The NINJAS took on a very tough team in the 1st round of the single-elimination Tournament of Champions. The girls looked good during warm ups and seemed to have a lot of energy, but it felt like they never checked fully in to the game mentally. With a team like INTENSITY, who ended up in 3rd place in the season, it was not a good way to start. They were definitely on their game and took advantage of the SKIPPING NINJAS slow start. The NINJAS couldn't seem to get off the blocks on defense and every effort they made on offense played right into the INTENSITY defenders.
The NINJAS fell to INTENSITY in the game and were eliminated from the TOCs. But, it's been a great season and I'm very happy about what we've been able to do out there as a team this year and I was very proud to be able to coach this great group of girls in 2011. If I were to do it all over again, I wouldn't change a thing.
GO NINJAS!!!
Final Score
INTENSITY 11 - SKIPPING NINJAS 2
Game Ball
With not much offense to speak of, there was one play on defense which caught the attention of everyone at the game tonight. After an INTENSITY batter got a hit with bases loaded, she sent a grounder down the 3rd base line. Rebecca made the stop and, on a fielder's choice, decided to throw home and made a great play to prevent a run instead of going for the out at 1st. For keeping her head in the game and making a good decision on the play, Rebecca received the game ball. Great job Rebecca!
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
Sunday, May 15, 2011
Rescheduled - Fri. May 13, 6:00pm @ SWAT
Coming off of the 2nd tie game of the season against INTENSITY, the SKIPPING NINJAS were set to face off against SWAT in their final game of the 2011 season. This would be the final (of 4) rescheduled rainout game and the 4th matchup between these 2 teams in regulation play. With the season coming to a close, the SKIPPING NINJAS needed to finish strong in this game to secure the 2nd place seed in the division with a win, however the outcome of this game would not have any real bearing on post-season play as 1st and last place were already set. Getting a late start, due to a high school game finishing up late on the field, the NINJAS’ normal warm up had to be cut short in order to get the final game underway. As the visiting team, the NINJAS were at bat 1st.
1st Inning
Kas came up to the plate to get things started. Kas took the 1st pitch for a strike. After a ball to even things up, Kas got a hit. The ground ball rolled straight toward the SWAT 2nd baseman and she was able to scoop it up and make the throw to 1st for the out on Kas. Rachel was up next. She started off quickly with a single on a fly ball to center field. Erika was up next. On the 1st pitch, Rachel stole 2nd on a passed ball. Erika connected on the next pitch and sent a ground ball to right field for a single. Rachel reached 3rd on the play and, with SWAT still recovering the ball, took off for home and scored, putting the NINJAS on the board 1st. Katrina came up next. On the 1st pitch, Katrina hit the ball and sent a hard grounder through the 3rd base side of the infield. The SWAT short stop was able to make the stop. She picked up the ball and tossed the ball to 2nd to take out the NINJAS lead runner, Erika, at 2nd base for the 2nd out. Lexie was up next. On the 1st pitch, Lexie held her bat for a strike and Katrina advanced safely to 2nd on a steal. The next pitch was a ball and Katrina made her way to 3rd on a wild pitch. The next pitch was a ball and Katrina took a big lead to taunt the pitcher. On the next pitch, Katrina came off of 3rd again to see what the pitcher would do. The pitch missed the mark and Lexie reached 3-1 in the count. The pitcher was able to get one past Lexie, bringing up full count, but her next pitch was wide and Lexie walked. On the pitch, Katrina came off the bag one more time and held up on the 3rd base line. When the pitcher returned to the circle in possession of the ball, Katrina held her ground in an attempt to draw the pitcher’s attention and was called out by the umpire, as she did not advance or return to 3rd in a reasonable amount of time after the pitcher returned to the rubber with the ball. The NINJAS offense ended their 1st appearance with a fizzle.
Natalie was selected to pitch in the 1st inning. Natalie struggled right away against the 1st batter. She started things off with balls on her 1st 3 pitches. She briefly found her groove on the next pitch and got the batter to swing for a strike. The batter, hoping for another ball, held her bat on the next pitch, but Natalie squeezed it past her, putting up the 2nd strike in a row. Now at full count, Natalie released her next pitch. The batter put the ball in play and hit a fly ball to center field for a double. Natalie found her strike briefly and got the next batter to swing at her 1st pitch for a strike. On the next pitch, the runner stole 3rd on a passed ball. After another ball pitch, the batter connected and hit a fly ball to center field. Erika moved in to make the catch for the 1st defensive out of the inning. With a SWAT runner on 3rd, the next batter came up to bat. After taking a ball on Natalie’s 1st pitch, the batter got a hit and sent a ground ball in the gap between 3rd base and short stop. Getting a late jump, Rebecca couldn’t quite reach the ball and the batter got a single and brought the runner home to tie up the game. After the hit, Natalie sunk again and started off with 3 balls against the next batter. After fouling the next pitch off, the batter connected and, again the hard ground ball was just out of Rebecca’s reach. The batter reached 1st. When the runner reached 2nd, the NINJAS were still scrambling for the ball. So, she turned the corner and made it safely to 3rd. Olivia hit her cut off on the throw back to the infield, but, with the missed throw back to Natalie, the runner on 3rd scored as the other runner reached 3rd base on the error. A walk on the next batter put another runner on base. Shaken, Natalie could not find her groove and, on the next 8 pitches, 2 walks loaded the bases and brought a runner home. Regrouping, Natalie returned to the rubber as the defense got ready for the next SWAT batter. After fouling off Natalie’s 1st pitch, the batter held her bat on the next pitch and, with a ball, the count was even at 1-1. On the next pitch, the runner on 3rd scored on a passed ball. Eventually, a walk reloaded the bases. The next batter came up to bat. She fouled off Natalie’s 1st pitch. Then, she connected and hit a ground ball straight to Rebecca, who bobbled the ball on the way up. When she recovered, the runners were on the move and Rebecca decided to throw to 1st rather than getting the force out at 3rd. The ball hit the ground and it got past Lexie. It was all the time the SWAT runners needed to bring another run across the plate. At this point, the SKIPPING NINJAS defense seemed dead in the water as they were giving away runs like it was Christmas. The NINJAS needed to do something drastic to get out of the inning. Rachel was brought in to pitch to relieve a struggling Natalie. Things didn’t go much better with Rachel at the helm. She threw a ball on her 1st pitch against the next batter. On the follow up, Rachel got the batter to swing for a strike. The batter connected on Rachel’s next pitch and hit a grounder to Kas, playing short stop. Kas made the stop, but, instead of getting the out at either her closest base or at home to prevent the score, she decided to throw across the field to 1st. Luckily, the ball hit Lexie’s glove and the NINJAS were able to secure the 2nd out of the inning. However, 1 runner reached home on the play. Rachel returned to the rubber to face off against the next SWAT batter. Rachel couldn’t find her strike. On the 1st pitch, the runner on 3rd stole home and scored on a passed ball. After 3 more pitches, the bases were loaded once again with a walk on the batter. The next batter came up to bat. Trying to get the runners moving, she took a cut on Rachel’s 1st pitch and put it in play. The grounder went straight to Kas. She picked up the ball and made the throw to 1st for the 3rd out to end the inning with the NINJAS in a deep hole.
SKIPPING NINJAS 1 – SWAT 7
2nd Inning
With a disastrous 1st inning on defense, the NINJAS were on the ropes early. Natalie was up 1st to see if she could jumpstart the NINJAS to get back in the game. Natalie took a ball on the 1st pitch. She connected on the next pitch and sent a hard grounder through the 1st base side of the infield. The 2nd baseman made the stop, but rushed the throw to 1st and the ball got away from the 1st baseman, giving Natalie the single. Rebecca came up to the plate. The SWAT pitcher started to struggle and walked Rebecca, putting NINJAS on 1st and 2nd. Olivia was up next. The pitcher was having trouble finding Olivia’s strike zone and threw balls on her 1st 3 pitches. Looking like she was getting set to load the bases, the pitcher managed to throw a strike on her next pitch. Olivia was ready for it and she took a swing. She connected on the pitch and sent a fast ground ball through the SWAT defenders for a single to right field. With SWAT scrambling to recover, Natalie crossed the plate and Rebecca reached 3rd as Olivia held up at 1st. Aale’a came to the plate next. With 2 runners on, Aale’a came out swinging. She got a hit on the 1st pitch and sent a hard ground ball through the gap on the 3rd base side of the field and deep into left field for a double, bringing Olivia and Rebecca home. Kas was up next. Kas took a ball on the 1st pitch. On the next pitch, she hit a fly ball to right field and Aale’a took off. The SWAT right fielder rushed in and made the shoestring catch for the out. Quickly, she threw the ball to 2nd to get the double play as Aale’a reached 3rd without tagging up. Rachel was up next. With the bases cleared on the double play, Rachel took a ball on the 1st pitch. She connected on the next pitch, but, this time, the SWAT defenders were ready for it. The grounder rolled up the 1st base side of the infield and the SWAT 2nd baseman scooped it up and made the throw to 1st for the out, ending the inning for the NINJAS offense.
Having chipped away at SWAT’s lead in the top half of the 2nd, the NINJAS defense needed to make a stand to give the offense a chance at making a comeback in the game. Lexie was brought in to pitch in the 2nd. With the momentum that SWAT was able to generate in the 1st inning, the 1st batter came to the plate and started swinging aggressively. She connected on Lexie’s 1st pitch for a single on a grounder to left field. The next batter came up to the plate. After a ball on the 1st pitch, which saw the runner steal 2nd, Lexie hit the batter with her next pitch and awarded her 1st base. A walk on the next SWAT batter loaded the bases. The SKIPPING NINJAS were off to another rocky start in the 2nd. Lexie returned to the rubber to face off against the next batter. On her 1st pitch, the ball got past Kas and rolled up the backstop, giving the runner on 3rd the opening to score and the other runners advanced safely. The next batter came out swinging. She fouled of Lexie’s 1st pitch. On the next pitch, the batter laid down a bunt and Kas came out to pick up the ball. Reacting quickly, Kas threw to 1st without freezing the runners and got the out on the batter for the 1st out of the inning. On the throw to 1st, the runners took off and the runner on 3rd scored before Erika could get the ball back to Kas. Lexie got back to work as the next SWAT batter came up to bat. On Lexie’s 1st pitch, the runner on 2nd stole 3rd on a passed ball. The batter fouled off the next one. Lexie threw a ball on the next pitch. The batter, counting on another ball, took the next pitch, but it was on target and the count evened up at 2-2. Lexie’s next pitch came in hot, but the batter connected on her swing and sent a ground ball toward Rachel, playing 2nd. Adjusting her glove at the last second, the ball got past Rachel and the runner got a single and brought another SWAT player home. Once again, the NINJAS were making some mental errors and continued to struggle on defense. The next batter came up to the plate. On Lexie’s 1st pitch, the runner stole 2nd on a passed ball. The batter took a swing at Lexie’s next pitch and hit the ball into foul territory. On the next pitch, the runner stole 3rd on another passed ball and got herself into scoring position. The batter connected on Lexie’s next pitch, but Rachel was able to get a handle on the low fly ball, freezing the runner at 3rd and earning the 2nd out of the inning. The next batter kept things moving with a hit on Lexie’s 1st pitch. She hit the ball to center field for a single, bringing another runner home for SWAT. With the offense now on fire and the NINJAS not providing much resistance, the SWAT batters came out swinging. The next batter got a hit on Lexie’s 1st pitch. She sent a grounder through the 3rd base side of the infield. Natalie made the stop, but missed on her throw to 1st and sent Erika scrambling to recover the ball. The batter was able to reach 2nd before the NINJAS could get the ball back to Lexie. The other runner reached 3rd on the error. Keeping things moving, the next batter swung at Lexie’s 1st pitch and hit a grounder to Rachel. Rachel tossed the ball to Erika, but the ball bounced out of her glove and the batter got a single and brought another run home and advanced the other runner to scoring position. The SKIPPING NINJAS defense was bleeding runs and seemed like they couldn’t come up with an answer as the next batter came to the plate. This would be the 2nd appearance of the SWAT batter that started the inning. On the 1st pitch, the runner stole 2nd and the batter put the ball in play. The grounder went to Natalie again. When she came up, the ball dropped out of her glove and all the runners advanced safely and one more run came home. The SWAT offense was having its way with the NINJAS so far in the game as the next batter came to bat. The batter took a swing at Lexie’s 1st pitch for a strike and, with a runner on 3rd, the runner on 1st stole 2nd unchallenged. Lexie slumped on her next 2 pitches, bringing up 2-1. On the next pitch, the batter roped one deep into right field for a double, bringing 2 more runs home. As the next SWAT batter came to the plate, the NINJAS were left scratching their heads as to how they were going to get out of the 2nd inning. Incredibly, whether if it was out of frustration or anger, Lexie was refocused as she turned her attention to the batter. Lexie brought the heat on her 1st pitch. The batter took a swing and missed for strike 1. Lexie followed it up with another good pitch. With the swing, the batter took another strike in the count. On the next pitch, Lexie threw in another strike and the batter attacked. The batter struck out swinging and Lexie got the NINJAS out of the inning, but the damage was done and it would be a tough uphill battle for the NINJAS to get back in the game.
SKIPPING NINJAS 4 – SWAT 15
3rd Inning
It was another disastrous inning for the SKIPPING NINJAS defense. They were now down by a considerable 11 points. It was almost impossible to think that the NINJAS could win or even tie the game, but the NINJAS offense took to the field with their heads held high, ready to turn things around. In stark contrast to the NINJAS needing to cycle through their pitching roster in the 1st 2 innings, SWAT held strong with their pitcher and she took to the rubber for the 3rd straight inning. Erika was up 1st. Erika took a swing at the 1st pitch for a strike. After the 1st good pitch, the pitcher started to struggle and, after the next 4 pitches, Erika found herself on 1st base with a walk. Katrina was up next. Katrina came out swinging and connected on the pitcher’s 1st pitch. She hit a hard grounder through the 3rd base side of the infield. The SWAT short stop moved in and made the stop. Taking her eye off of the ball for a split second, she got up to make the throw for the out on Erika at 2nd, but, when she reached for the ball, she discovered that it was still on the ground. Katrina and Erika advanced safely. Lexie came up to take her at bat. Following Katrina’s lead, Lexie took a swing on the 1st pitch. The ball screamed up the 3rd base line and squeezed past the SWAT 3rd baseman’s glove as Erika turned the corner at 3rd base. Erika took off for home and scored. The ball rolled out of bounds and was declared a dead ball, allowing the runners to advance 1 more base, putting Katrina at 3rd and Lexie at 2nd. Natalie was up next. With Erika coming home on the last play, the SKIPPING NINJAS were energized and Natalie swung on the 1st pitch. She connected and sent a ground ball toward the SWAT 2nd baseman who couldn’t get a handle on the ball, allowing Natalie to get on base and Katrina to hit paydirt. With the NINJAS starting to surge, the SWAT pitcher was visibly shaken. Rebecca was up next. The pitcher started throwing wild. She missed on the 1st pitch. Then, she was able to get one past Rebecca for a strike and Natalie stole 2nd. After balls on the next 3 pitches, Rebecca took a walk. On the pitch, the ball got away from the SWAT catcher and Lexie saw an opening and took advantage. The defense scrambled to recover the ball, but Lexie beat the ball to the plate and scored as Natalie advanced to 3rd. Olivia was up next. A pattern was developing among the NINJAS batters. They were all swinging at the 1st pitch against them and getting hits. Following suit, Olivia took a cut and hit the ball down the 3rd base line. The SWAT 3rd baseman picked up the grounder and threw to 1st for the out, but the SWAT 3rd baseman had to jump at the high throw and took her foot off of the bag before controlling the ball and Olivia was safe as Natalie reached home and scored. The NINJAS were starting to mount a comeback, but they were still 7 points down. Aale’a was up next. On the 1st pitch, Rebecca and Olivia advanced by stealing on a passed ball. The catcher quickly recovered and tried to get the throw to 2nd for the out on Olivia, but Olivia slid under the tag and was safe. On the throw, Rebecca took off for home. Missing the out on Olivia, the SWAT 2nd baseman reacted quickly and threw home. The catcher caught the ball and brought her glove down on Rebecca as she slid into home. When the dust settled, the umpire signaled the out on Rebecca and she was sent back to the dugout dirty, but empty handed. The SWAT pitcher got back to work. On the next pitch, Olivia stole 3rd on a passed ball. Aale’a fouled off the next pitch. After that, the pitcher started to slump again and put Aale’a on base with a walk. Back at the top of the lineup with NINJAS runners now on 1st and 3rd, Kas came up to bat. Kas tried to get the NINJAS moving again and came out swinging. She hit the 1st pitch into foul territory. The pitcher lost her strike on the next 2 pitches, bringing up 2-1. Kas fouled one more off to even up the count. On the next pitch, the ball got away from the catcher and Olivia scored on the steal of home as Aale’a made her way to 2nd. A walk on Kas put NINJAS runners on 1st and 2nd. There was new life in the game for the NINJAS. Rachel was up next. After taking a ball on the 1st pitch, Rachel put the ball in play. She sent a grounder through the 1st base side of the field. The SWAT 2nd baseman, rather than throwing to 1st for the out, decided to make the easy toss to her closest base for the out at 2nd on Kas. With 2 down and runners on 1st and 3rd, Erika was up next. Erika took a swing at the 1st pitch and connected. She sent a line drive to left field for a double, bringing Aale’a home and advancing Rachel to 3rd. Katrina was up next. She also connected on the 1st pitch for a single on a hard ground ball to left field and brought Rachel home. Lexie took her turn at the plate. On the 1st pitch, Erika stole home and scored. When SWAT attempted to throw Erika out at home, Katrina made it safely to 2nd and was able to stretch it to 3rd while SWAT tried to regain control of the ball. After all of the action on the play, the pitcher returned to the rubber to complete Lexie’s at bat. Lexie fouled off the next pitch to keep the pitcher on her toes. On the next pitch, Katrina scored on a steal of home when the passed ball rolled away from the catcher. On the next pitch, Lexie hit a hard ground ball to right field for a double. Natalie was up next. Natalie watched the 1st pitch go by for a strike. She hit the next pitch into foul territory. On the next pitch, Lexie stole 3rd on a passed ball. Feeling the pressure, the pitcher lost her rhythm on the next 2 pitches, bringing up full count. Natalie connected on the next pitch and the fast grounder rolled up the 1st base line. The SWAT defense waited for it to roll foul, but as it passed 1st base the umpire called the ball fair and Natalie got on base and Lexie came home. Rebecca was up next. She came out swinging and fouled off the 1st 2 pitches and got behind in the count early. On the next pitch, Natalie stole 2nd. Rebecca continued to stay alive, alternating between ball pitches and hits into foul territory. With the count full, Rebecca connected on the next pitch and hit a hard ground ball out into right center field for a single, bringing Natalie across the plate and, incredibly, tying up the game. Olivia came up to bat for her 2nd appearance in the inning. Olivia took a swing at the 1st pitch and got a hit. Unfortunately, she grounded out as the pitcher collected the ball and made the throw to 1st, ending the amazing comeback by the NINJAS.
