, we started making mistakes. In fact, up until the final inning, Kirkwood, quite frankly, outplayed us, making fewer mistakes than we did. But they couldn’t outheart us, and that proved to be the difference.

Kelly Collins, in relief of Taylor Knapp and Nicola Rikand, each of who recorded pressure outs, (and herself), picked up her well-deserved third win in the circle. The Kirkwood coach kept thinking, “What, another pitcher?” We used, and needed, all three. I close with this final obscure reference. We followed Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy Rule #1: Don’t Panic!

That’s a winner, 6-0. More tough games to come and, as Coach Cerutti noted in the post-game, now we know what we need to work on. Given the fire and work ethic of this group of great young women, you can expect to come out and enjoy even more and better softball in the games to come. And check back for pictures. You’ll forgive me if I was a little too wrapped up in coaching the game to take my camera off the fence, and our players were too excited to do any snapping either.

Just.Wow!

Another Walk Off Winner, Webster 7, Kirkwood 6 (10 innings)

Obviously this is a team that doesn’t quit. I kind of wish they would start sooner, though, and then maybe we wouldn’t have to be so tenacious so often. But we are who we are, and tough gamers is not a bad identity. Kirkwood is going to start thinking of us as bullies. The last two years we tease them, then snatch their candy away at the last minute.

I’m aware that often, from a parent’s perspective, it is frustrating to have a daughter on the bench, especially when you’re sure she’s better than any number of girls ahead of her. That is the challenge of a large squad (Kirkwood only had 9 players available today); it is also what helped us to win in this game, as I had the flexibility to use players multiple time in various roles, and the confidence to use all those players at a crucial point in the game. Not once did I think, “Oh, no….”

As a result, I’m looking forward to tomorrow’s game at Northwest House Springs and the opportunity to give several players an extended look and a chance to show what they can do. We still have over half our games left to play; lots of innings and opportunities.

Our pitching tandem of Grace Behrle and ACB did a great job (only 2 walks) and, except for a shaky second inning, our defense played pretty well. Grace added four hits, including her third triple, and Claudia LeSage and Alina Castro each contributed three hits. The big blows in the seventh came from Becca DeGreeff to drive in the first run and Kate Nieman who batted in the game winners, including DeGreeff from second in the 10th inning for Webster’s second walk-off winner against the Pioneers in as many years.

Definitely a team win. We used, and needed, all 14 players on our squad, and it was an exciting finish for the players, fans, and, yes coaches.