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.

Fox Tourney: Close, but no Cigar, Second Place

Apologies for the delay in reporting on the Fox Tournament. Yesterday was a long day plus I feared I had misplaced my scorecards. Fortunately, I found them today (where I thought I had previously looked) and all is well.

We switched over from the Hancock Tournament, which we had won the last five years, to Fox, where we expected better competition, because it’s not just about winning. Parents and fans who drove down to Arnold got their $5 worth, I think, with three exciting, competitive games and a second place trophy.

When you’re playing for plastic in the final game of the day, the experience was worth the effort. We continued our tradition of each player getting at least one full game; in a way I miss the “bat the lineup option” that Hancock’s tourney featured, but this was more traditional softball.

Game 1: Webster 9, Fox 6

We believed that Fox was better than the 20-5 drubbing we handed them a week or so ago, and we were right. Nevertheless, our “speed kills” top of the lineup put up 4 and 3 runs, respectively, in the first two innings. The Warriors came back with 4 of their own in the top of the second, but we answered quickly and the game settled in, staying at 7-4 until the opponents added a pair in the top of the 6^th. We countered with 2 of our own and Nic Rikand closed the door to save Olivia Leaver’s eleventh win of the season.

Game 2: Webster 11, Northwest-CH 1

The Lions of Northwest Cedar Hill prowled over to our field, having defeated Jefferson R-7 to swipe right toward the championship. They will be visiting us again this week as they pay a visit to Plymouth Field on Thursday. Theirs is a competitive program that always presents us with a challenging game. Unfortunately, we tamed them with arguably our best game of the year, featuring strong pitching (Olivia Leaver notched win #12 and Nicola Rikand finished with 2 dominant innings of relief), stellar defense, including two spectacular plays by Taylor (Ozzie) Smith in the hole, a balanced offense featuring hits from every spot in the order and monster shot HR w-a-a-a-y over the fence in left center by Marko, which sealed the deal and put an end to the six-inning contest.

I don’t think Northwest expected us to be that good and left impressed. Maybe some of that intimidation will carry over on Thursday, although maybe they’ll be psyched up and bring their best. The thing is, they did not play badly at all; we just beat them in every aspect of the game on this day.

Game 3: Summit 13, Webster 4

Don’t let the score fool you, this was another close, competitive game that slipped away on some bad luck (and maybe a missed call) in the last inning. In retrospect, perhaps I should have taken visitors when we won the toss. Scoring first is an advantage, and one we experience often with the Boyle-Marshall speed tag team. They struck again in this game, but merely closed a 3-run deficit to one. We might have more but had to settle for two sacrifice flies on good OF plays by the Falcons.

We trailed by only 2 runs, 6-4, as we headed into the seventh inning, with hopes of winning the rubber match of our 3-game series. Nicola Rikand was on fire in relief of Olivia, but a swinging bunt and a questionable call on a close throw at third on a runner trying to advance and the momentum noticeably shifted. By the time the smoke cleared, Summit (who had improved their team with a strong player not available to them earlier in the season due to injury) had added on 7 runs and the game ended quietly. Nevertheless, the coaching staff and the girls had lots to feel good about. We played 20 innings of high energy, quality softball and provided players and fans an fun morning and afternoon. We couldn’t prouder of how our girls are growing as players and a team. Thanks to our traveling cheering section. The girls and coaches really appreciate the support.

We’re heading into the Final Four with a 12-8 record. Monday we have the second (late start and possibly abbreviated) game against the Parkway West “JV” (will include some end of the bench varsity players); we travel Tuesday to Pattonville (not exactly, though – it’s not at the school but the Bridgeton Municipal Athletic Complex. We finish with two home games, Northwest CH again on Thursday and then a challenge from Fort Zumwalt West on Monday the 14^th. Please mark your calendars – we will continue our tradition of celebrating our season at Serendipity after the game (Coach’s treat). One final treat – a few pix from the tourney, courtesy of the players themselves.

Caitlyn Boyle padded her stolen base total with 10 more on Saturday.

Freshman Morgan Lawrence added four to her team lead in RBI.

Sophomore Taylor Smith leads a solid IF defense.

Olivia Leaver picked up her eleventh and twelfth wins, helping herself by fielding her position well in the circle.

Maci Rekart consistently provides solid defense at first base.

Nicola Rikand has been invaluable in closing out games in relief of Olivia. The tandem makes for a solid combination.

Big Steps Forward, Ignore the Score. Eureka 12, Webster 1

We have already lost as many games this season as we did each of the last two. But the coaching staff is much happier this evening, following our 12-1 loss to an excellent Eureka team. With all due respect to the excellent Oakville team we saw yesterday, I’d bet that this Eureka team would beat them most of the time. The Wildcats probably could have made the score even more lopsided, but demonstrated the class consistent with their reputation and refused to take advantage of an outgunned opponent. (No implied criticism of Oakville, btw; I respect their coaching staff, as well.)

But the Statesmen worked hard and I’m certain learned from this experience, lessons that will serve us well as we grow throughout the season. Softball is a game of inches, and I can think of four balls that, given an inch or three, could have easily ended up in gloves.

Whatever the girls said in the Players Only meeting after yesterday’s game clearly had impact, and I truly respect the leadership that is growing in their roles, as well. This is a long season, one that has just started, and if we continue to progress in skill and approach, I think all of us will look back on the season as a success.

Olivia Leaver showed tremendous mental toughness in the circle, not walking a batter and battling back from some 3-ball counts. Neither errors nor rockets seemed to phase her and she kept her composure throughout. Nic Rikand’s stiff shoulder kept O in the circle a little longer than we would have preferred, but she soldiered on. Freshman Morgan Lawrence flashed leather on the left side at both short and third and Emmy Gary was a rock at 1^st. Maddie Keefer notched our first “caught stealing” and girls worked and cheered hard throughout the game.