Having given up their big lead, SWAT had to regroup to try to regain control of the game. With the tie, the NINJAS needed to put their best defense out on the field, however with their performance in the previous 2 innings, it was anyone’s guess as to how the rest of the 3rd inning would play out. Hopefully, the NINJAS defense would take the energy generated by their offense’s performance out on the field with them. Having run through all of the pitchers in the 1st 2 innings, Erika was brought in to pitch in the 3rd. She started off slow against the 1st batter and threw balls on her 1st 2 pitches. She managed to squeeze one past the batter for a strike. On the next pitch, the batter got a hit and popped the ball up over the infield. Rachel moved under the ball and made the catch for the 1st out. The next SWAT batter came up to bat. She fouled off Erika’s 1st pitch. She watched the next one go by and earned a 2nd strike for her efforts. Then, the batter fouled off 1 more to stay alive. After a ball, Erika hit the batter with an errant pitch and put a SWAT runner on base. The next batter came up to the plate. On the 1st pitch, Erika lost control of the ball again and hit the 2nd batter in a row. A walk on the next batter loaded the bases for SWAT and it looked like the NINJAS were headed down the same defensive road as the previous innings. Erika returned to the rubber to face off against the next SWAT batter. Her 1st pitch was a ball, but she regained control of the next pitch and the batter hit it into foul territory. The batter watched the next pitch go by for another strike. On the next pitch, Katrina, now playing 3rd, reeled in the ground ball. She decided to let the batter go and immediately turned her attention to the lead runner. She fired one in to Kas as she was moving away from the plate to make the catch. Keeping her wits about her, Kas reached to make the catch and left her toe on the plate, getting the force out at home and preventing the score. With the bases still loaded and 2 outs, the next batter came up to bat. Erika started to slow down. She threw a ball on the 1st pitch. The batter fouled the next pitch off. Then Erika slumped again. The next pitch was wide and brought up 2-1. The next pitch was wild and Kas had to get way out of position to retrieve it. By the time she turned around, the runner on 3rd successfully stole home and scored, putting SWAT back in the lead. Erika got back to work on the batter. She released her next pitch. The batter watched it go by for a strike. Erika wound up and delivered her next pitch and it was on target. The batter seemed to think it was a ball and held her bat. The umpire called it a strike and Erika closed the door on SWAT in the 3rd, giving up only 1 run.
SKIPPING NINJAS 15 – SWAT 16
4th Inning
With time running out in the game, the umpire notified both teams that this would be the final inning. Trailing by 1, the NINJAS needed to put up 2 runs to take back the lead. Aale’a was up 1st. SWAT kept the same pitcher in the game. She started to struggle early and threw balls on her 1st 2 pitches against Aale’a. The pitcher fired the next pitch in and it was good. Aale’a watched it go by for a strike. On the next pitch Aale’a connected and sent a hard ground ball past the SWAT 2nd baseman for a single. Kas was up next. After a ball on the 1st pitch, Kas connected and sent a grounder right at the SWAT 2nd baseman again. This time, she was ready and made the stop on the ball. When she came up with the ball, she decided to make the throw to 2nd for the out on Aale’a, making the connection and taking out the NINJAS lead runner. Rachel came up to bat. She took a swing at the 1st pitch. Rachel got a hold of it and sent a hard ground ball deep into right field for a double and Kas made it home, tying up the game. Erika was up next. She swung on the 1st pitch and also got a hold of it, sending a hard ground ball deep into right center field for a double as Rachel ran home. Thinking she had time, Rachel slowed her run and, incredibly, the SWAT right fielder was able to make the throw home for the out on Rachel, preventing the NINJAS from taking the lead on the play. Katrina was up next. Again, swinging on the 1st pitch, Katrina hit the ball directly at the SWAT short stop as she gunned it for 1st. The short stop collected the ball and made the throw to 1st. Reaching the bag at the same time as the ball, it looked like it could’ve gone either way, but when the ball bounced out of the 1st baseman’s glove, Katrina was safe and it was the opening Erika needed to run for home. The SWAT defense tried to get the out on Erika, but she was able to beat the throw and cross home to give the NINJAS the hard-fought, 1-point lead as Katrina reached 2nd. With the action focused on home plate, Katrina made it to 2nd unchallenged. Lexie was up next. She took a swing on the 1st pitch and missed for strike 1. The next pitch was a ball and Katrina stole 3rd when the ball got past the SWAT catcher. The next pitch got past the catcher again and Katrina saw an opening. She took off for home, but the catcher was able to recover the ball. The catcher turned toward home plate as Katrina came in at full speed. The pitcher got herself on the plate and received the toss from the catcher and tagged Katrina for the out, ending the final appearance for the NINJAS offense in the game.
Entering the last half-inning of the game, the NINJAS were in the lead by 1 point. They had to tighten up their defense if they were going to take home the win. Erika, having been our most successful pitcher on the day was selected to close the show. SWAT was not about to lay down and they came out with a purpose. The 1st batter took a swing at Erika’s 1st pitch and hit a hard ground ball to right field for a single. The next batter came to the plate and, following the 1st batter’s lead, took a swing on the 1st pitch as well. She hit a grounder toward Natalie at short stop. Natalie picked up the ball and made the throw to 1st. The ball was a bit short and Lexie had to come off of the bag to make the catch. Unfortunately, her foot came off as she made the catch and the runner was safe. With the play going toward 1st, the SWAT runners took advantage of the opening and stole their way into scoring position. Seeing that Lexie was still occupied with the ball in foul territory, the runner on 3rd took off for home. Lexie picked up the ball and threw to Kas at home. The throw was high, but Kas was able to make the catch, but she was out of position to make the tag. She ran toward home as the runner approached and they both dove head first toward the plate. Kas put the tag on the runner, but, with the impact, the ball fell out of her glove and the runner was safe, tying up the game. With the game tied and the game winning run now on 2nd with no outs, the NINJAS best hope was for a tie. And they would have to play their best defense in order to prevent another run from scoring. Erika returned to the rubber to face the next SWAT batter. On the 1st pitch, the batter laid down a bunt. Kas popped up and picked up the ball. She threw the ball to 1st for the out on the runner as the other runner reached 3rd on the play. The next batter came to the plate. Erika’s 1st pitch was a ball. The batter took swings at the next 2 pitches and missed for strikes 1 and 2. A ball evened up the count at 2-2. The batter attacked Erika’s next pitch and struck out swinging. The next batter came up to the plate and the pressure was on. All the NINJAS needed to do was to stop this batter. Erika threw a ball on the 1st pitch and Kas locked it down for the strike. On the next pitch, the batter connected and the runner took off for home. As the ball was rolling up the 3rd base line, Katrina charged and picked up the ball. She turned and fired it to Lexie at 1st. Lexie caught the ball and secured the out, ending the game with a 17-17 tie.
Final Score
SKIPPING NINJAS 17 – SWAT 17
Game Ball
It was not a pretty game by any stretch of the imagination. The SKIPPING NINJAS defense was effectively absent from the 1st half of the game, but the thing that has been the most impressive about this team in this game, and through the entire season, is that they never gave up. In fact, bad situations seem to light a fire under this girls that make up the SKIPPING NINJAS team and it couldn’t have been more evident than their performance in this game as they overcame a frightening 11 point deficit. Katrina had an incredible game today, getting some clutch outs at 3rd on defense and making some key hits on offense. Not to mention some good base running in the game. For that, Katrina was awarded the final SKIPPING NINJAS Game Ball of the regulation season. Great job Katrina! And great season SKIPPING NINJAS! Good luck in the TOCs!
1st Inning
Kas came up to the plate to get things started. Kas took the 1st pitch for a strike. After a ball to even things up, Kas got a hit. The ground ball rolled straight toward the SWAT 2nd baseman and she was able to scoop it up and make the throw to 1st for the out on Kas. Rachel was up next. She started off quickly with a single on a fly ball to center field. Erika was up next. On the 1st pitch, Rachel stole 2nd on a passed ball. Erika connected on the next pitch and sent a ground ball to right field for a single. Rachel reached 3rd on the play and, with SWAT still recovering the ball, took off for home and scored, putting the NINJAS on the board 1st. Katrina came up next. On the 1st pitch, Katrina hit the ball and sent a hard grounder through the 3rd base side of the infield. The SWAT short stop was able to make the stop. She picked up the ball and tossed the ball to 2nd to take out the NINJAS lead runner, Erika, at 2nd base for the 2nd out. Lexie was up next. On the 1st pitch, Lexie held her bat for a strike and Katrina advanced safely to 2nd on a steal. The next pitch was a ball and Katrina made her way to 3rd on a wild pitch. The next pitch was a ball and Katrina took a big lead to taunt the pitcher. On the next pitch, Katrina came off of 3rd again to see what the pitcher would do. The pitch missed the mark and Lexie reached 3-1 in the count. The pitcher was able to get one past Lexie, bringing up full count, but her next pitch was wide and Lexie walked. On the pitch, Katrina came off the bag one more time and held up on the 3rd base line. When the pitcher returned to the circle in possession of the ball, Katrina held her ground in an attempt to draw the pitcher’s attention and was called out by the umpire, as she did not advance or return to 3rd in a reasonable amount of time after the pitcher returned to the rubber with the ball. The NINJAS offense ended their 1st appearance with a fizzle.
Natalie was selected to pitch in the 1st inning. Natalie struggled right away against the 1st batter. She started things off with balls on her 1st 3 pitches. She briefly found her groove on the next pitch and got the batter to swing for a strike. The batter, hoping for another ball, held her bat on the next pitch, but Natalie squeezed it past her, putting up the 2nd strike in a row. Now at full count, Natalie released her next pitch. The batter put the ball in play and hit a fly ball to center field for a double. Natalie found her strike briefly and got the next batter to swing at her 1st pitch for a strike. On the next pitch, the runner stole 3rd on a passed ball. After another ball pitch, the batter connected and hit a fly ball to center field. Erika moved in to make the catch for the 1st defensive out of the inning. With a SWAT runner on 3rd, the next batter came up to bat. After taking a ball on Natalie’s 1st pitch, the batter got a hit and sent a ground ball in the gap between 3rd base and short stop. Getting a late jump, Rebecca couldn’t quite reach the ball and the batter got a single and brought the runner home to tie up the game. After the hit, Natalie sunk again and started off with 3 balls against the next batter. After fouling the next pitch off, the batter connected and, again the hard ground ball was just out of Rebecca’s reach. The batter reached 1st. When the runner reached 2nd, the NINJAS were still scrambling for the ball. So, she turned the corner and made it safely to 3rd. Olivia hit her cut off on the throw back to the infield, but, with the missed throw back to Natalie, the runner on 3rd scored as the other runner reached 3rd base on the error. A walk on the next batter put another runner on base. Shaken, Natalie could not find her groove and, on the next 8 pitches, 2 walks loaded the bases and brought a runner home. Regrouping, Natalie returned to the rubber as the defense got ready for the next SWAT batter. After fouling off Natalie’s 1st pitch, the batter held her bat on the next pitch and, with a ball, the count was even at 1-1. On the next pitch, the runner on 3rd scored on a passed ball. Eventually, a walk reloaded the bases. The next batter came up to bat. She fouled off Natalie’s 1st pitch. Then, she connected and hit a ground ball straight to Rebecca, who bobbled the ball on the way up. When she recovered, the runners were on the move and Rebecca decided to throw to 1st rather than getting the force out at 3rd. The ball hit the ground and it got past Lexie. It was all the time the SWAT runners needed to bring another run across the plate. At this point, the SKIPPING NINJAS defense seemed dead in the water as they were giving away runs like it was Christmas. The NINJAS needed to do something drastic to get out of the inning. Rachel was brought in to pitch to relieve a struggling Natalie. Things didn’t go much better with Rachel at the helm. She threw a ball on her 1st pitch against the next batter. On the follow up, Rachel got the batter to swing for a strike. The batter connected on Rachel’s next pitch and hit a grounder to Kas, playing short stop. Kas made the stop, but, instead of getting the out at either her closest base or at home to prevent the score, she decided to throw across the field to 1st. Luckily, the ball hit Lexie’s glove and the NINJAS were able to secure the 2nd out of the inning. However, 1 runner reached home on the play. Rachel returned to the rubber to face off against the next SWAT batter. Rachel couldn’t find her strike. On the 1st pitch, the runner on 3rd stole home and scored on a passed ball. After 3 more pitches, the bases were loaded once again with a walk on the batter. The next batter came up to bat. Trying to get the runners moving, she took a cut on Rachel’s 1st pitch and put it in play. The grounder went straight to Kas. She picked up the ball and made the throw to 1st for the 3rd out to end the inning with the NINJAS in a deep hole.
SKIPPING NINJAS 1 – SWAT 7
2nd Inning
With a disastrous 1st inning on defense, the NINJAS were on the ropes early. Natalie was up 1st to see if she could jumpstart the NINJAS to get back in the game. Natalie took a ball on the 1st pitch. She connected on the next pitch and sent a hard grounder through the 1st base side of the infield. The 2nd baseman made the stop, but rushed the throw to 1st and the ball got away from the 1st baseman, giving Natalie the single. Rebecca came up to the plate. The SWAT pitcher started to struggle and walked Rebecca, putting NINJAS on 1st and 2nd. Olivia was up next. The pitcher was having trouble finding Olivia’s strike zone and threw balls on her 1st 3 pitches. Looking like she was getting set to load the bases, the pitcher managed to throw a strike on her next pitch. Olivia was ready for it and she took a swing. She connected on the pitch and sent a fast ground ball through the SWAT defenders for a single to right field. With SWAT scrambling to recover, Natalie crossed the plate and Rebecca reached 3rd as Olivia held up at 1st. Aale’a came to the plate next. With 2 runners on, Aale’a came out swinging. She got a hit on the 1st pitch and sent a hard ground ball through the gap on the 3rd base side of the field and deep into left field for a double, bringing Olivia and Rebecca home. Kas was up next. Kas took a ball on the 1st pitch. On the next pitch, she hit a fly ball to right field and Aale’a took off. The SWAT right fielder rushed in and made the shoestring catch for the out. Quickly, she threw the ball to 2nd to get the double play as Aale’a reached 3rd without tagging up. Rachel was up next. With the bases cleared on the double play, Rachel took a ball on the 1st pitch. She connected on the next pitch, but, this time, the SWAT defenders were ready for it. The grounder rolled up the 1st base side of the infield and the SWAT 2nd baseman scooped it up and made the throw to 1st for the out, ending the inning for the NINJAS offense.
Having chipped away at SWAT’s lead in the top half of the 2nd, the NINJAS defense needed to make a stand to give the offense a chance at making a comeback in the game. Lexie was brought in to pitch in the 2nd. With the momentum that SWAT was able to generate in the 1st inning, the 1st batter came to the plate and started swinging aggressively. She connected on Lexie’s 1st pitch for a single on a grounder to left field. The next batter came up to the plate. After a ball on the 1st pitch, which saw the runner steal 2nd, Lexie hit the batter with her next pitch and awarded her 1st base. A walk on the next SWAT batter loaded the bases. The SKIPPING NINJAS were off to another rocky start in the 2nd. Lexie returned to the rubber to face off against the next batter. On her 1st pitch, the ball got past Kas and rolled up the backstop, giving the runner on 3rd the opening to score and the other runners advanced safely. The next batter came out swinging. She fouled of Lexie’s 1st pitch. On the next pitch, the batter laid down a bunt and Kas came out to pick up the ball. Reacting quickly, Kas threw to 1st without freezing the runners and got the out on the batter for the 1st out of the inning. On the throw to 1st, the runners took off and the runner on 3rd scored before Erika could get the ball back to Kas. Lexie got back to work as the next SWAT batter came up to bat. On Lexie’s 1st pitch, the runner on 2nd stole 3rd on a passed ball. The batter fouled off the next one. Lexie threw a ball on the next pitch. The batter, counting on another ball, took the next pitch, but it was on target and the count evened up at 2-2. Lexie’s next pitch came in hot, but the batter connected on her swing and sent a ground ball toward Rachel, playing 2nd. Adjusting her glove at the last second, the ball got past Rachel and the runner got a single and brought another SWAT player home. Once again, the NINJAS were making some mental errors and continued to struggle on defense. The next batter came up to the plate. On Lexie’s 1st pitch, the runner stole 2nd on a passed ball. The batter took a swing at Lexie’s next pitch and hit the ball into foul territory. On the next pitch, the runner stole 3rd on another passed ball and got herself into scoring position. The batter connected on Lexie’s next pitch, but Rachel was able to get a handle on the low fly ball, freezing the runner at 3rd and earning the 2nd out of the inning. The next batter kept things moving with a hit on Lexie’s 1st pitch. She hit the ball to center field for a single, bringing another runner home for SWAT. With the offense now on fire and the NINJAS not providing much resistance, the SWAT batters came out swinging. The next batter got a hit on Lexie’s 1st pitch. She sent a grounder through the 3rd base side of the infield. Natalie made the stop, but missed on her throw to 1st and sent Erika scrambling to recover the ball. The batter was able to reach 2nd before the NINJAS could get the ball back to Lexie. The other runner reached 3rd on the error. Keeping things moving, the next batter swung at Lexie’s 1st pitch and hit a grounder to Rachel. Rachel tossed the ball to Erika, but the ball bounced out of her glove and the batter got a single and brought another run home and advanced the other runner to scoring position. The SKIPPING NINJAS defense was bleeding runs and seemed like they couldn’t come up with an answer as the next batter came to the plate. This would be the 2nd appearance of the SWAT batter that started the inning. On the 1st pitch, the runner stole 2nd and the batter put the ball in play. The grounder went to Natalie again. When she came up, the ball dropped out of her glove and all the runners advanced safely and one more run came home. The SWAT offense was having its way with the NINJAS so far in the game as the next batter came to bat. The batter took a swing at Lexie’s 1st pitch for a strike and, with a runner on 3rd, the runner on 1st stole 2nd unchallenged. Lexie slumped on her next 2 pitches, bringing up 2-1. On the next pitch, the batter roped one deep into right field for a double, bringing 2 more runs home. As the next SWAT batter came to the plate, the NINJAS were left scratching their heads as to how they were going to get out of the 2nd inning. Incredibly, whether if it was out of frustration or anger, Lexie was refocused as she turned her attention to the batter. Lexie brought the heat on her 1st pitch. The batter took a swing and missed for strike 1. Lexie followed it up with another good pitch. With the swing, the batter took another strike in the count. On the next pitch, Lexie threw in another strike and the batter attacked. The batter struck out swinging and Lexie got the NINJAS out of the inning, but the damage was done and it would be a tough uphill battle for the NINJAS to get back in the game.
