No Fear of Flyers: Webster 14, Lindbergh 4

For a few minutes there it looked like Lindbergh’s Flyers were going to bomb our winning streak as they jumped out to a quick 4-run lead in the first inning before we found our rhythm and footing. But thanks to a clutch 2-out at bat by Taylor Smith, we cut the lead to 4-2; the bottom of our order, always dangerous, loaded the bases and, with some strong baserunning, turned that 2-run deficit into a 2-run lead by the time the dust from our slides had cleared.

We had been scouted by Lindbergh and so Myah King added to her record with her fourth and fifth intentional walks of the season; Marko made them pay, though, with two sacrifice flies and a 2-run double. Again, this was a team win against a dangerous team, with every player, including the newly activated Zoe Weik, back from concussion protocol – and just in time as we lost Alyssa (Venus) Moran for the rest of the season with a broken foot.

I don’t want to start summarizing a season that still has half a dozen games to go, including maybe our toughest league contest tomorrow against Northwest-Cedar Hill (I’m so old I remember when they were called Northwest House Springs, and I have no clue when or why that changed) in Bug Heaven (I just put my Deet out) (NOT at the high school: Northwest Jefferson County Sports Complex, 4900 Byrnesville Rd. House Springs, MO 63051). But this team continues to amaze me, playing so hard for their school and their teammates. I don’t know what the season has in store for us, but I can tell you it’s been a pleasure working with these young women who represent their team, their school, and themselves with class. Our record stands at 15-1.

Thanks to Karen Smith for the photos below.

Caitlyn Boyle stole 3 bases, including third here, to move her total for the season to 29.

Freshman Myah King got two (more) intentional walks, hit a triple in between, and added five put outs.

Taylor Smith has played all over the field this year, including shortstop today as Alyssa Moran's injury forced us to move Nicola Rikand out to CF.

Zoe Weik made her return to the team by dropping a beautiful bunt down to move the game-ending run to third, where she (Friday) was driven in by Nicola Rikand's game-ending single.

After a rough first inning, Taylor Knapp shut the Flyers down with lots of pup ups to notch her 14th win in the circle.

Taking Care of Business: Webster 16, Fox 2

We travelled to Fox (of the $2 gate ticket and artificial turf) with two objectives in mind: 1) win the game to tie the record for most JV wins in a season; 2) provide opportunities to play to girls who have worked hard and improved their game but have not had the chance to show it as much as we all would have liked. Check and check. Behind strong pitching, defense (Megan Hayes!), and 20 hits (including a Kelly Collins homer and a Hannah Jansen triple), we jumped out early and added on steadily en route to a 16-2 6-inning victory.

I know this starts to get old (does winning ever get old? Really? Uh, no.), and I admit, wordsmith that I am, that I’m having trouble coming up with new ways to praise this team. After this game I was talking to a former student whose daughter plays for Fox (she’s injured, out for the season) and told him how great the girls were (not how good of players they were). I said, “And they’re pretty good….” at which point his daughter interjected, “No, they’re VERY good.”

We’ll just leave it there. Join us at home for a grudge rematch against Kirkwood (this year it’s their grudge) and the wrap up of our first JV conference championship when we take on Ritenour on Thursday. That leaves our 3-game Hancock tournament and the finale against Cor Jesu Tuesday. Thanks for your support.

Reminder: please let me know about your decision on the photobooks as soon as you can. These are just a few from today because it is late.

Oh No! No, Not That. A No-No. Webster 10, Hazelwood West 0

It’s funny how match-ups work. I can’t remember ever beating Hazelwood West, nor can I remember every feeling we shouldn’t beat them. I think Festus (next Thursday) probably feels the same way about us (although they did win 3-0 last year in a game-shortened contest). So when the Wildcat coach bemoaned that they had really only faced one good team (Francis Howell Central) I just agreed that they were a good team and didn’t tell him how badly we had beaten them just the day before. Softball can be a funny game. We were a little flat, from warm-up through the end of the game, but prevailed 10-0.

Against their #2 pitcher we had trouble generating offense (we actualy hit the ball harder against their lefty in the 4^th inning.

Behind Kelly Collins’s no hitter (and no ball hit very hard and 8 strike outs), and a big 6-run 3^rd inning, a close game broke open, thanks to Maya Litton’s big 2-RBI single. Sarah Sammon, giving Hannah a break behind the plate, brought Maya home. We tacked on 3 more in the 4^th and when Kelly completed her no-no (a tough error was the only blemish), the game was over.

Which, at the request of some parents, provides the segue needed to offer this brief lesson on the run rule in fast-pitch softball. A 15-run (or more) run lead after 3 (or 4) innings ends the game. So does a 10-run (or more) lead after at least 5 innings also completes the contest. So, if the fifteenth run scores in the bottom of the 3^rd or 4^th inning, the game is over. The same is true if the tenth run scores in the bottom of the 5^th or 6^th. The home team always gets the chance to close the gap, of course.

As we head into Saturday’s tournament, our record stands at 8-0 and we have outscored our opponents by a cumulative, and ridiculous, 121-10 margin in 35 innings of play.

The danger is that a good team will catch us flat. We’ll work to try to keep that from happening when we play Timberland Saturday morning at 8 a.m. The bus will be one way and the girls have assured me that everyone has a ride home from the tournament. If a player is riding with someone other than her parent, I would appreciate written notification, either via email or even antediluvian paper.

Didn't See This Coming: Webster 14, FH Central 2

Coach Knapp had done some scouting waiting for our bus. “These girls are big and look good.” Coach Cerutti watched their pitcher warm up. “Pitcher looks good.” In our pre-game, waiting for the umpires to get to the field, we visualized and I told the girls, “If we can beat Timberland in the first game on Saturday, this will probably be our opponent. Let’s make them say, ‘We don’t want to play Webster.’” If I had to guess, they probably don’t.

But if they do, they won’t have stolen any of our signals, because I didn’t have time to give any! We led 4-0, with runners on second and third before the Spartans recorded their first out. Statesmen bats kept pounding and it was 12-0 before their first at bat. Taylor Knapp, winning her third game, did her part, setting down 12 batters in a row before a flare found the Bermuda Triangle in short right center and the score standing at 14-0. A couple errors made a dent but couldn’t really prolong the game and we climbed on the bus (Driver: “I love driving Webster girls!”) as 14-2 winners. Thanks to Shooter of the Day, Rebekah Riefle, for help with the pix.

While we expect FHC to come out firing on all cylinders if we can beat Timberland in the opener of the Fort Zumwalt West Tournament, we should be feeling pretty confident in our abilities. Except for a couple hiccups in the final frame, we threw strikes, played strong defense, and took excellent at bats. Five of the 15 outs they recorded came on hard hit balls.

Next up, Hazelwood West at home tomorrow. We will have a relatively short practice on Friday, giving our pitchers a chance to throw, working on individual areas where we can improve, and keeping our swings sharp. If you have not talked about transportation home from the Ozzie Smith Sports Complex Saturday, please do so; we want to avoid keeping the bus all day if possible.