Progress often comes in small steps and can’t always be measured by statistics. The losses might look similar on the scoreboard, but the girls unanimously agreed that today’s game was lots more fun.

Doing a little “catch-up,” we have instituted a (purely subjective) “Player of the Game” Award, a stretchy bracelet given to each game’s “winner.” (All our girls are winners.) Morgan Lawrence inaugurated the award for her game against Lindbergh; Nic Rikand took the honors after the Oakville game, and Taylor (Friday) Graning is the current bearer. Hope to see you at tomorrow’s 12:30 (or thereabouts – we follow the varsity, so the time must remain flexible, maybe earlier, maybe [but I hope not, for personal reasons] later) contest against Poplar Bluff, where you can play along trying to predict who will wear the award until our next game (players can earn the honor more than once). 

"Speed Racer" Boyle gets ready to work her slap/bunt magic, drew two walks, stole two bases.

Olivia Leaver pitched a complete game for the Statesmen; Morgan Lawrence, busy in the field, gets ready for a play.

Catcher Maddie Keefer took two good ABs, drew a walk and (via courtesy runner Jilly Sanders) scored the lone run.

CF Ally Marshall continues to develop as a slap hitter, getting one hit and driving in the lone Statesmen run.

Freshman Bailey Allen brings a lot of energy to her play, subbing in at 2B due to an injury.

Taylor Graning will play multiple positions this year because of her good glove. Today she was in right.

When not behind the plate, Marko mans the OF, and makes a catch in left in the second inning.

Nicola Rikand manned the shortstop position today; she'll also pitch and play OF.

Sophomore Ally Marshall gets ready to return the ball after making a catch in CF.

Tigers Claw the Statesmen: Oakville 18, Webster 6

In any season there will be ups and downs. This is especially true on the JV level. Today was a down day.

Not just because we lost. Not just because we lost badly. Not just because we played poorly. While all of those were true (and it must be noted that Oakville was better than we were), what made this game particularly disappointing (we coaches are disappointed FOR the girls, not IN them) was that we were not ready to put our best game on the field. 

The coaching staff had an inkling that that we might be facing a rude awakening. We didn’t really display the kind of energy that has become the Statesman Standard even in yesterday’s victory, and the result was a 7-run first inning mauling by the Tigers that essentially ended the game before we even got to bat. On a positive note, we finally discovered a sense of urgency in the third inning and answered with 5 runs of our own to extend the game to at least 5 innings. 

It’s relatively easy to be loud and energetic when you’re winning (and we’ve done a lot of that the past couple or three years); it’s more of a challenge when you’re not. I’m happy the players requested their own “players only” meeting after our post game to deal with the concerns noted. The key to success is growth, and we look forward to making progress toward that goal in the coming weeks.

Tomorrow doesn’t get any easier, as we travel down I-44 to Eureka to face the Wildcats. I’m looking forward to seeing the fire return to the Statesmen tomorrow and Saturday against Poplar Bluff. The card reader from Amazon didn’t make it when promised, so you’ll have to wait for an update (I’ll notify you) for pictures and just settle for the box score.
These just in. Because the time is 11:30 p.m., no captions, just pix, courtesy of players on the bench and our managers, Jack Korte and Zoe Weik.

Huh! Whoda Thunk? WG17, Summit 2

In the post-game post mortem, Marko confessed what I think all of us felt. “I didn’t expect this kind of game coming in.”

Even with a slim 3-2 lead after two innings, it sort of felt like we were farther ahead than that. And just like that, we were. Five Statesmen crossed the plate in the third, nine more in the fourth, we cleared our bench, gave TK an inning off (Coach Confessions {not Coastal Confessions, that’s a Jimmy Buffett song}: I didn't realize we had the 15-run lead until Nicola closed out the Falcons and Dave Knapp (I think) said, “Line it up!”).

To be fair, Summit was short-handed and became shorter-handed after an injury to their catcher reduced them to their 9 remaining players. Nevertheless, during their warm-ups they didn’t look a candidate for the 15-run mercy rule. They threatened but we didn’t panic, closed out each inning limiting their damage, unloaded our bats, and then clipped the Falcons’ wings.

Alyssa Moran lead off with a long triple and Myah King and Lydia Beggs added multi-hit games. Before we knew it, it was time for the bus ride home. We also had a strong defensive game, but still with room for improvement. It’s important to remember that our players are still learning the game, their strengths, and sometimes new positions. They are also (very quickly) learning how to be a team and a family, and the coaches are extremely pleased at how that is coming together.

Seckman’s Jaguars (tomorrow at home) have been a tough program for us and we expect a good game. I have confidence in the girls; they’ll be ready. But for now, enjoy the photos from the bench and Andrew Graning.

Emmy Gary slides home on a wild pitch.

Ivy Clark makes the tag on a perfect throw from Nora (Marko) Marcinkiewicz to end the second inning and stifle the Falcon threat.

Myah King went 3 for 4, hit four balls hard.

Lydia Beggs drives one of her two hits.

Ivy Clark slides in under the Summit catcher's tag in the first inning.

Nora Marcinkiewicz makes a tough catch on a foul pop by the fence.

Taylor (Friday) Graning closes out the game throwing out a runner from 2B.

Nicola Rikand finished out the game with a scoreless fourth inning.

Taylor (TK) Knapp picked up her fourth win of the young season. 

Zoe Weik brings in the 17th run to create a 15-run lead.

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!