SKIPPING NINJAS 4 – SWAT 15
3rd Inning
It was another disastrous inning for the SKIPPING NINJAS defense. They were now down by a considerable 11 points. It was almost impossible to think that the NINJAS could win or even tie the game, but the NINJAS offense took to the field with their heads held high, ready to turn things around. In stark contrast to the NINJAS needing to cycle through their pitching roster in the 1st 2 innings, SWAT held strong with their pitcher and she took to the rubber for the 3rd straight inning. Erika was up 1st. Erika took a swing at the 1st pitch for a strike. After the 1st good pitch, the pitcher started to struggle and, after the next 4 pitches, Erika found herself on 1st base with a walk. Katrina was up next. Katrina came out swinging and connected on the pitcher’s 1st pitch. She hit a hard grounder through the 3rd base side of the infield. The SWAT short stop moved in and made the stop. Taking her eye off of the ball for a split second, she got up to make the throw for the out on Erika at 2nd, but, when she reached for the ball, she discovered that it was still on the ground. Katrina and Erika advanced safely. Lexie came up to take her at bat. Following Katrina’s lead, Lexie took a swing on the 1st pitch. The ball screamed up the 3rd base line and squeezed past the SWAT 3rd baseman’s glove as Erika turned the corner at 3rd base. Erika took off for home and scored. The ball rolled out of bounds and was declared a dead ball, allowing the runners to advance 1 more base, putting Katrina at 3rd and Lexie at 2nd. Natalie was up next. With Erika coming home on the last play, the SKIPPING NINJAS were energized and Natalie swung on the 1st pitch. She connected and sent a ground ball toward the SWAT 2nd baseman who couldn’t get a handle on the ball, allowing Natalie to get on base and Katrina to hit paydirt. With the NINJAS starting to surge, the SWAT pitcher was visibly shaken. Rebecca was up next. The pitcher started throwing wild. She missed on the 1st pitch. Then, she was able to get one past Rebecca for a strike and Natalie stole 2nd. After balls on the next 3 pitches, Rebecca took a walk. On the pitch, the ball got away from the SWAT catcher and Lexie saw an opening and took advantage. The defense scrambled to recover the ball, but Lexie beat the ball to the plate and scored as Natalie advanced to 3rd. Olivia was up next. A pattern was developing among the NINJAS batters. They were all swinging at the 1st pitch against them and getting hits. Following suit, Olivia took a cut and hit the ball down the 3rd base line. The SWAT 3rd baseman picked up the grounder and threw to 1st for the out, but the SWAT 3rd baseman had to jump at the high throw and took her foot off of the bag before controlling the ball and Olivia was safe as Natalie reached home and scored. The NINJAS were starting to mount a comeback, but they were still 7 points down. Aale’a was up next. On the 1st pitch, Rebecca and Olivia advanced by stealing on a passed ball. The catcher quickly recovered and tried to get the throw to 2nd for the out on Olivia, but Olivia slid under the tag and was safe. On the throw, Rebecca took off for home. Missing the out on Olivia, the SWAT 2nd baseman reacted quickly and threw home. The catcher caught the ball and brought her glove down on Rebecca as she slid into home. When the dust settled, the umpire signaled the out on Rebecca and she was sent back to the dugout dirty, but empty handed. The SWAT pitcher got back to work. On the next pitch, Olivia stole 3rd on a passed ball. Aale’a fouled off the next pitch. After that, the pitcher started to slump again and put Aale’a on base with a walk. Back at the top of the lineup with NINJAS runners now on 1st and 3rd, Kas came up to bat. Kas tried to get the NINJAS moving again and came out swinging. She hit the 1st pitch into foul territory. The pitcher lost her strike on the next 2 pitches, bringing up 2-1. Kas fouled one more off to even up the count. On the next pitch, the ball got away from the catcher and Olivia scored on the steal of home as Aale’a made her way to 2nd. A walk on Kas put NINJAS runners on 1st and 2nd. There was new life in the game for the NINJAS. Rachel was up next. After taking a ball on the 1st pitch, Rachel put the ball in play. She sent a grounder through the 1st base side of the field. The SWAT 2nd baseman, rather than throwing to 1st for the out, decided to make the easy toss to her closest base for the out at 2nd on Kas. With 2 down and runners on 1st and 3rd, Erika was up next. Erika took a swing at the 1st pitch and connected. She sent a line drive to left field for a double, bringing Aale’a home and advancing Rachel to 3rd. Katrina was up next. She also connected on the 1st pitch for a single on a hard ground ball to left field and brought Rachel home. Lexie took her turn at the plate. On the 1st pitch, Erika stole home and scored. When SWAT attempted to throw Erika out at home, Katrina made it safely to 2nd and was able to stretch it to 3rd while SWAT tried to regain control of the ball. After all of the action on the play, the pitcher returned to the rubber to complete Lexie’s at bat. Lexie fouled off the next pitch to keep the pitcher on her toes. On the next pitch, Katrina scored on a steal of home when the passed ball rolled away from the catcher. On the next pitch, Lexie hit a hard ground ball to right field for a double. Natalie was up next. Natalie watched the 1st pitch go by for a strike. She hit the next pitch into foul territory. On the next pitch, Lexie stole 3rd on a passed ball. Feeling the pressure, the pitcher lost her rhythm on the next 2 pitches, bringing up full count. Natalie connected on the next pitch and the fast grounder rolled up the 1st base line. The SWAT defense waited for it to roll foul, but as it passed 1st base the umpire called the ball fair and Natalie got on base and Lexie came home. Rebecca was up next. She came out swinging and fouled off the 1st 2 pitches and got behind in the count early. On the next pitch, Natalie stole 2nd. Rebecca continued to stay alive, alternating between ball pitches and hits into foul territory. With the count full, Rebecca connected on the next pitch and hit a hard ground ball out into right center field for a single, bringing Natalie across the plate and, incredibly, tying up the game. Olivia came up to bat for her 2nd appearance in the inning. Olivia took a swing at the 1st pitch and got a hit. Unfortunately, she grounded out as the pitcher collected the ball and made the throw to 1st, ending the amazing comeback by the NINJAS.
Having given up their big lead, SWAT had to regroup to try to regain control of the game. With the tie, the NINJAS needed to put their best defense out on the field, however with their performance in the previous 2 innings, it was anyone’s guess as to how the rest of the 3rd inning would play out. Hopefully, the NINJAS defense would take the energy generated by their offense’s performance out on the field with them. Having run through all of the pitchers in the 1st 2 innings, Erika was brought in to pitch in the 3rd. She started off slow against the 1st batter and threw balls on her 1st 2 pitches. She managed to squeeze one past the batter for a strike. On the next pitch, the batter got a hit and popped the ball up over the infield. Rachel moved under the ball and made the catch for the 1st out. The next SWAT batter came up to bat. She fouled off Erika’s 1st pitch. She watched the next one go by and earned a 2nd strike for her efforts. Then, the batter fouled off 1 more to stay alive. After a ball, Erika hit the batter with an errant pitch and put a SWAT runner on base. The next batter came up to the plate. On the 1st pitch, Erika lost control of the ball again and hit the 2nd batter in a row. A walk on the next batter loaded the bases for SWAT and it looked like the NINJAS were headed down the same defensive road as the previous innings. Erika returned to the rubber to face off against the next SWAT batter. Her 1st pitch was a ball, but she regained control of the next pitch and the batter hit it into foul territory. The batter watched the next pitch go by for another strike. On the next pitch, Katrina, now playing 3rd, reeled in the ground ball. She decided to let the batter go and immediately turned her attention to the lead runner. She fired one in to Kas as she was moving away from the plate to make the catch. Keeping her wits about her, Kas reached to make the catch and left her toe on the plate, getting the force out at home and preventing the score. With the bases still loaded and 2 outs, the next batter came up to bat. Erika started to slow down. She threw a ball on the 1st pitch. The batter fouled the next pitch off. Then Erika slumped again. The next pitch was wide and brought up 2-1. The next pitch was wild and Kas had to get way out of position to retrieve it. By the time she turned around, the runner on 3rd successfully stole home and scored, putting SWAT back in the lead. Erika got back to work on the batter. She released her next pitch. The batter watched it go by for a strike. Erika wound up and delivered her next pitch and it was on target. The batter seemed to think it was a ball and held her bat. The umpire called it a strike and Erika closed the door on SWAT in the 3rd, giving up only 1 run.
SKIPPING NINJAS 15 – SWAT 16
4th Inning
With time running out in the game, the umpire notified both teams that this would be the final inning. Trailing by 1, the NINJAS needed to put up 2 runs to take back the lead. Aale’a was up 1st. SWAT kept the same pitcher in the game. She started to struggle early and threw balls on her 1st 2 pitches against Aale’a. The pitcher fired the next pitch in and it was good. Aale’a watched it go by for a strike. On the next pitch Aale’a connected and sent a hard ground ball past the SWAT 2nd baseman for a single. Kas was up next. After a ball on the 1st pitch, Kas connected and sent a grounder right at the SWAT 2nd baseman again. This time, she was ready and made the stop on the ball. When she came up with the ball, she decided to make the throw to 2nd for the out on Aale’a, making the connection and taking out the NINJAS lead runner. Rachel came up to bat. She took a swing at the 1st pitch. Rachel got a hold of it and sent a hard ground ball deep into right field for a double and Kas made it home, tying up the game. Erika was up next. She swung on the 1st pitch and also got a hold of it, sending a hard ground ball deep into right center field for a double as Rachel ran home. Thinking she had time, Rachel slowed her run and, incredibly, the SWAT right fielder was able to make the throw home for the out on Rachel, preventing the NINJAS from taking the lead on the play. Katrina was up next. Again, swinging on the 1st pitch, Katrina hit the ball directly at the SWAT short stop as she gunned it for 1st. The short stop collected the ball and made the throw to 1st. Reaching the bag at the same time as the ball, it looked like it could’ve gone either way, but when the ball bounced out of the 1st baseman’s glove, Katrina was safe and it was the opening Erika needed to run for home. The SWAT defense tried to get the out on Erika, but she was able to beat the throw and cross home to give the NINJAS the hard-fought, 1-point lead as Katrina reached 2nd. With the action focused on home plate, Katrina made it to 2nd unchallenged. Lexie was up next. She took a swing on the 1st pitch and missed for strike 1. The next pitch was a ball and Katrina stole 3rd when the ball got past the SWAT catcher. The next pitch got past the catcher again and Katrina saw an opening. She took off for home, but the catcher was able to recover the ball. The catcher turned toward home plate as Katrina came in at full speed. The pitcher got herself on the plate and received the toss from the catcher and tagged Katrina for the out, ending the final appearance for the NINJAS offense in the game.
Entering the last half-inning of the game, the NINJAS were in the lead by 1 point. They had to tighten up their defense if they were going to take home the win. Erika, having been our most successful pitcher on the day was selected to close the show. SWAT was not about to lay down and they came out with a purpose. The 1st batter took a swing at Erika’s 1st pitch and hit a hard ground ball to right field for a single. The next batter came to the plate and, following the 1st batter’s lead, took a swing on the 1st pitch as well. She hit a grounder toward Natalie at short stop. Natalie picked up the ball and made the throw to 1st. The ball was a bit short and Lexie had to come off of the bag to make the catch. Unfortunately, her foot came off as she made the catch and the runner was safe. With the play going toward 1st, the SWAT runners took advantage of the opening and stole their way into scoring position. Seeing that Lexie was still occupied with the ball in foul territory, the runner on 3rd took off for home. Lexie picked up the ball and threw to Kas at home. The throw was high, but Kas was able to make the catch, but she was out of position to make the tag. She ran toward home as the runner approached and they both dove head first toward the plate. Kas put the tag on the runner, but, with the impact, the ball fell out of her glove and the runner was safe, tying up the game. With the game tied and the game winning run now on 2nd with no outs, the NINJAS best hope was for a tie. And they would have to play their best defense in order to prevent another run from scoring. Erika returned to the rubber to face the next SWAT batter. On the 1st pitch, the batter laid down a bunt. Kas popped up and picked up the ball. She threw the ball to 1st for the out on the runner as the other runner reached 3rd on the play. The next batter came to the plate. Erika’s 1st pitch was a ball. The batter took swings at the next 2 pitches and missed for strikes 1 and 2. A ball evened up the count at 2-2. The batter attacked Erika’s next pitch and struck out swinging. The next batter came up to the plate and the pressure was on. All the NINJAS needed to do was to stop this batter. Erika threw a ball on the 1st pitch and Kas locked it down for the strike. On the next pitch, the batter connected and the runner took off for home. As the ball was rolling up the 3rd base line, Katrina charged and picked up the ball. She turned and fired it to Lexie at 1st. Lexie caught the ball and secured the out, ending the game with a 17-17 tie.
Final Score
SKIPPING NINJAS 17 – SWAT 17
Game Ball
It was not a pretty game by any stretch of the imagination. The SKIPPING NINJAS defense was effectively absent from the 1st half of the game, but the thing that has been the most impressive about this team in this game, and through the entire season, is that they never gave up. In fact, bad situations seem to light a fire under this girls that make up the SKIPPING NINJAS team and it couldn’t have been more evident than their performance in this game as they overcame a frightening 11 point deficit. Katrina had an incredible game today, getting some clutch outs at 3rd on defense and making some key hits on offense. Not to mention some good base running in the game. For that, Katrina was awarded the final SKIPPING NINJAS Game Ball of the regulation season. Great job Katrina! And great season SKIPPING NINJAS! Good luck in the TOCs!
Friday, May 13, 2011
Sat. May 7, 9:00am @ INTENSITY
Having come up short in their bid for 1st place in the last game and snapping their winning streak, the SKIPPING NINJAS were forced to regroup. The loss also locked up 1st place for the FLAMING PANDAS. The NINJAS were set to face off against INTENSITY for their final matchup in the regulation season. A win in this game would determine a clear 2nd place team. Once again, the NINJAS were short a player. So we recruited Allie, from BLUE DYNAMITE and Olivia from AFTERSHOCKS in the Majors Division, to round out our roster again. When the umpire called a start to the game, the fight for 2nd place was underway.
1st Inning
As the visiting team in this game, the NINJAS offense took to the field first. INTENSITY selected their ace pitcher to start things off. Rachel was up 1st. The pitcher wasn’t playing around. She started off strong against Rachel and got her to swing at the 1st pitch for a strike. Rachel held her bat on the next pitch, but the pitch was on the mark and Rachel collected another strike in the count. After a ball, Rachel fouled the next pitch off. On the next pitch, Rachel put the ball in play and sent a grounder right up the 1st base line. With everyone, including the NINJAS, thinking that it was rolling foul, the defense left the ball alone. Luckily, the grounder held the line and stayed in fair territory and Rachel got a single. Erika came out swinging. She missed the 1st pitch and Rachel successfully stole 2nd. Erika watched the next pitch go by for strike 2 and Rachel was able to make her way to 3rd. After a ball, Erika fouled one off. Then, she took a poke at the next pitch and struck out swinging. Lexie was up next. Anxious to bring Rachel home and draw 1st blood in the game, Lexie attacked the 1st pitch and missed for strike 1. She hit the next pitch into foul territory for strike 2. On the next pitch, she took a swing. She barely missed the pitch and went down swinging. Hylah had a little better luck during her at bat. She connected on the 1st pitch, but it rolled foul. Hylah connected again and put the ball in play, but the grounder went straight back to the pitcher and the pitcher made the throw to 1st for the out on Hylah, leaving Rachel stranded on 3rd.
The NINJAS offense set the tone early, in the 1st half-inning, by swinging aggressively and eventually getting a hit against the tough INTENSITY pitcher. Erika started the NINJAS off at the rubber to see if the NINJAS could fight fire with fire as the 1st INTENSITY batter took her position at the plate. Showing a lack of respect for Erika’s pitching, the batter took a swing at the 1st pitch and put the ball in play. The grounder went straight back to Erika and she made the easy throw to 1st. Lexie made the catch and got the 1st out. Erika lost her rhythm on the next batter and a walk put an INTENSITY runner on base. The next batter came up to bat. She watched Erika’s 1st pitch go by for a strike. She took a swing and popped up Erika’s next pitch. The fly ball drifted over the infield on the 3rd base side of the field. The ball drifted out to left field and Olivia moved in and made the catch for the 2nd out. The next INTENSITY batter came up to bat. Erika’s 1st pitch was wild and the runner on 1st stole 2nd. Trying to keep the runner moving, the batter took a swing at the next pitch for a strike. When she missed on her next swing, collecting another strike, the runner took a chance and stole her way safely to 3rd. On the next 2 pitches, Erika brought up full count. The batter got a hit on the next pitch and sent a line drive tearing through the infield on it’s way to right center, but Rachel got in front of the ball and, on the fly, made the catch on the line drive, putting an end to the 1st inning.
SKIPPING NINJAS 0 – INTENSITY 0
2nd Inning
With both defenses effectively shutting down the other team, which has been a pattern whenever these 2 teams faced off this season, the NINJAS came up to bat to see if either offense could break through. As Natalie came up to bat, he NINJAS were hoping to be the 1st to do so in this game. Natalie took a swing at the INTENSITY pitcher’s 1st pitch for a strike. She put the ball in play on the next pitch, but, once again, the grounder went straight back to the pitcher. Moving off the rubber to collect the ball, the pitcher scooped it up and made the throw to 1st for the out on Natalie. Olivia was up next. She took a swing at the 1st pitch for a strike. After 2 balls, she took another swing and missed. After 2 more balls, Olivia found herself on 1st base after a walk. On the 1st pitch, the ball got past the INTENSITY catcher and Olivia took off for 2nd. The catcher recovered and tried to take Olivia out at 2nd, but the ball got past the INTENSITY 2nd baseman and, with INTENSITY still scrambling for the ball, Olivia turned the corner at 3rd and scored. On the next pitch, Rebecca hit a hard grounder past the INTENSITY 1st baseman for a single. Allie was up next. The 1st pitch got away from the catcher and Rebecca made her way to 2nd on a passed ball. The next pitch was outside, bringing up ball 2, and Rebecca took off for 3rd. The catcher fired one to 3rd in an attempt to catch Rebecca stealing, but the 3rd baseman couldn’t get a handle on the ball and it hit the grass in the outfield. Rebecca took advantage of the opening and scored on the error. Shaking it off, the pitcher got back to work on Allie. A bit rattled, she threw a ball on her next pitch. On the next pitch, Allie, hoping for another ball, held her bat and struck out looking. Aale’a was up next and swung her bat aggressively. Unfortunately, it didn’t pay off as Aale’a struck out on 3 pitches, ending the offensive half for the NINJAS.
Erika was back at the rubber in the 2nd. Erika struggled against the batter after the 1st pitch was it into foul territory. A walk on the batter put an INTENSITY runner on base. Erika squeezed one past the next batter for a strike on the 1st pitch. With a ball on the 2nd pitch, the runner stole 2nd on a passed ball. Erika lost her touch a bit and missed on the next 2 pitches, bringing up 3-1. Counting on the ball, the batter held her swing and Erika hit Hylah’s glove for full count. On the next pitch, the batter took a swing and missed, striking out for the 1st out of the inning. The next batter came up and was determined to get the runner moving. She watched Erika’s 1st pitch go by for a strike. She took a swing and missed the next pitch for strike 2. The INTENSITY batter fouled the next pitch off and stayed alive. After a ball, Erika threw a nice one over the plate. The batter attacked the pitch, but came up short and struck out. The next batter came up to bat. After a ball on Erika’s 1st pitch, the batter connected and put the ball in play. She popped up the ball and, again, the fly ball drifted over the 3rd base side of the infield. This time, it stayed over the dirt and Natalie got herself under the ball and caught it for the 3rd out, ending the 2nd inning with a 2-point lead for the NINJAS.
SKIPPING NINJAS 2 – INTENSITY 0
3rd Inning
After going toe to toe against INTENSITY in the 1st inning and holding them scoreless while putting 2 points on the board, the SKIPPING NINJAS came to the plate to see if they could start pulling away in the game. Rachel was up 1st. Rachel took a swing on the INTENSITY pitcher’s 1st pitch. Rachel connected on the next pitch and sent the ball out to right field for a single. Erika was up next. She came out swinging and hit the 1st pitch into foul territory. She watched the next pitch fly by for strike 2. On the next pitch, Rachel stole 2nd on a passed ball. The INTENSITY catcher scrambled to collect the ball and threw to 2nd in an attempt to catch Rachel stealing, but the ball got away from he INTENSITY 2nd baseman and Rachel was able to reach 3rd. As the INTENSITY defense tried to recover the ball, Rachel took off for home and scored. The pitcher got back to work against Erika, but Erika kept fighting and fouled the next pitch off to stay alive. After a ball brought the count to 2-2, Erika took a swing at the next pitch and struck out. Getting hits on the INTENSITY ace pitcher seemed to light a fire under the NINJAS and Lexie came out swinging. She put the ball in play, but the grounder went straight to the INTENSITY 2nd baseman, who scooped up the ball and tossed it to 1st for the 2nd out. Hylah was up next. Hylah watched one go by for strike 1. On the next pitch, Hylah connected and sent a fly ball into right field for a single. With a NINJAS runner on base, Natalie came up to bat. She took a swing at the 1st pitch for a strike and Hylah advanced to 2nd on a steal. Natalie hit the next pitch into foul territory for strike 2. On the next pitch, Natalie hit the ball and, again, sent a grounder toward the INTENSITY 2nd baseman. She picked up he ball and tossed it to 1st for the out on Natalie, ending the inning and holding the NINJAS to 1 point in the inning and 3 overall.
Erika was back in to pitch. Erika got one past the 1st batter, but she started to struggle and, on the next 4 pitches, couldn’t find her strike and the batter walked. The next batter came out swinging and put Erika’s 1st pitch in play. She hit a fly ball to right field for a single. With runners on 1st and 2nd, the next INTENSITY batter came up to bat. Erika continued to struggle and couldn’t find her strike on the 1st 3 pitches. Holding her bat on the next pitch, the batter watch the ball hit the mark for a strike. Erika hit the batter with her next pitch and loaded the bases. Continuing to struggle, Erika started off against the next batter with 2 straight ball pitches. On the next pitch, Erika found her strike, but the batter was ready. She got a hit and sent a fly ball over the infield. On the fly, Rebecca moved off of 3rd base to make the catch for the out, freezing the runners on their respective bases. The INTENSITY next batter came up to bat. The batter watched Erika’s 1st pitch fly by for strike 1. She took a swing on the next pitch and connected. Erika moved in to pick up the ball. Instead of taking out the lead runner and preventing the score, Erika decided to go for the out at 1st. She got the ball to Lexie for the out, but one INTENSITY runner was able to cross the plate. Trying to keep the runners moving, the next batter came up to the plate and started swinging. She connected on the 1st pitch and sent a grounder up the 1st base line. Lexie scooped up the ball and tagged the bag for the 3rd out.
SKIPPING NINJAS 3 – INTENSITY 1
4th Inning
In the lead by 3 points, the SKIPPING NINJAS offense took to the field. Olivia, returning guest NINJA from AFTERSHOCK in the Majors, was up 1st. INTENSITY decided to rest their ace pitcher. The new pitcher needed some time to warm up. She couldn’t find her pitch against Olivia. After 4 pitches, Olivia got on base with a walk. Rebecca was up next. The pitcher was able to get the 1st pitch past Rebecca for a strike. On the next pitch, Olivia stole 2nd on a passed ball. The pitcher continued to slump on the next 2 pitches. Rebecca took the next pitch, hoping for another ball, but the pitch was on the mark and the count was full. The INTENSITY pitcher fired the next one in. Rebecca, reading ball, held her bat again, but the umpire saw it differently and Rebecca struck out looking. Allie, our 2nd guest NINJA, from the BLUE DYNAMITE team in the Majors, was up next. The pitcher started to struggle against Allie and started off with a ball on the 1st pitch. On the next pitch, Olivia stole 3rd on a passed ball. Allie watched the next pitch for a strike. Then, on the next pitch, Allie took a swing and connected. She sent a grounder right back to the INTENSITY pitcher. The pitcher picked up the ball and threw the ball to 1st for the out on Allie. On the throw, Olivia took off for home and scored. Aale’a was up next. Aale’a attacked the 1st 2 pitches and missed both for strikes 1 and 2. Calming herself down, Aale’a held her bat on the next pitch. Unfortunately, the pitcher found her strike and got the pitch to the catcher for the strikeout on Aale’a, retiring the side.
With Erika’s arm fading a bit in the 3rd, Hylah was selected to take over pitching duties in the 4th. Hylah started off struggling against the 1st batter. She threw a ball on her 1st pitch. She was able to follow it up with a strike pitch and the batter fouled it off. After a ball, Hylah hit the batter and put n INTENSITY runner on base. Hylah continued having problems at the rubber. She started off with a ball against the next batter. She got the batter to swing at the next pitch for a strike. She got the batter to swing again, but this time the batter fouled it off for strike 2. Hylah started to struggle again and lost her strike. Finally, after reaching full count, Hylah gave up 1st base with a walk on the batter. The next INTENSITY batter came up to bat. The batter connected on Hylah’s 1st pitch, but she hit the ball into foul territory. On the next pitch, the runners stole their way into scoring position on a passed ball. Once again, Hylah lost her strike on the next 3 pitches. On the 3rd pitch, Hylah hit the batter and loaded the bases for INTENSITY. With Hylah having a difficult go of it, she was asked if she wanted out, but she asked for another chance. She got back to work as the next batter approached the plate. It seemed like the threat of a switch recharged Hylah and she started throwing strikes. The batter swung aggressively. She hit the 1st 2 pitches into foul territory. Then she attacked Hylah’s next pitch and struck out swinging. Feeling more confident, Hylah got ready for the next INTENSITY batter. The batter swung aggressively as well and put Hylah’s 1st pitch in play. She hit a low fly ball over the 1st base line. Lexie stepped in front of it and made the catch for the 2nd out. Hylah’s strike left almost as soon as it appeared. On 4 pitches, a walk on the batter kept the bases loaded and brought an INTENSITY runner home. Hylah asked for 1 more chance, but, after a short battle that filled up the count, she walked another batter, bringing another runner across the plate. Allie, who had been asking to pitch since the previous game, was given a shot. She started off slow against her 1st batter and threw balls on her 1st 3 pitches, which saw an INTENSITY runner steal home on a passed ball to tie up the game. On the next pitch, she found her groove, but the batter connected. She sent a grounder right back to Allie. Allie reeled it in and made the easy throw to 1st for the final out of the inning.
SKIPPING NINJAS 4 – INTENSITY 4
5th Inning
With both teams asserting themselves in this game, a clear victor had yet to emerge in this battle for 2nd place in the division. Rachel came out to see if she could begin a rally that would help the NINJAS to add to their steadily decreasing lead. She came out swinging and connected on the 1st toss from the INTENSIY pitcher. She hit a grounder that rolled through the 1st base side of the infield. The INTENSITY 2nd baseman got in front of the ball and picked it up. She tossed the ball to 1st for the out and Rachel was sent back to the NINJAS dugout empty handed. Erika was up next. Erika was up next. Swinging on the 1st pitch, Erika missed and collected a strike for her efforts. Fouling off the next pitch, Erika put herself further behind in the count with a 2nd strike. When the pitcher delivered her next pitch, Erika started to swing, but thought better of it as she saw the pitch drift off target for a ball. When the pitcher threw her next pitch, Erika went after it and struck out swinging. With the door closing quickly on the NINJAS offense, Lexie came out to see if she could break through in the 5th. The pitcher had other plans as her confidence was building with her success against the 1st 2 NINJAS batters. The strike pitches started to come easier. Lexie took a swing on the 1st pitch for a strike. The next pitch was on target again and Lexie came up short in her 2nd attempt. With 2 strikes, Lexie started to get anxious as her window of opportunity began to close. On the next pitch, she tried again. Once again, the pitcher was able to squeeze the pitch past Lexie and Lexie struck out swinging.
Having only faced 1 batter as she completed the last inning, Allie was given another shot to pitch in the 5th inning. She started off slow against the 1st batter and threw balls on the 1st 2 pitches. She found her strike on the next 2 and got the batter to swing to even up the count at 2-2. The batter connected on Allie’s next pitch and put the ball in play. She sent a grounder up the 3rd base line. Hylah came off of 3rd to make the stop and threw the ball to 1st for the out on the batter. The next batter came up to the plate. Allie got to work and delivered her 1st pitch. The batter took a swing and hit the ball into foul territory. The batter got a hold of Allie’s next pitch and sent a hard grounder through the infield out into the center field grass for a single. Regrouping, Allie returned to the rubber to take on the next INTENSITY batter. On the 1st pitch, the batter watched the pitch go by for a strike and the runner stole 2nd base when the ball got past Erika. The batter attacked Allie’s next pitch and collected a swinging strike for her efforts. On the pitch, the runner made her way to 3rd on a steal as another pitch got away from Erika again. The batter fouled the next pitch off to stay alive. After a ball, the batter tried again and struck out swinging for the 2nd out. Allie started off with a swinging strike against the next batter. Suddenly, Allie lost her strike pitch. She threw balls on the next 2 pitches and got behind in the count. On the next pitch, Allie missed the mark and Erika let it get past her once again and the runner on 3rd saw an opening. As Erika slowly went after the ball, the runner on 3rd took off and scored, putting INTENSITY in the lead for the 1st time in the game. Eventually, a walk on the batter put another runner on base for INENSITY. With 2 down, Allie got ready to take on the next batter. She fought hard in a battle against the batter. The batter fouled the 1st pitch off for strike 1. On the next pitch, the runner aggressively stole 2nd on a passed ball. Erika let another pitch get past her and the runner reached 3rd on yet another passed ball. Allie drew the swing on the next pitch and put another strike in the count. A ball on the next pitch brought up full count. With 2 down and 2 strikes on the batter, Allie dug deep and found her mark on the next pitch. The batter saw it as well. She took a swing and Allie’s pitch flew just under the bat. Reaching Erika’s glove, the pitch found its mark and the batter struck out.
SKIPPING NINJAS 4 – INTENSITY 5
6th Inning
Now down by 1 in what the umpire stated would be the last inning of the game. The SKIPPING NINJAS offense needed to come alive in order take back the lead. Hylah was up 1st. She came out swinging and put the ball in play on the 1st pitch. The grounder went straight back to the pitcher who got the out on Hylah with a quick throw to 1st. Natalie was up next. Following Hylah’s lead, she swung and connected with the 1st pitch. She managed a double on a big hit to right field. Olivia was next. She tried to keep things going on the 1st pitch, but missed and collected a strike as Natalie stole 3rd base. The INTENSITY pitcher started to lose her rhythm and threw balls on the next 2 pitches before hitting Olivia and putting her on base. The pitcher continued to struggle as Rebecca came to the plate. On the 1st pitch, Olivia stole 2nd on a passed ball. She managed to squeeze one past Rebecca to even up the count. But she wasn’t able to find it again and, 3 pitches later, the bases were loaded with the walk on Rebecca. Allie was up next. The pitcher started to regain her groove and managed to get Allie to swing. Allie missed on her 1st attempt for a strike. After a ball, Allie tried again, but missed the strike pitch on her second go. A ball on the next pitch evened things up at 2-2. On the next pitch, Rebecca got a hold of it and sent a hard grounder screaming through the INTENSITY infield for a single and the NINJAS runners were on the move. The ball got past the 3rd baseman and rolled far into the left field grass, which gave Natalie and Olivia time to reach home and put the NINJAS back in the lead. With runners now on 1st and 2nd, Aale’a came up to bat. Rattled, the pitcher lost her groove again. A walk on Aale’a loaded the bases again for the SKIPPING NINJAS. Rachel came up next. On the 1st pitch, Rachel hit the ball, but the ball died on the field as if she bunted. It was the INTENSITY catcher’s ball, but she was forced to get out of position to pick it up, giving Rebecca room to get past her and score. By the time, the catcher recovered, the NINJAS runners advanced safely. Now down by 3, the INTENSITY pitcher returned to the rubber as Erika approached the plate. Erika stared swinging aggressively. She fouled one off, then watched one get by her and got behind in the count early. She fouled one more off to stay alive. The pitcher tried her best to take her down, but, after a ball, Erika was able to foul one more off to extend her at bat. One more ball evened up the count at 2-2. On the next pitch, Erika tried again, but this time, it didn’t pay off and Erika struck out swinging. Lexie was up next. With the bases loaded, Lexie tried to get things moving. She got a hit on the 1st pitch, but the grounder rolled straight up the 1st base line and the INTENSITY 1st baseman picked up the ball and waited for Lexie to run into the tag to end the inning and the final appearance of the NINJAS offense.
Riding a 3-point lead, all the NINJAS had to do to take home the victory was hold INTENSITY. Allie, after a good performance in the 5th, was selected to close the show. She warmed up against the 1st batter, but missed on her 1st 2 pitches for balls 1 and 2. On the next pitch, the batter connected and sent a hard ground ball through the NINJAS infield for a single. Erika picked up the ball, but when she missed the throw to 2nd, in an attempt to hold the runner, the runner saw an opening and gunned it for 2nd. By the time the NINJAS recovered, the runner advanced safely. The next INTENSITY batter came up to bat. She tried to keep the runner moving. On the 1st pitch, the batter connected and sent a line drive screaming toward right field. Amazingly, Rachel reached out her glove and made the catch for the out. The next batter came up to face off against Allie. On Allie’s 1st pitch, the batter took a swing and missed. After a ball evened up the count, the batter connected on Allie’s next pitch. She sent a ground ball through the 3rd base side of the infield and the runner turned the corner at 3rd. Natalie moved in and made the stop on the ball. When she got up, the runner was on her way home. Natalie decided to let her go in favor of the out at 1st, but her throw was high and the batter reached 2nd on the error. As the dust settled, Allie returned to the rubber as the next INTENSITY batter came up to the plate. Allie’s 1st pitch got past Hylah and the runner stole 3rd on the passed ball. On the next pitch, the batter connected and sent a line drive straight up the middle. The runner on 3rd anxiously took a big lead counting on the ball to reach the outfield. Reacting quickly, Allie flipped out her glove and caught the line drive for the 2nd out, forcing the runner to scramble back to 3rd as she hadn’t tagged up. Allie tried to take her out, but she missed the connection when Rebecca lost control of the ball. The ball rolled into foul territory and the runner took off for home and scored, tying up the game. Having given up the tying run, the SKIPPING NINJAS now couldn’t take home the victory. They now had to play spoiler in INTENSITY’s attempt to steal the game. With 2 down and no runners on base, the game hinged on the next INTENSITY batter. Allie started off with a ball. The batter started swinging and fouled off Allie’s next 2 pitches. Allie threw one more across, but it was a little inside and the count was even at 2-2. Allie dug deep and delivered her next pitch. The batter, hoping for a ball, watched it hit Hylah’s glove. The umpire yelled, “Strike 3!” The game was over and the NINJAS and INTENSITY ended the game in a tie.
Final Score
SKIPPING NINJAS 7 – INTENSITY 7
Game Ball
In the fight for 2nd place, the tie created matching records for the NINJAS and INTENSITY. Unfortunately, going to the tiebreaker, which would be runs allowed, INTENSITY came out ahead and regained 2nd place. But, there was no reason for the NINJAS to hang their heads as both teams put in a great performance on both sides, which proved that these teams were very evenly matched. Both Allie and Erika put in some solid performances at pitcher in the game and, for that, they were awarded a game ball. Great job ladies!
1st Inning
As the visiting team in this game, the NINJAS offense took to the field first. INTENSITY selected their ace pitcher to start things off. Rachel was up 1st. The pitcher wasn’t playing around. She started off strong against Rachel and got her to swing at the 1st pitch for a strike. Rachel held her bat on the next pitch, but the pitch was on the mark and Rachel collected another strike in the count. After a ball, Rachel fouled the next pitch off. On the next pitch, Rachel put the ball in play and sent a grounder right up the 1st base line. With everyone, including the NINJAS, thinking that it was rolling foul, the defense left the ball alone. Luckily, the grounder held the line and stayed in fair territory and Rachel got a single. Erika came out swinging. She missed the 1st pitch and Rachel successfully stole 2nd. Erika watched the next pitch go by for strike 2 and Rachel was able to make her way to 3rd. After a ball, Erika fouled one off. Then, she took a poke at the next pitch and struck out swinging. Lexie was up next. Anxious to bring Rachel home and draw 1st blood in the game, Lexie attacked the 1st pitch and missed for strike 1. She hit the next pitch into foul territory for strike 2. On the next pitch, she took a swing. She barely missed the pitch and went down swinging. Hylah had a little better luck during her at bat. She connected on the 1st pitch, but it rolled foul. Hylah connected again and put the ball in play, but the grounder went straight back to the pitcher and the pitcher made the throw to 1st for the out on Hylah, leaving Rachel stranded on 3rd.
The NINJAS offense set the tone early, in the 1st half-inning, by swinging aggressively and eventually getting a hit against the tough INTENSITY pitcher. Erika started the NINJAS off at the rubber to see if the NINJAS could fight fire with fire as the 1st INTENSITY batter took her position at the plate. Showing a lack of respect for Erika’s pitching, the batter took a swing at the 1st pitch and put the ball in play. The grounder went straight back to Erika and she made the easy throw to 1st. Lexie made the catch and got the 1st out. Erika lost her rhythm on the next batter and a walk put an INTENSITY runner on base. The next batter came up to bat. She watched Erika’s 1st pitch go by for a strike. She took a swing and popped up Erika’s next pitch. The fly ball drifted over the infield on the 3rd base side of the field. The ball drifted out to left field and Olivia moved in and made the catch for the 2nd out. The next INTENSITY batter came up to bat. Erika’s 1st pitch was wild and the runner on 1st stole 2nd. Trying to keep the runner moving, the batter took a swing at the next pitch for a strike. When she missed on her next swing, collecting another strike, the runner took a chance and stole her way safely to 3rd. On the next 2 pitches, Erika brought up full count. The batter got a hit on the next pitch and sent a line drive tearing through the infield on it’s way to right center, but Rachel got in front of the ball and, on the fly, made the catch on the line drive, putting an end to the 1st inning.
SKIPPING NINJAS 0 – INTENSITY 0
2nd Inning
With both defenses effectively shutting down the other team, which has been a pattern whenever these 2 teams faced off this season, the NINJAS came up to bat to see if either offense could break through. As Natalie came up to bat, he NINJAS were hoping to be the 1st to do so in this game. Natalie took a swing at the INTENSITY pitcher’s 1st pitch for a strike. She put the ball in play on the next pitch, but, once again, the grounder went straight back to the pitcher. Moving off the rubber to collect the ball, the pitcher scooped it up and made the throw to 1st for the out on Natalie. Olivia was up next. She took a swing at the 1st pitch for a strike. After 2 balls, she took another swing and missed. After 2 more balls, Olivia found herself on 1st base after a walk. On the 1st pitch, the ball got past the INTENSITY catcher and Olivia took off for 2nd. The catcher recovered and tried to take Olivia out at 2nd, but the ball got past the INTENSITY 2nd baseman and, with INTENSITY still scrambling for the ball, Olivia turned the corner at 3rd and scored. On the next pitch, Rebecca hit a hard grounder past the INTENSITY 1st baseman for a single. Allie was up next. The 1st pitch got away from the catcher and Rebecca made her way to 2nd on a passed ball. The next pitch was outside, bringing up ball 2, and Rebecca took off for 3rd. The catcher fired one to 3rd in an attempt to catch Rebecca stealing, but the 3rd baseman couldn’t get a handle on the ball and it hit the grass in the outfield. Rebecca took advantage of the opening and scored on the error. Shaking it off, the pitcher got back to work on Allie. A bit rattled, she threw a ball on her next pitch. On the next pitch, Allie, hoping for another ball, held her bat and struck out looking. Aale’a was up next and swung her bat aggressively. Unfortunately, it didn’t pay off as Aale’a struck out on 3 pitches, ending the offensive half for the NINJAS.
Erika was back at the rubber in the 2nd. Erika struggled against the batter after the 1st pitch was it into foul territory. A walk on the batter put an INTENSITY runner on base. Erika squeezed one past the next batter for a strike on the 1st pitch. With a ball on the 2nd pitch, the runner stole 2nd on a passed ball. Erika lost her touch a bit and missed on the next 2 pitches, bringing up 3-1. Counting on the ball, the batter held her swing and Erika hit Hylah’s glove for full count. On the next pitch, the batter took a swing and missed, striking out for the 1st out of the inning. The next batter came up and was determined to get the runner moving. She watched Erika’s 1st pitch go by for a strike. She took a swing and missed the next pitch for strike 2. The INTENSITY batter fouled the next pitch off and stayed alive. After a ball, Erika threw a nice one over the plate. The batter attacked the pitch, but came up short and struck out. The next batter came up to bat. After a ball on Erika’s 1st pitch, the batter connected and put the ball in play. She popped up the ball and, again, the fly ball drifted over the 3rd base side of the infield. This time, it stayed over the dirt and Natalie got herself under the ball and caught it for the 3rd out, ending the 2nd inning with a 2-point lead for the NINJAS.
SKIPPING NINJAS 2 – INTENSITY 0
3rd Inning
After going toe to toe against INTENSITY in the 1st inning and holding them scoreless while putting 2 points on the board, the SKIPPING NINJAS came to the plate to see if they could start pulling away in the game. Rachel was up 1st. Rachel took a swing on the INTENSITY pitcher’s 1st pitch. Rachel connected on the next pitch and sent the ball out to right field for a single. Erika was up next. She came out swinging and hit the 1st pitch into foul territory. She watched the next pitch fly by for strike 2. On the next pitch, Rachel stole 2nd on a passed ball. The INTENSITY catcher scrambled to collect the ball and threw to 2nd in an attempt to catch Rachel stealing, but the ball got away from he INTENSITY 2nd baseman and Rachel was able to reach 3rd. As the INTENSITY defense tried to recover the ball, Rachel took off for home and scored. The pitcher got back to work against Erika, but Erika kept fighting and fouled the next pitch off to stay alive. After a ball brought the count to 2-2, Erika took a swing at the next pitch and struck out. Getting hits on the INTENSITY ace pitcher seemed to light a fire under the NINJAS and Lexie came out swinging. She put the ball in play, but the grounder went straight to the INTENSITY 2nd baseman, who scooped up the ball and tossed it to 1st for the 2nd out. Hylah was up next. Hylah watched one go by for strike 1. On the next pitch, Hylah connected and sent a fly ball into right field for a single. With a NINJAS runner on base, Natalie came up to bat. She took a swing at the 1st pitch for a strike and Hylah advanced to 2nd on a steal. Natalie hit the next pitch into foul territory for strike 2. On the next pitch, Natalie hit the ball and, again, sent a grounder toward the INTENSITY 2nd baseman. She picked up he ball and tossed it to 1st for the out on Natalie, ending the inning and holding the NINJAS to 1 point in the inning and 3 overall.
Erika was back in to pitch. Erika got one past the 1st batter, but she started to struggle and, on the next 4 pitches, couldn’t find her strike and the batter walked. The next batter came out swinging and put Erika’s 1st pitch in play. She hit a fly ball to right field for a single. With runners on 1st and 2nd, the next INTENSITY batter came up to bat. Erika continued to struggle and couldn’t find her strike on the 1st 3 pitches. Holding her bat on the next pitch, the batter watch the ball hit the mark for a strike. Erika hit the batter with her next pitch and loaded the bases. Continuing to struggle, Erika started off against the next batter with 2 straight ball pitches. On the next pitch, Erika found her strike, but the batter was ready. She got a hit and sent a fly ball over the infield. On the fly, Rebecca moved off of 3rd base to make the catch for the out, freezing the runners on their respective bases. The INTENSITY next batter came up to bat. The batter watched Erika’s 1st pitch fly by for strike 1. She took a swing on the next pitch and connected. Erika moved in to pick up the ball. Instead of taking out the lead runner and preventing the score, Erika decided to go for the out at 1st. She got the ball to Lexie for the out, but one INTENSITY runner was able to cross the plate. Trying to keep the runners moving, the next batter came up to the plate and started swinging. She connected on the 1st pitch and sent a grounder up the 1st base line. Lexie scooped up the ball and tagged the bag for the 3rd out.
SKIPPING NINJAS 3 – INTENSITY 1
4th Inning
In the lead by 3 points, the SKIPPING NINJAS offense took to the field. Olivia, returning guest NINJA from AFTERSHOCK in the Majors, was up 1st. INTENSITY decided to rest their ace pitcher. The new pitcher needed some time to warm up. She couldn’t find her pitch against Olivia. After 4 pitches, Olivia got on base with a walk. Rebecca was up next. The pitcher was able to get the 1st pitch past Rebecca for a strike. On the next pitch, Olivia stole 2nd on a passed ball. The pitcher continued to slump on the next 2 pitches. Rebecca took the next pitch, hoping for another ball, but the pitch was on the mark and the count was full. The INTENSITY pitcher fired the next one in. Rebecca, reading ball, held her bat again, but the umpire saw it differently and Rebecca struck out looking. Allie, our 2nd guest NINJA, from the BLUE DYNAMITE team in the Majors, was up next. The pitcher started to struggle against Allie and started off with a ball on the 1st pitch. On the next pitch, Olivia stole 3rd on a passed ball. Allie watched the next pitch for a strike. Then, on the next pitch, Allie took a swing and connected. She sent a grounder right back to the INTENSITY pitcher. The pitcher picked up the ball and threw the ball to 1st for the out on Allie. On the throw, Olivia took off for home and scored. Aale’a was up next. Aale’a attacked the 1st 2 pitches and missed both for strikes 1 and 2. Calming herself down, Aale’a held her bat on the next pitch. Unfortunately, the pitcher found her strike and got the pitch to the catcher for the strikeout on Aale’a, retiring the side.
With Erika’s arm fading a bit in the 3rd, Hylah was selected to take over pitching duties in the 4th. Hylah started off struggling against the 1st batter. She threw a ball on her 1st pitch. She was able to follow it up with a strike pitch and the batter fouled it off. After a ball, Hylah hit the batter and put n INTENSITY runner on base. Hylah continued having problems at the rubber. She started off with a ball against the next batter. She got the batter to swing at the next pitch for a strike. She got the batter to swing again, but this time the batter fouled it off for strike 2. Hylah started to struggle again and lost her strike. Finally, after reaching full count, Hylah gave up 1st base with a walk on the batter. The next INTENSITY batter came up to bat. The batter connected on Hylah’s 1st pitch, but she hit the ball into foul territory. On the next pitch, the runners stole their way into scoring position on a passed ball. Once again, Hylah lost her strike on the next 3 pitches. On the 3rd pitch, Hylah hit the batter and loaded the bases for INTENSITY. With Hylah having a difficult go of it, she was asked if she wanted out, but she asked for another chance. She got back to work as the next batter approached the plate. It seemed like the threat of a switch recharged Hylah and she started throwing strikes. The batter swung aggressively. She hit the 1st 2 pitches into foul territory. Then she attacked Hylah’s next pitch and struck out swinging. Feeling more confident, Hylah got ready for the next INTENSITY batter. The batter swung aggressively as well and put Hylah’s 1st pitch in play. She hit a low fly ball over the 1st base line. Lexie stepped in front of it and made the catch for the 2nd out. Hylah’s strike left almost as soon as it appeared. On 4 pitches, a walk on the batter kept the bases loaded and brought an INTENSITY runner home. Hylah asked for 1 more chance, but, after a short battle that filled up the count, she walked another batter, bringing another runner across the plate. Allie, who had been asking to pitch since the previous game, was given a shot. She started off slow against her 1st batter and threw balls on her 1st 3 pitches, which saw an INTENSITY runner steal home on a passed ball to tie up the game. On the next pitch, she found her groove, but the batter connected. She sent a grounder right back to Allie. Allie reeled it in and made the easy throw to 1st for the final out of the inning.
SKIPPING NINJAS 4 – INTENSITY 4
5th Inning
With both teams asserting themselves in this game, a clear victor had yet to emerge in this battle for 2nd place in the division. Rachel came out to see if she could begin a rally that would help the NINJAS to add to their steadily decreasing lead. She came out swinging and connected on the 1st toss from the INTENSIY pitcher. She hit a grounder that rolled through the 1st base side of the infield. The INTENSITY 2nd baseman got in front of the ball and picked it up. She tossed the ball to 1st for the out and Rachel was sent back to the NINJAS dugout empty handed. Erika was up next. Erika was up next. Swinging on the 1st pitch, Erika missed and collected a strike for her efforts. Fouling off the next pitch, Erika put herself further behind in the count with a 2nd strike. When the pitcher delivered her next pitch, Erika started to swing, but thought better of it as she saw the pitch drift off target for a ball. When the pitcher threw her next pitch, Erika went after it and struck out swinging. With the door closing quickly on the NINJAS offense, Lexie came out to see if she could break through in the 5th. The pitcher had other plans as her confidence was building with her success against the 1st 2 NINJAS batters. The strike pitches started to come easier. Lexie took a swing on the 1st pitch for a strike. The next pitch was on target again and Lexie came up short in her 2nd attempt. With 2 strikes, Lexie started to get anxious as her window of opportunity began to close. On the next pitch, she tried again. Once again, the pitcher was able to squeeze the pitch past Lexie and Lexie struck out swinging.
Having only faced 1 batter as she completed the last inning, Allie was given another shot to pitch in the 5th inning. She started off slow against the 1st batter and threw balls on the 1st 2 pitches. She found her strike on the next 2 and got the batter to swing to even up the count at 2-2. The batter connected on Allie’s next pitch and put the ball in play. She sent a grounder up the 3rd base line. Hylah came off of 3rd to make the stop and threw the ball to 1st for the out on the batter. The next batter came up to the plate. Allie got to work and delivered her 1st pitch. The batter took a swing and hit the ball into foul territory. The batter got a hold of Allie’s next pitch and sent a hard grounder through the infield out into the center field grass for a single. Regrouping, Allie returned to the rubber to take on the next INTENSITY batter. On the 1st pitch, the batter watched the pitch go by for a strike and the runner stole 2nd base when the ball got past Erika. The batter attacked Allie’s next pitch and collected a swinging strike for her efforts. On the pitch, the runner made her way to 3rd on a steal as another pitch got away from Erika again. The batter fouled the next pitch off to stay alive. After a ball, the batter tried again and struck out swinging for the 2nd out. Allie started off with a swinging strike against the next batter. Suddenly, Allie lost her strike pitch. She threw balls on the next 2 pitches and got behind in the count. On the next pitch, Allie missed the mark and Erika let it get past her once again and the runner on 3rd saw an opening. As Erika slowly went after the ball, the runner on 3rd took off and scored, putting INTENSITY in the lead for the 1st time in the game. Eventually, a walk on the batter put another runner on base for INENSITY. With 2 down, Allie got ready to take on the next batter. She fought hard in a battle against the batter. The batter fouled the 1st pitch off for strike 1. On the next pitch, the runner aggressively stole 2nd on a passed ball. Erika let another pitch get past her and the runner reached 3rd on yet another passed ball. Allie drew the swing on the next pitch and put another strike in the count. A ball on the next pitch brought up full count. With 2 down and 2 strikes on the batter, Allie dug deep and found her mark on the next pitch. The batter saw it as well. She took a swing and Allie’s pitch flew just under the bat. Reaching Erika’s glove, the pitch found its mark and the batter struck out.
SKIPPING NINJAS 4 – INTENSITY 5
6th Inning
Now down by 1 in what the umpire stated would be the last inning of the game. The SKIPPING NINJAS offense needed to come alive in order take back the lead. Hylah was up 1st. She came out swinging and put the ball in play on the 1st pitch. The grounder went straight back to the pitcher who got the out on Hylah with a quick throw to 1st. Natalie was up next. Following Hylah’s lead, she swung and connected with the 1st pitch. She managed a double on a big hit to right field. Olivia was next. She tried to keep things going on the 1st pitch, but missed and collected a strike as Natalie stole 3rd base. The INTENSITY pitcher started to lose her rhythm and threw balls on the next 2 pitches before hitting Olivia and putting her on base. The pitcher continued to struggle as Rebecca came to the plate. On the 1st pitch, Olivia stole 2nd on a passed ball. She managed to squeeze one past Rebecca to even up the count. But she wasn’t able to find it again and, 3 pitches later, the bases were loaded with the walk on Rebecca. Allie was up next. The pitcher started to regain her groove and managed to get Allie to swing. Allie missed on her 1st attempt for a strike. After a ball, Allie tried again, but missed the strike pitch on her second go. A ball on the next pitch evened things up at 2-2. On the next pitch, Rebecca got a hold of it and sent a hard grounder screaming through the INTENSITY infield for a single and the NINJAS runners were on the move. The ball got past the 3rd baseman and rolled far into the left field grass, which gave Natalie and Olivia time to reach home and put the NINJAS back in the lead. With runners now on 1st and 2nd, Aale’a came up to bat. Rattled, the pitcher lost her groove again. A walk on Aale’a loaded the bases again for the SKIPPING NINJAS. Rachel came up next. On the 1st pitch, Rachel hit the ball, but the ball died on the field as if she bunted. It was the INTENSITY catcher’s ball, but she was forced to get out of position to pick it up, giving Rebecca room to get past her and score. By the time, the catcher recovered, the NINJAS runners advanced safely. Now down by 3, the INTENSITY pitcher returned to the rubber as Erika approached the plate. Erika stared swinging aggressively. She fouled one off, then watched one get by her and got behind in the count early. She fouled one more off to stay alive. The pitcher tried her best to take her down, but, after a ball, Erika was able to foul one more off to extend her at bat. One more ball evened up the count at 2-2. On the next pitch, Erika tried again, but this time, it didn’t pay off and Erika struck out swinging. Lexie was up next. With the bases loaded, Lexie tried to get things moving. She got a hit on the 1st pitch, but the grounder rolled straight up the 1st base line and the INTENSITY 1st baseman picked up the ball and waited for Lexie to run into the tag to end the inning and the final appearance of the NINJAS offense.
Riding a 3-point lead, all the NINJAS had to do to take home the victory was hold INTENSITY. Allie, after a good performance in the 5th, was selected to close the show. She warmed up against the 1st batter, but missed on her 1st 2 pitches for balls 1 and 2. On the next pitch, the batter connected and sent a hard ground ball through the NINJAS infield for a single. Erika picked up the ball, but when she missed the throw to 2nd, in an attempt to hold the runner, the runner saw an opening and gunned it for 2nd. By the time the NINJAS recovered, the runner advanced safely. The next INTENSITY batter came up to bat. She tried to keep the runner moving. On the 1st pitch, the batter connected and sent a line drive screaming toward right field. Amazingly, Rachel reached out her glove and made the catch for the out. The next batter came up to face off against Allie. On Allie’s 1st pitch, the batter took a swing and missed. After a ball evened up the count, the batter connected on Allie’s next pitch. She sent a ground ball through the 3rd base side of the infield and the runner turned the corner at 3rd. Natalie moved in and made the stop on the ball. When she got up, the runner was on her way home. Natalie decided to let her go in favor of the out at 1st, but her throw was high and the batter reached 2nd on the error. As the dust settled, Allie returned to the rubber as the next INTENSITY batter came up to the plate. Allie’s 1st pitch got past Hylah and the runner stole 3rd on the passed ball. On the next pitch, the batter connected and sent a line drive straight up the middle. The runner on 3rd anxiously took a big lead counting on the ball to reach the outfield. Reacting quickly, Allie flipped out her glove and caught the line drive for the 2nd out, forcing the runner to scramble back to 3rd as she hadn’t tagged up. Allie tried to take her out, but she missed the connection when Rebecca lost control of the ball. The ball rolled into foul territory and the runner took off for home and scored, tying up the game. Having given up the tying run, the SKIPPING NINJAS now couldn’t take home the victory. They now had to play spoiler in INTENSITY’s attempt to steal the game. With 2 down and no runners on base, the game hinged on the next INTENSITY batter. Allie started off with a ball. The batter started swinging and fouled off Allie’s next 2 pitches. Allie threw one more across, but it was a little inside and the count was even at 2-2. Allie dug deep and delivered her next pitch. The batter, hoping for a ball, watched it hit Hylah’s glove. The umpire yelled, “Strike 3!” The game was over and the NINJAS and INTENSITY ended the game in a tie.
Final Score
SKIPPING NINJAS 7 – INTENSITY 7
Game Ball
In the fight for 2nd place, the tie created matching records for the NINJAS and INTENSITY. Unfortunately, going to the tiebreaker, which would be runs allowed, INTENSITY came out ahead and regained 2nd place. But, there was no reason for the NINJAS to hang their heads as both teams put in a great performance on both sides, which proved that these teams were very evenly matched. Both Allie and Erika put in some solid performances at pitcher in the game and, for that, they were awarded a game ball. Great job ladies!
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
Mon. May 2, 6:00pm vs. FLAMING PANDAS
After a great weekend of softball and now on a 3-game winning streak, the SKIPPING NINJAS were set to face off against the FLAMING PANDAS for the final time in the 2011 season. After the wins over the weekend, the SKIPPING NINJAS were the only team to win both of their weekend games and the 1st team in the season to have 3 wins in a row. Not to mention getting into 2nd place after Sunday’s game. But the pressure was on as a win in this game would put the NINJAS in 1st place in the division. The NINJAS came to the fields with confidence, but with players missing from the game, including a last minute cancellations, that confidence began to fade.
1st Inning
Miara was selected to lead the SKIPPING NINJAS defense as starting pitcher. She got to work on the 1st PANDAS batter. Miara threw heat on her 1st pitch and got it past the batter for strike 1. The batter was able to get a piece of Miara’s next pitch, but fouled it off. The batter took a swing at Miara’s 3rd pitch. This time, she got a hold of it and sent a line drive screaming up the middle. Impressively, Miara flipped out her glove to make the grab for the out. The next PANDAS batter came up to bat. Miara got the 1st pitch past the batter for a strike. The batter took a swing and missed, bringing up 0-2. After a ball and a foul tip on the next 2 pitches, the batter connected and sent a fly ball out into center field for a single. The next batter came out swinging. On the 1st pitch, the batter missed for strike one. She held her bat on Miara’s next pitch for strike 2. On the next pitch, she held her bat again, counting on a ball, but the umpire disagreed and called the 3rd strike. With the strikeout, Miara looked to be in control early. Unfortunately, she started to struggle and threw balls on her 1st 2 pitches, which allowed the runner to steal her way to 2nd base. The batter took a swing at the next pitch and connected, sending a hard ground ball into left field for a double that sent Aale’a on a scramble to retrieve it, bringing the other runner across the plate and putting the PANDAS on the board. Seemingly rattled, Miara walked the next 2 PANDAS batters and loaded the bases. The next batter came up to bat. After taking a strike on the 1st pitch, the batter laid down a perfect bunt. Kas and Miara converged on the ball, but with the runners on the move, Miara hesitated. Then, she threw the ball home to take out the lead runner, but the ball was up high and the runner was able to get under it and tagged the plate safely. With 2 outs and the bases still loaded, Miara regained her position at the rubber. She continued her skid and another walk kept the bases loaded and brought a 3rd PANDAS runner home. Trying to get out of the inning, Miara dug deep against the next batter. She threw a ball to start things off. Hoping for Miara to continue throwing balls, the batter held her bat on the next pitch and collected a strike for her efforts. She fouled off Miara’s next pitch. On the 2-1 pitch, Miara found her strike and got it past the batter and the batter struck out looking.
Getting down by 3 early in the game seemed to shake the NINJAS, but it was still early in the game. Kas came up to the plate. After splitting the difference on the 1st 2 pitches on Kas, the pitcher couldn’t find her rhythm and walked Kas. Rachel was up next. The PANDAS pitcher continued to struggle. On the 1st pitch, Kas stole 2nd base on a passed ball. The pitcher managed to squeeze one past Rachel for a strike as Kas safely advanced to 3rd on the pitch. The pitcher regained her pitch and got the next 2 pitches past Rachel and struck her out. Erika was up next. After a ball on the 1st pitch, Erika put the ball in play. She sent a grounder up the middle of the infield. The pitcher moved in and picked up the ball. Instead of throwing to 1st for the out on Erika, the pitcher froze Kas at 3rd and Erika got on base. Miara was up next. The pitcher started off with a ball on her 1st pitch against Miara. Kas threatened to steal home, but the pitcher held her on 3rd and Erika stole 2nd while the pitcher was occupied with Kas. The pitcher split the difference on the next 2 pitches, bringing up 2-1. Her next pitch was a ball and Kas continued to play chicken with the pitcher. Finally, another ball walked Miara and loaded the bases for the NINJAS. Elise was up next. The PANDAS pitcher shot one past Elise for a strike on the 1st pitch. The next pitch was a ball and Kas resumed taunting the pitcher. On the next pitch, which was another ball, Kas took a big lead. When the catcher threw the ball back to the pitcher, Kas held her ground on the 3rd base line and the pitcher ran straight at Kas. Kas decided to run home, but the pitcher was able to get the throw to the catcher, who tagged Kas at the plate for the out as Erika and Miara advanced on defensive indifference. When the pitcher got back to work, she started to struggle again and walked Elise, loading the bases again for the NINJAS. Rebecca was up next. With bases loaded, Rebecca tried to make something happen and took a swing at the pitcher’s 1st pitch. She put the ball in play, but the grounder rolled straight up the 1st base line into the PANDAS 1st baseman’s glove. The defender came up with the ball and tagged Rebecca on the run to end the inning.
FLAMING PANDAS 3 – SKIPPING NINJAS 0
2nd Inning
With Miara’s pitching unusually spotty in the 1st inning, she asked for another shot. So she was given another try at pitcher in the 2nd inning. She started off strong against the 1st PANDAS batter. She fired one in to the catcher and the batter watched it fly by for strike 1. The batter took a swing and missed for strike 2. Miara threw 2 ball pitches in a row before throwing another strike. The batter went down swinging as Miara struck her out. The next batter came up to the plate and hit Miara’s 1st pitch into foul territory. After a ball evened up the count, the batter tried again and connected. She sent a grounder down the 3rd base side of the field. Hylah made the stop, picked up the ball and threw it to 1st. Rebecca caught it for the 2nd out of the inning. The next PANDAS batter came out swinging aggressively and fouled off Miara’s 1st pitch. After a ball, she tried again and missed for strike 2. She fouled off one more pitch and stayed alive before a ball brought the count to 2-2. On the next pitch, the batter got a hold of it and sent a fly ball deep into left field for a triple. With the momentum, the next PANDAS batter took a swing on Miara’s 1st pitch. She found the gap in the NINJAS defense and the ball reached the right field grass for a single and brought the runner on 3rd home. Elise picked up the ball and threw it to 1st to try to get the batter out, but her throw was wild and the ball got loose, giving the batter an opening to stretch her single into a double on the error. Miara started to struggle again and, unusually, couldn’t find her strike against the next PANDAS batter. She threw 3 ball pitches in a row. On the 3rd one, the runner stole her way into scoring position on a passed ball. One more ball walked the batter and put runners on 1st and 3rd. Anxious to bring her teammates home, the next batter took a swing and missed Miara’s 1st pitch for a strike. On the next pitch, she connected and sent a grounder straight to Kas, playing short stop. Kas picked up the ball and threw to 1st for the 3rd out, ending the defensive side 4 points behind.
Hylah was up 1st in the 2nd inning. Trying to jumpstart the NINJAS offense, Hylah took a swing after taking a ball on the 1st pitch. She hit the ball, but sent a grounder right back to the PANDAS pitcher, who easily picked up the slow roller and made the throw to 1st for the out on Hylah. Katrina came out swinging and missed on her 1st attempt for strike 1. She hit the next ball into foul territory. She took another swing and missed for strike 3, but the catcher missed the catch and had to scramble for the ball as Katrina took off for 1st on the Drop 3rd Strike rule. The catcher recovered the ball and made the throw to 1st, but rushing the throw, the catcher missed her target and Katrina was able to reach 2nd on the overthrow. Aale’a was up next. She took a swing at the 1st pitch for a strike. Aale’a got a hit on the next pitch, but the grounder was scooped up by the PANDAS 3rd baseman and Aale’a was thrown out at 1st. Leaving 3rd on the throw to 1st, Katrina reached home and put the 1st point on the board for the NINJAS. With 2 down, Kas came up to bat. She fouled off the 1st 2 pitches before hitting the 3rd pitch. Sadly, the grounder rolled right into the PANDAS 1st baseman’s glove, who picked it up and stepped on 1st base to end the inning for the NINJAS.
FLAMING PANDAS 4 – SKIPPING NINJAS 1
3rd Inning
In an attempt to get the SKIPPING NINJAS off the blocks, Hylah was selected to take over pitching duties. Hylah started off strong against the 1st batter of the inning and strung together 2 good pitches. The batter watched the 1st one go by. Then, she swung at the next one for 2 strikes. Hylah lost her groove on the next 3 pitches and filled up the count. The batter, counting on the walk, held her bat, but Hylah was able to squeeze it in for the strikeout. The next batter came out and battled with Hylah. They traded off balls and hits into foul territory until the 2nd batter reached full count. On the next pitch, the batter hit the ball and sent a grounder tearing through the NINJAS infield. Aale’a was able to pick up the ball in left field, but the PANDAS runner reached 1st and the NINJAS defense had to reset. Hylah started to struggle against the next batter. On the 1st pitch, the runner stole 2nd on a passed ball. Hylah managed to get the batter to swing at her next 2 pitches for a swinging strike and a foul ball. She started to slump again and, after 2 balls and another foul, Hylah walked the batter on her last pitch. Things didn’t go much better with the next PANDAS batter. After 3 balls, which saw the runners steal their way into scoring position, Hylah hit the batter with a pitch and loaded the bases. The next batter came out swinging. She missed on Hylah’s 1st pitch, but roped the next one deep into center field for a triple, bringing 3 runs across the plate. A walk on the next batter put PANDAS runners on 1st and 3rd. Hylah tried to regroup, but the PANDAS wouldn’t let up. Hylah threw a ball on the 1st pitch and the runner on 1st stole 2nd on the passed ball. Battling with the batter on the next few pitches and bringing up 3-1, Hylah threw a pitch that was on target. The batter was ready for it and she hit one out into right field for a single, bringing the other 2 runners home. Returning to the rubber to face off against the 8th batter of the inning, Hylah got the batter to swing at the 1st pitch and foul it off. On the next pitch, the runner on 1st advanced to 2nd on a passed ball. Hylah found her strike on the next pitch and the batter took a swing and missed. On the 1-2 pitch, Hylah fired one in and squeezed it past the batter for a strikeout. The next batter came up to the plate. Hylah slumped again and after 4 pitches, that saw the runner on 2nd steal her way to 3rd, the batter walked, putting PANDAS runners on 1st and 3rd. Hylah started off with a strike against the next batter in the lineup. On her next attempt, Hylah lost control of the ball and it got away from Kas, playing catcher, and the runner on 3rd gunned it for home and scored. After a strike that evened up the count at 1-1, the batter took a swing at Hylah’s next pitch and connected. She sent a fast grounder through the 1st base side of the field. Rachel made the stop and tossed the ball to 1st for the NINJAS last defensive out of the inning.
Trailing by 9, the SKIPPING NINJAS offense needed to make something happen to get back in the game. Rachel was up 1st. The PANDAS pitcher took a moment to warm up and walked Rachel. Erika was up next and she took a swing at the 1st pitch. Erika connected, sending a fly ball out into right field for a double, bringing Rachel home for only the 2nd NINJAS point of the game. Miara was up next. She took a swing at her 1st pitch and put the ball in play. Unfortunately, the grounder rolled right up to 1st base and the PANDAS defender was able to make the stop and get the out on Miara as Erika made it to 3rd. With the door starting to close on the NINJAS offense, a sense of desperation crept over the team and the coaches as they tried to mount a comeback. Elise was up next. The 1st pitch on Elise was a ball and Erika threatened to steal home. The pitcher froze her at 3rd. The next one was a ball as well and Erika took a big lead, but returned to base quickly. The next pitch on Elise was a strike and, when the catcher threw the ball back to the pitcher, Erika hesitated before taking off for home. The beat was all the time the pitcher needed to react and get the ball back to the catcher. Erika ran right into the tag for the 2nd out. Eventually, a walk on Elise put a NINJAS runner on 1st base. Rebecca was up next. She took a swing at the 1st pitch and hit it into foul territory for strike 1. The next 3 pitches were off, which brought up 3-1. Rebecca thought the next pitch was good. So, she swung her bat and missed, bringing up full count. On the next pitch, Rebecca held her bat for what she thought was an outside pitch. The umpire saw it differently and called Rebecca out, forcing the NINJAS offense off the field.
FLAMING PANDAS 10 – SKIPPING NINJAS 2
4th Inning
Erika was brought in to pitch in the 4th inning. The 1st batter came up to the plate and, expecting the same kind of off pitching that the NINJAS were displaying in the game, watched Erika’s 1st pitch go by for a strike. Erika’s next 2 pitches were off, but she managed to reel it in and get one more past the batter to even up the count at 2-2. On the next pitch, the batter took a swing and popped it up. Erika came off of the rubber and got under the ball to make the catch for the out. The next batter came out swinging and connected on the 1st pitch for a single to left field. Erika lost a little speed against the next batter. Starting off with a strike pitch, Erika alternated pitches until the count reached 2-2. The PANDAS batter took a swing at Erika’s nest pitch and hit it into foul territory. Then, Erika threw heat on the next pitch and squeezed it under the batter’s swing for the strikeout. The next batter was a fighter. She came out swinging aggressively. On Erika’s 1st pitch, the batter took a swing and missed for strike 1. She took a swing at Erika’s next pitch and missed again for strike 2. With potentially 1 pitch left to go in the inning, Erika calmed herself down and set her feet as the batter positioned herself in the batter’s box. Erika brought her hands together to present the ball and the batter adjusted her grip on her bat. Erika stepped forward and swung her arm around to deliver the pitch and the batter loaded her bat, getting ready to attack. Erika released the ball and it was a strike pitch. The batter waited a beat. Then she started her swing. She stepped forward and twisted her hips. She released the bat and it came around fast, but as the ball roared through the strike zone, the batter’s swing was high and missed the ball. Erika shut down the PANDAS offense in the 4th inning.
With time running short in the game and the NINJAS defense holding the PANDAS in the 1st half of the inning, if the NINJAS were to get back in the game, it would have to start now. Hylah was up 1st. Hylah took a swing at the 1st pitch, but missed. Then, she hit the next pitch into foul territory. After 2 ball pitches, Hylah fouled off 1 more. Hylah kept fouling pitches off until the pitcher gave up 1st base with a walk. Katrina was up next. She came out swinging aggressively and hit the 1st pitch foul. Katrina hit the next pitch and put it in play. She sent a hard ground ball to the PANDAS short stop, who bobbled the ball on the way up. But, she quickly recovered and decided to throw to her closest base and got the out on Hylah at 2nd as Katrina reached 1st. Aale’a was up next. She took a swing at the 1st pitch and, leaving on the throw, Katrina reached 2nd base on a steal. Aale’a took a swing at the 2nd pitch and missed that one as well, bringing up strike 2. On the pitch, Katrina tried it again. This time the catcher was ready and she made the throw to 3rd base. The PANDAS 3rd baseman caught the ball and tagged Katrina for the 2nd out. After watching a ball go by, Aale’a took a swing at the pitcher’s 4th pitch and missed, striking out and leaving the NINJAS with no answers in the game as it moved into the 5th and final inning.
FLAMING PANDAS 10 – SKIPPING NINJAS 2
5th Inning
Erika was back at the rubber. She started off slow against the 1st batter and alternated strikes and balls until the count was full. After the extended battle, the batter got a hold of Erika’s next pitch and hit one out to center field for a single. Erika fired the 1st pitch in against the next batter and notched a strike to start things off. Her next 2 pitches were off. Then, the batter hit one into foul territory, evening up the count at 2-2. The batter connected on the next pitch and hit one into the outfield. Kas moved in and made the catch for the 1st out. The next batter came out swinging. She missed on Erika’s 1st pitch. On the next one, she connected and sent on out into right field. Elise moved in and made the catch for the 2nd out of the inning. With 2 down, Erika started off with 2 strikes on the next PANDAS batter and it looked like she would score another strikeout, but Erika lost her groove and, with the next 4 pitches, put the batter on base with a walk. With 2 down and PANDAS runners on 1st and 2nd, Erika got back into position to face off against the next batter. Hoping for Erika to continue throwing balls, the batter watched the 1st pitch go by for a strike. After taking a ball on the next pitch and evening up the count, the batter connected and sent a grounder through the 1st base side of the infield. Rachel charged it and gently tossed it to Rebecca for the 3rd out and shutting out the PANDAS defense for the 2nd inning in a row.
Trailing by 8, it was the last chance for the NINJAS offense as the game moved into the bottom of the 5th and last inning. With the PANDAS defense on fire through the whole game, it was almost a certainty that they would carry the day. The NINJAS sent Kas out to see if she could get the offense moving. Kas exchanged strikes and balls with the PANDAS pitcher until she reached full count. On the next pitch, Kas started to swing, but thought better of it. The decision paid off as the pitch was a ball and Kas got on base with a walk. Rachel was up next. With nothing to lose, Kas was sent on a steal of 2nd on the pitch. The pitch was a ball, but the catcher was able to keep control of it. With the catch, Kas hesitated in her run to 2nd and the catcher was able to get the ball to the PANDAS 2nd baseman for the out on Kas. After another ball pitch, Rachel took a swing and sent a slow grounder right back to the pitcher. The PANDAS pitcher reeled it in and threw Rachel out at 1st. With 2 down, Erika came up to bat. It was her last at bat. So, she came out swinging. Erika hit the 1st pitch into foul territory. She watched the next one fly by and collected her 2nd strike. The pitcher missed on the next 2 pitches and evened up the count at 2-2. Then, the pitcher released her next pitch and it was on target. Erika went after it, but, with the miss, she struck out swinging, ending the game.
Final Score
FLAMING PANDAS 10 – SKIPPING NINJAS 2
Game Ball
With their winning streak snapped, it was a tough loss for the NINJAS as they were battling for 1st place in this game. The team never seemed to get off the ground on either side of the ball and the PANDAS were on fire. It was only through the efforts of the NINJAS defense that the PANDAS weren’t able to run up the score. This marked the last regulation game that Elise was able to attend; however, after reviewing the game, she made a great catch in the outfield to help her team. Reviewing the rest of the season, she had also made some good plays on both offense and defense. Unfortunately, those achievements seem to have been overshadowed by some players, in previous games, who had more visible and clutch performances. So, for her efforts in this game as well as her contribution to the team over the season, Elise was awarded the game ball. Great job, Elise! We’ll see you in the post-season.
1st Inning
Miara was selected to lead the SKIPPING NINJAS defense as starting pitcher. She got to work on the 1st PANDAS batter. Miara threw heat on her 1st pitch and got it past the batter for strike 1. The batter was able to get a piece of Miara’s next pitch, but fouled it off. The batter took a swing at Miara’s 3rd pitch. This time, she got a hold of it and sent a line drive screaming up the middle. Impressively, Miara flipped out her glove to make the grab for the out. The next PANDAS batter came up to bat. Miara got the 1st pitch past the batter for a strike. The batter took a swing and missed, bringing up 0-2. After a ball and a foul tip on the next 2 pitches, the batter connected and sent a fly ball out into center field for a single. The next batter came out swinging. On the 1st pitch, the batter missed for strike one. She held her bat on Miara’s next pitch for strike 2. On the next pitch, she held her bat again, counting on a ball, but the umpire disagreed and called the 3rd strike. With the strikeout, Miara looked to be in control early. Unfortunately, she started to struggle and threw balls on her 1st 2 pitches, which allowed the runner to steal her way to 2nd base. The batter took a swing at the next pitch and connected, sending a hard ground ball into left field for a double that sent Aale’a on a scramble to retrieve it, bringing the other runner across the plate and putting the PANDAS on the board. Seemingly rattled, Miara walked the next 2 PANDAS batters and loaded the bases. The next batter came up to bat. After taking a strike on the 1st pitch, the batter laid down a perfect bunt. Kas and Miara converged on the ball, but with the runners on the move, Miara hesitated. Then, she threw the ball home to take out the lead runner, but the ball was up high and the runner was able to get under it and tagged the plate safely. With 2 outs and the bases still loaded, Miara regained her position at the rubber. She continued her skid and another walk kept the bases loaded and brought a 3rd PANDAS runner home. Trying to get out of the inning, Miara dug deep against the next batter. She threw a ball to start things off. Hoping for Miara to continue throwing balls, the batter held her bat on the next pitch and collected a strike for her efforts. She fouled off Miara’s next pitch. On the 2-1 pitch, Miara found her strike and got it past the batter and the batter struck out looking.
Getting down by 3 early in the game seemed to shake the NINJAS, but it was still early in the game. Kas came up to the plate. After splitting the difference on the 1st 2 pitches on Kas, the pitcher couldn’t find her rhythm and walked Kas. Rachel was up next. The PANDAS pitcher continued to struggle. On the 1st pitch, Kas stole 2nd base on a passed ball. The pitcher managed to squeeze one past Rachel for a strike as Kas safely advanced to 3rd on the pitch. The pitcher regained her pitch and got the next 2 pitches past Rachel and struck her out. Erika was up next. After a ball on the 1st pitch, Erika put the ball in play. She sent a grounder up the middle of the infield. The pitcher moved in and picked up the ball. Instead of throwing to 1st for the out on Erika, the pitcher froze Kas at 3rd and Erika got on base. Miara was up next. The pitcher started off with a ball on her 1st pitch against Miara. Kas threatened to steal home, but the pitcher held her on 3rd and Erika stole 2nd while the pitcher was occupied with Kas. The pitcher split the difference on the next 2 pitches, bringing up 2-1. Her next pitch was a ball and Kas continued to play chicken with the pitcher. Finally, another ball walked Miara and loaded the bases for the NINJAS. Elise was up next. The PANDAS pitcher shot one past Elise for a strike on the 1st pitch. The next pitch was a ball and Kas resumed taunting the pitcher. On the next pitch, which was another ball, Kas took a big lead. When the catcher threw the ball back to the pitcher, Kas held her ground on the 3rd base line and the pitcher ran straight at Kas. Kas decided to run home, but the pitcher was able to get the throw to the catcher, who tagged Kas at the plate for the out as Erika and Miara advanced on defensive indifference. When the pitcher got back to work, she started to struggle again and walked Elise, loading the bases again for the NINJAS. Rebecca was up next. With bases loaded, Rebecca tried to make something happen and took a swing at the pitcher’s 1st pitch. She put the ball in play, but the grounder rolled straight up the 1st base line into the PANDAS 1st baseman’s glove. The defender came up with the ball and tagged Rebecca on the run to end the inning.
FLAMING PANDAS 3 – SKIPPING NINJAS 0
2nd Inning
With Miara’s pitching unusually spotty in the 1st inning, she asked for another shot. So she was given another try at pitcher in the 2nd inning. She started off strong against the 1st PANDAS batter. She fired one in to the catcher and the batter watched it fly by for strike 1. The batter took a swing and missed for strike 2. Miara threw 2 ball pitches in a row before throwing another strike. The batter went down swinging as Miara struck her out. The next batter came up to the plate and hit Miara’s 1st pitch into foul territory. After a ball evened up the count, the batter tried again and connected. She sent a grounder down the 3rd base side of the field. Hylah made the stop, picked up the ball and threw it to 1st. Rebecca caught it for the 2nd out of the inning. The next PANDAS batter came out swinging aggressively and fouled off Miara’s 1st pitch. After a ball, she tried again and missed for strike 2. She fouled off one more pitch and stayed alive before a ball brought the count to 2-2. On the next pitch, the batter got a hold of it and sent a fly ball deep into left field for a triple. With the momentum, the next PANDAS batter took a swing on Miara’s 1st pitch. She found the gap in the NINJAS defense and the ball reached the right field grass for a single and brought the runner on 3rd home. Elise picked up the ball and threw it to 1st to try to get the batter out, but her throw was wild and the ball got loose, giving the batter an opening to stretch her single into a double on the error. Miara started to struggle again and, unusually, couldn’t find her strike against the next PANDAS batter. She threw 3 ball pitches in a row. On the 3rd one, the runner stole her way into scoring position on a passed ball. One more ball walked the batter and put runners on 1st and 3rd. Anxious to bring her teammates home, the next batter took a swing and missed Miara’s 1st pitch for a strike. On the next pitch, she connected and sent a grounder straight to Kas, playing short stop. Kas picked up the ball and threw to 1st for the 3rd out, ending the defensive side 4 points behind.
Hylah was up 1st in the 2nd inning. Trying to jumpstart the NINJAS offense, Hylah took a swing after taking a ball on the 1st pitch. She hit the ball, but sent a grounder right back to the PANDAS pitcher, who easily picked up the slow roller and made the throw to 1st for the out on Hylah. Katrina came out swinging and missed on her 1st attempt for strike 1. She hit the next ball into foul territory. She took another swing and missed for strike 3, but the catcher missed the catch and had to scramble for the ball as Katrina took off for 1st on the Drop 3rd Strike rule. The catcher recovered the ball and made the throw to 1st, but rushing the throw, the catcher missed her target and Katrina was able to reach 2nd on the overthrow. Aale’a was up next. She took a swing at the 1st pitch for a strike. Aale’a got a hit on the next pitch, but the grounder was scooped up by the PANDAS 3rd baseman and Aale’a was thrown out at 1st. Leaving 3rd on the throw to 1st, Katrina reached home and put the 1st point on the board for the NINJAS. With 2 down, Kas came up to bat. She fouled off the 1st 2 pitches before hitting the 3rd pitch. Sadly, the grounder rolled right into the PANDAS 1st baseman’s glove, who picked it up and stepped on 1st base to end the inning for the NINJAS.
FLAMING PANDAS 4 – SKIPPING NINJAS 1
3rd Inning
In an attempt to get the SKIPPING NINJAS off the blocks, Hylah was selected to take over pitching duties. Hylah started off strong against the 1st batter of the inning and strung together 2 good pitches. The batter watched the 1st one go by. Then, she swung at the next one for 2 strikes. Hylah lost her groove on the next 3 pitches and filled up the count. The batter, counting on the walk, held her bat, but Hylah was able to squeeze it in for the strikeout. The next batter came out and battled with Hylah. They traded off balls and hits into foul territory until the 2nd batter reached full count. On the next pitch, the batter hit the ball and sent a grounder tearing through the NINJAS infield. Aale’a was able to pick up the ball in left field, but the PANDAS runner reached 1st and the NINJAS defense had to reset. Hylah started to struggle against the next batter. On the 1st pitch, the runner stole 2nd on a passed ball. Hylah managed to get the batter to swing at her next 2 pitches for a swinging strike and a foul ball. She started to slump again and, after 2 balls and another foul, Hylah walked the batter on her last pitch. Things didn’t go much better with the next PANDAS batter. After 3 balls, which saw the runners steal their way into scoring position, Hylah hit the batter with a pitch and loaded the bases. The next batter came out swinging. She missed on Hylah’s 1st pitch, but roped the next one deep into center field for a triple, bringing 3 runs across the plate. A walk on the next batter put PANDAS runners on 1st and 3rd. Hylah tried to regroup, but the PANDAS wouldn’t let up. Hylah threw a ball on the 1st pitch and the runner on 1st stole 2nd on the passed ball. Battling with the batter on the next few pitches and bringing up 3-1, Hylah threw a pitch that was on target. The batter was ready for it and she hit one out into right field for a single, bringing the other 2 runners home. Returning to the rubber to face off against the 8th batter of the inning, Hylah got the batter to swing at the 1st pitch and foul it off. On the next pitch, the runner on 1st advanced to 2nd on a passed ball. Hylah found her strike on the next pitch and the batter took a swing and missed. On the 1-2 pitch, Hylah fired one in and squeezed it past the batter for a strikeout. The next batter came up to the plate. Hylah slumped again and after 4 pitches, that saw the runner on 2nd steal her way to 3rd, the batter walked, putting PANDAS runners on 1st and 3rd. Hylah started off with a strike against the next batter in the lineup. On her next attempt, Hylah lost control of the ball and it got away from Kas, playing catcher, and the runner on 3rd gunned it for home and scored. After a strike that evened up the count at 1-1, the batter took a swing at Hylah’s next pitch and connected. She sent a fast grounder through the 1st base side of the field. Rachel made the stop and tossed the ball to 1st for the NINJAS last defensive out of the inning.
Trailing by 9, the SKIPPING NINJAS offense needed to make something happen to get back in the game. Rachel was up 1st. The PANDAS pitcher took a moment to warm up and walked Rachel. Erika was up next and she took a swing at the 1st pitch. Erika connected, sending a fly ball out into right field for a double, bringing Rachel home for only the 2nd NINJAS point of the game. Miara was up next. She took a swing at her 1st pitch and put the ball in play. Unfortunately, the grounder rolled right up to 1st base and the PANDAS defender was able to make the stop and get the out on Miara as Erika made it to 3rd. With the door starting to close on the NINJAS offense, a sense of desperation crept over the team and the coaches as they tried to mount a comeback. Elise was up next. The 1st pitch on Elise was a ball and Erika threatened to steal home. The pitcher froze her at 3rd. The next one was a ball as well and Erika took a big lead, but returned to base quickly. The next pitch on Elise was a strike and, when the catcher threw the ball back to the pitcher, Erika hesitated before taking off for home. The beat was all the time the pitcher needed to react and get the ball back to the catcher. Erika ran right into the tag for the 2nd out. Eventually, a walk on Elise put a NINJAS runner on 1st base. Rebecca was up next. She took a swing at the 1st pitch and hit it into foul territory for strike 1. The next 3 pitches were off, which brought up 3-1. Rebecca thought the next pitch was good. So, she swung her bat and missed, bringing up full count. On the next pitch, Rebecca held her bat for what she thought was an outside pitch. The umpire saw it differently and called Rebecca out, forcing the NINJAS offense off the field.
FLAMING PANDAS 10 – SKIPPING NINJAS 2
4th Inning
Erika was brought in to pitch in the 4th inning. The 1st batter came up to the plate and, expecting the same kind of off pitching that the NINJAS were displaying in the game, watched Erika’s 1st pitch go by for a strike. Erika’s next 2 pitches were off, but she managed to reel it in and get one more past the batter to even up the count at 2-2. On the next pitch, the batter took a swing and popped it up. Erika came off of the rubber and got under the ball to make the catch for the out. The next batter came out swinging and connected on the 1st pitch for a single to left field. Erika lost a little speed against the next batter. Starting off with a strike pitch, Erika alternated pitches until the count reached 2-2. The PANDAS batter took a swing at Erika’s nest pitch and hit it into foul territory. Then, Erika threw heat on the next pitch and squeezed it under the batter’s swing for the strikeout. The next batter was a fighter. She came out swinging aggressively. On Erika’s 1st pitch, the batter took a swing and missed for strike 1. She took a swing at Erika’s next pitch and missed again for strike 2. With potentially 1 pitch left to go in the inning, Erika calmed herself down and set her feet as the batter positioned herself in the batter’s box. Erika brought her hands together to present the ball and the batter adjusted her grip on her bat. Erika stepped forward and swung her arm around to deliver the pitch and the batter loaded her bat, getting ready to attack. Erika released the ball and it was a strike pitch. The batter waited a beat. Then she started her swing. She stepped forward and twisted her hips. She released the bat and it came around fast, but as the ball roared through the strike zone, the batter’s swing was high and missed the ball. Erika shut down the PANDAS offense in the 4th inning.
With time running short in the game and the NINJAS defense holding the PANDAS in the 1st half of the inning, if the NINJAS were to get back in the game, it would have to start now. Hylah was up 1st. Hylah took a swing at the 1st pitch, but missed. Then, she hit the next pitch into foul territory. After 2 ball pitches, Hylah fouled off 1 more. Hylah kept fouling pitches off until the pitcher gave up 1st base with a walk. Katrina was up next. She came out swinging aggressively and hit the 1st pitch foul. Katrina hit the next pitch and put it in play. She sent a hard ground ball to the PANDAS short stop, who bobbled the ball on the way up. But, she quickly recovered and decided to throw to her closest base and got the out on Hylah at 2nd as Katrina reached 1st. Aale’a was up next. She took a swing at the 1st pitch and, leaving on the throw, Katrina reached 2nd base on a steal. Aale’a took a swing at the 2nd pitch and missed that one as well, bringing up strike 2. On the pitch, Katrina tried it again. This time the catcher was ready and she made the throw to 3rd base. The PANDAS 3rd baseman caught the ball and tagged Katrina for the 2nd out. After watching a ball go by, Aale’a took a swing at the pitcher’s 4th pitch and missed, striking out and leaving the NINJAS with no answers in the game as it moved into the 5th and final inning.
FLAMING PANDAS 10 – SKIPPING NINJAS 2
5th Inning
Erika was back at the rubber. She started off slow against the 1st batter and alternated strikes and balls until the count was full. After the extended battle, the batter got a hold of Erika’s next pitch and hit one out to center field for a single. Erika fired the 1st pitch in against the next batter and notched a strike to start things off. Her next 2 pitches were off. Then, the batter hit one into foul territory, evening up the count at 2-2. The batter connected on the next pitch and hit one into the outfield. Kas moved in and made the catch for the 1st out. The next batter came out swinging. She missed on Erika’s 1st pitch. On the next one, she connected and sent on out into right field. Elise moved in and made the catch for the 2nd out of the inning. With 2 down, Erika started off with 2 strikes on the next PANDAS batter and it looked like she would score another strikeout, but Erika lost her groove and, with the next 4 pitches, put the batter on base with a walk. With 2 down and PANDAS runners on 1st and 2nd, Erika got back into position to face off against the next batter. Hoping for Erika to continue throwing balls, the batter watched the 1st pitch go by for a strike. After taking a ball on the next pitch and evening up the count, the batter connected and sent a grounder through the 1st base side of the infield. Rachel charged it and gently tossed it to Rebecca for the 3rd out and shutting out the PANDAS defense for the 2nd inning in a row.
Trailing by 8, it was the last chance for the NINJAS offense as the game moved into the bottom of the 5th and last inning. With the PANDAS defense on fire through the whole game, it was almost a certainty that they would carry the day. The NINJAS sent Kas out to see if she could get the offense moving. Kas exchanged strikes and balls with the PANDAS pitcher until she reached full count. On the next pitch, Kas started to swing, but thought better of it. The decision paid off as the pitch was a ball and Kas got on base with a walk. Rachel was up next. With nothing to lose, Kas was sent on a steal of 2nd on the pitch. The pitch was a ball, but the catcher was able to keep control of it. With the catch, Kas hesitated in her run to 2nd and the catcher was able to get the ball to the PANDAS 2nd baseman for the out on Kas. After another ball pitch, Rachel took a swing and sent a slow grounder right back to the pitcher. The PANDAS pitcher reeled it in and threw Rachel out at 1st. With 2 down, Erika came up to bat. It was her last at bat. So, she came out swinging. Erika hit the 1st pitch into foul territory. She watched the next one fly by and collected her 2nd strike. The pitcher missed on the next 2 pitches and evened up the count at 2-2. Then, the pitcher released her next pitch and it was on target. Erika went after it, but, with the miss, she struck out swinging, ending the game.
Final Score
FLAMING PANDAS 10 – SKIPPING NINJAS 2
Game Ball
With their winning streak snapped, it was a tough loss for the NINJAS as they were battling for 1st place in this game. The team never seemed to get off the ground on either side of the ball and the PANDAS were on fire. It was only through the efforts of the NINJAS defense that the PANDAS weren’t able to run up the score. This marked the last regulation game that Elise was able to attend; however, after reviewing the game, she made a great catch in the outfield to help her team. Reviewing the rest of the season, she had also made some good plays on both offense and defense. Unfortunately, those achievements seem to have been overshadowed by some players, in previous games, who had more visible and clutch performances. So, for her efforts in this game as well as her contribution to the team over the season, Elise was awarded the game ball. Great job, Elise! We’ll see you in the post-season.
Monday, May 9, 2011
Rescheduled - Sun. May 1, 1:30pm @ SWAT
Riding a 2-game win streak, the SKIPPING NINJAS were set to play their 3rd (of 4) rescheduled rainout game against SWAT. Having taken home a close victory and tying SWAT in their 1st 2 matchups of the season, the SKIPPING NINJAS came to the field ready to play, but aware that the win today was not a certainty and the game was still up for grabs. When the umpire called a start to the game, the NINJAS, as the visiting team, sent out their offense to kick things off.
1st Inning
The SWAT pitcher started off in a slump against Kas. With 4 pitches, Kas was on base with a walk. Rachel was up next and the pitcher continued to struggle as she warmed up. The pitcher’s 1st pitch on Rachel got past the catcher and Kas stole 2nd. On the next pitch, Kas stole 3rd base when the catcher dropped the ball. The SWAT catcher was able to recover quickly and threw the ball to 3rd, trying pick her off, but the errant throw got past the 3rd baseman’s glove. Kas turned the corner and scored on the error. The pitcher returned to the rubber to complete Rachel’s at bat. The pitcher continued to struggle and walked Rachel. Erika came up next. On the 1st pitch, Erika took a swing and popped the ball up in the air. The SWAT defense made the catch for the out on Erika. It was Hylah’s turn at the plate. On the strike pitch, the catcher lost control of the ball and Rachel stole 2nd. The pitcher followed it up with a ball to even up the count. After another ball, the pitcher threw a wild pitch and Rachel made it safely to 3rd on a steal. The pitcher threw 1 more ball, bringing the count to 3-0 on Hylah. Hylah held her bat on the next pitch for 3-1. On the throw back from the catcher, Rachel gunned it for home and slid under the tag and scored. Hylah fouled 1 more off to stay alive, but, on the next pitch, Hylah took a swing and missed for a strikeout. Natalie was up next. She came out swinging and fouled off the pitcher’s 1st 2 attempts. With potentially 1 pitch left in the top of the inning, the pitcher dug deep and sent one in. This pitch was on target and Natalie took a swing, striking out, she was sent back to the dugout to end the half.
It was the SWAT offense’s turn to see if they had an answer for the SKIPPING NINJAS. Erika was set to pitch in the 1st. Erika started off slow and threw a ball on her 1st pitch. On the next pitch, the 1st batter connected and sent a grounder right up the middle. Erika reached out her glove, but, when she picked it up to make the throw, the ball fell out and the batter reached 1st. The next SWAT batter came to the plate. Erika fired the 1st pitch in and got it past the batter, who watched it go by for a strike. She followed it up with a ball. The batter took a swing at Erika’s 3rd pitch and missed and the runner safely stole 2nd base. Erika’s 4th pitch missed the mark and evened up the count as the runner advanced to 3rd on the passed ball. The batter fouled Erika’s next pitch off to stay alive. Then, a ball pitch brought up full count. On the next pitch, the batter hit a slow grounder down the 1st base line. Rebecca charged the ball and picked it up. When she turned to make the throw, 1st base was empty and the batter got on base. With Rebecca’s attention elsewhere, the runner took off toward home. Rebecca tried to throw her out, but the SWAT runner crossed the plate safely and put SWAT on the board. Kas missed the catch and the ball got away from her. So, the runner on 1st was able to make it to 2nd on the error. The next SWAT batter came out swinging and connected on Erika’s 1st pitch. Hylah missed the grab at 3rd and the batter got on base as the runner reached 3rd. The next SWAT batter came up to bat. After a ball on the 1st pitch, Erika strung 2 strike pitches together and the batter watched them go by. On the 1-2 pitch, the batter took a swing. Kas dropped the ball and with the Drop 3rd Strike rule in effect, the batter took off for 1st. However, since there was a runner occupying the bag, the batter was called out on the play as the runner on 3rd scored on the play, tying up the game. Erika returned to the rubber to face off against the next SWAT batter. Erika’s 1st pitch was a ball. The runner on 2nd took off when Kas dropped the ball. Kas recovered quickly and fired the ball at Hylah. Hylah made the catch and quickly turned to tag the runner for the out. After reaching full count, a walk on the batter put a SWAT runner back on base. The next batter came up to the plate. She watched the 1st pitch fly by for a strike. She watched another go by for a 2nd strike. She didn’t want to go down without a fight and swung at Erika’s next pitch. Unfortunately, she missed the ball and struck out, ending the inning knotted up at 2 points each.
SKIPPING NINJAS 2 – SWAT 2
2nd Inning
Rebecca was up 1st to get things started in the 2nd inning. She split the difference with the SWAT pitcher on the 1st 2 pitches. Rebecca took a swing on the next pitch and put it in play. The ground ball rolled right into the pitcher’s glove and was thrown out at 1st. Lexie was up next. After splitting the 1st 2 pitches, the pitcher lost her rhythm and waked Lexie, putting her on 1st base. Elise was up next. With a passed ball on the 1st pitch, Lexie stole 2nd base. The pitcher threw another ball across to bring the count to 2-0. On the next pitch, Elise connected and send a hard grounder straight back to the pitcher. The pitcher reached down, but couldn’t come up with it and Elise reached 1st safely as Lexie was able to get herself to 3rd. Aale’a was up next. Aale’a came out swinging and connected on the 1st pitch, sending a hard ground ball tearing through the infield that got past the 2nd baseman for a single. Lexie scored on the play, but the SWAT defense was able to get the out on Elise as she tried to advance to 3rd. Kas was up next. Also swinging on the 1st pitch, Kas sent a fly ball out into the right center field grass for a single, bringing Aale’a home. Rachel was up next. After a short battle with the pitcher and reaching full count, Rachel was hit by a pitch and got on base. Swinging on the 1st pitch, Erika, who was up after Rachel, hit a ground ball past the SWAT short stop for a single, loading the bases. The pitcher got back to the rubber as Hylah made her way to the plate. On the 1st pitch, Kas stole home and scored on a passed ball as Rachel and Erika advanced into scoring position. Hylah watched the next pitch go by for a strike. After a ball, Hylah took a swing at the 2-1 pitch and connected. She hit a fly ball deep into right center field for a triple, bringing Rachel and Erika home. Natalie was up next. She also took a swing at the pitcher’s 1st pitch and hit a ground ball past the SWAT short stop for a single, bringing Hylah across the plate. A walk on Rebecca, in her 2nd plate appearance in the inning, put SKIPPING NINJAS runners on 1st and 2nd. Lexie came up for her 2nd appearance in the inning. After taking a ball on the 1st pitch, Lexie connected and popped one up over the infield. The SWAT defense got under the ball and made the catch to end the SKIPPING NINJAS offensive half.
Trailing by 6, the SWAT offense took to the field. Erika was back at pitcher. After a ball and a strike, the 1st batter put the ball in play and sent a hard ground ball to Natalie, at short stop. Bobbling the ball on the way up, Natalie was not able to get the throw to 1st on time and the batter reached 1st safely. The next SWAT batter was up. Losing her groove, Erika threw 3 balls in a row. On the 3-0 pitch, Erika found her strike, but the batter was ready and she connected, sending a grounder down the 3rd base line. Hylah moved in and made the stop. In a very acrobatic move, Hylah quickly picked up the ball and fired the ball to Rachel, playing 2nd, to take out the lead runner. The next batter came to the plate. On Erika’s 1st pitch, the batter laid down a perfect bunt. In the scramble, Kas picked up the ball, but with no one covering 1st, she didn’t know where to throw it and the runners advanced safely. The next batter took her position at the plate. Erika missed on her 1st pitch. Then the batter fouled the next one off to even up the count. Swinging and missing Erika’s next 2 pitches, the batter struck out and was sent packing for the 2nd out of the inning. The next SWAT batter came out with determination. After taking the 1st pitch, she started swinging aggressively. She took a cut and missed Erika’s 2nd pitch. Then, she fouled the next one off before taking a ball. She fouled one more to stay alive before taking another ball. The runners stole their way into scoring position on the passed ball. On the 2-2 pitch, the batter took a swing. She missed the ball and struck out, sending the game into the 3rd inning.
SKIPPING NINJAS 8 – SWAT 2
3rd Inning
Having preserved the 6 point lead, Elise was set to kick things off in the 3rd. After splitting the difference with the SWAT pitcher on the 1st 2 pitches, Elise alternated balls and swinging strikes until she struck out. Aale’a came out swinging aggressively and fouled off the SWAT pitcher’s 1st 2 pitches. On the 3rd pitch, Aale’a connected and sent a hard ground ball through the infield, out into the left field grass for a single. Back at the top of the lineup, Kas fouled a couple of pitches off as well, with a ball thrown in for good measure. On the 1-2 pitch, Kas took a swing and struck out for the 2nd out. Rachel was up next. She took a cut on the 1st pitch and put the ball in play. On the bounce, the pitcher was able to grab the ball and make the easy throw to 1st for the 3rd out on Rachel, making quick work of the SKIPPING NINJAS offense in the 3rd.
Hylah was selected to lead the SKIPPING NINJAS defense in the 3rd inning. Energized by their defensive performance and trying to remedy the 6 point deficit, the SWAT offense came out swinging. The 1st batter fouled off Hylah’s 1st pitch. The batter connected on the 2nd pitch, popping it up over the infield. Waving everyone off, Hylah moved in and made the catch for the out. Hylah lost her touch on the next batter and, on 4 pitches, put a SWAT runner on base with a walk. The next batter came to the plate and fouled off Hylah’s 1st pitch. She watched one go by for a strike and the runner advanced to 2nd on a steal. The batter watched one more go by and the umpire ruled it another strike. On Hylah’s next pitch, the batter held her bat, thinking that it was off the mark, but the umpire pumped her fists to signal the strike out and the batter was sent back to the dugout empty handed. Hylah started to struggle against the next SWAT batter. On the 1st pitch, the runner on 2nd stole 3rd base on a passed ball. Hylah couldn’t find her strike pitch and, with the next 3 pitches, walked the batter, putting SWAT runners on 1st and 3rd. Hylah continued her skid against the next batter. On the 1st pitch, the ball got away from Kas and the runner on 3rd made it home on a steal as the other runner reached 2nd safely. Hylah alternated pitches until she reached full count. On the next pitch, the batter hit the ball and sent a grounder straight back to Hylah. On the bounce, Hylah grabbed the ball and made the easy throw to 1st for the 3rd out, holding SWAT to 1 point in the inning.
SKIPPING NINJAS 8 – SWAT 3
4th Inning
At the top of the 4th, the SKIPPING NINJAS were riding a comfortable 5 point lead, but SWAT was starting to play more aggressively and, although they were being held by the SKIPPING NINJAS defense, they managed to squeeze a few runs through and couldn’t be counted out just yet. Erika came to the plate 1st. After taking a ball on the 1st pitch, Erika took a swing and missed to even up the count at 1-1. Erika watched the next pitch go by for a strike. After a ball brought the count to 2-2, Erika took a swing and missed the SWAT pitcher’s next pitch for the strike out. Hylah was up next. She connected on the 1st pitch and sent a hard grounder through the infield out into the left field grass for a single. With a SKIPPING NINJAS runner on 1st, Natalie came up to the plate. After taking 2 balls, Natalie laid down a perfect bunt and took off for 1st. The catcher got up and picked up the ball. She threw the ball to 2nd to try to take Hylah out, but she overthrew the SWAT 2nd baseman and Hylah was able to reach 3rd on the error while Natalie held up at 1st. Rebecca was up next. On the 1st pitch, Natalie stole 2nd base on a passed ball. The pitcher missed the mark on her next pitch, bringing up 2-0. Rebecca took a swing at the next pitch and popped it up. The SWAT defense was ready and made the catch for the 2nd out. With 2 outs and runners on 2nd and 3rd, Lexie came up to bat. She took a ball on the 1st pitch. On the next pitch, Lexie got a hit and sent a hard ground ball toward the short stop. The short stop picked up the ball and made the throw to 1st. On the throw, the runners took off. Lexie beat the throw to 1st and got on base as Hylah and Natalie crossed the plate and reached 3rd respectively. Elise was up next. With 2 runners on, Elise started to swing aggressively to keep the runners moving. She hit the 1st pitch into foul territory for strike 1. She took a swing at the next pitch and missed for strike 2. On the next pitch, Elise held her bat, but the pitch was on the mark and she struck out.
Hylah was back to pitch in the 4th. Sensing their time running short, the SWAT offense started swinging. The 1st batter took a swing at Hylah’s 1st pitch. She sent a low fly ball out into left field that hit the ground in front of Elise for a single. Rattled, Hylah started to struggle quickly on the next batter. After throwing a ball on the 1st pitch, Hylah lost control of the next pitch and it got past Kas, allowing the runner to steal 2nd base on the passed ball. Counting on another ball pitch, the batter held her bat on the next pitch, but the ball found its mark and the batter collected a strike. A passed ball on Hylah’s next pitch allowed the runner to steal 3rd safely. The SWAT batter popped up Hylah’s next pitch. The ball drifted high above the infield toward 2nd base. Rachel positioned herself under the ball, reached out her glove and made the catch for the 1st out. Tagging up, the runner on 3rd rolled the dice and left for home. Rachel threw the ball to Kas. Kas moved in front of the plate to make the catch. She caught the ball and turned to apply the tag on the runner, but the runner slid and avoided it and was able to score. The next batter came up to the plate. She took a ball on the 1st pitch. On the next pitch, the batter popped one up toward left center field. Natalie backed up and reached out her glove. At the last second, Natalie readjusted and spun herself around. Amazingly, she was able to make the off-balance catch for the 2nd out. With 2 outs, the next batter came up to bat. She also took a ball on the 1st pitch. She connected on the next pitch. This time, she popped it up over the 1st base side of the field and the ball drifted toward foul territory. Lexie moved off of the bag and positioned herself near the fence in front of the SKIPPING NINJAS dugout. She reached out her glove and made the catch for the 3rd out and SWAT was forced to go back to the drawing board.
SKIPPING NINJAS 9 – SWAT 4
5th Inning
Leading by 5 and the clock ticking on the game, the SKIPPING NINJAS need to pull away to solidify the victory. Aale’a was up 1st. Aale’a fouled of the SWAT pitcher’s 1st pitch. She connected on the 2nd, but popped it up. The pitcher was able to get under it for the out. Kas came out swinging. She connected on the pitcher’s 1st pitch sending a fly ball into deep right field for a triple. With a runner on 3rd, the SWAT pitcher returned to the rubber to face off against Rachel. On the 1st pitch, Rachel laid down a perfect bunt to try to give Kas an opening. The pitcher crashed to pick up the ball as Kas got ready to run home. The pitcher picked up the ball and turned to face Kas and ran her back to 3rd, giving Rachel time to reach 1st base. Erika was up next. Erika took the 1st pitch for a strike and Rachel stole 2nd as the defense decided to protect home from a possible steal from Kas. After a ball on the next pitch evened the count up, Erika swung the bat and connected, sending a ground ball back to the pitcher. When the pitcher threw to 1st for the out on Erika, Kas took off for home. The SWAT 1st baseman threw the ball home, and Kas slid under the tag and scored as Rachel reached 3rd safely. Hylah was up next. After taking a ball on the 1st pitch, Hylah hit a hard grounder past the SWAT 3rd baseman for a single and Rachel took off. By the time the defense recovered, Rachel scored and Hylah reached 1st. Natalie came to the plate next. Keeping the SWAT defense on their heels, Natalie swung at the 1st pitch and sent a hard ground ball to the SWAT short stop. With the runners moving, the short stop came up and hesitated while she decided where to throw the ball. That split-second was all the time Hylah and Natalie needed to advance safely. Rebecca was up next and, following this inning’s trend of the NINJAS swinging early, took a poke at the 1st pitch and popped it up over the infield. The SWAT 1st baseman got under the ball for the catch and the 3rd out.
Lexie was selected to take over pitching duties in the 5th. Lexie got off to a good start against the 1st SWAT batter. The batter fouled off Lexie’s 1st pitch. After a ball, the batter watched the next pitch fly by for a strike. Then, she fouled off another pitch to stay alive. Lexie threw 2 balls in a row to fill up the count. On the next pitch, the batter took a swing and missed. With the strike out, Lexie notched the 1st out off the inning. Lexie got back to work against the next SWAT batter. On fire, Lexie threw heat on the 1st pitch. The batter took a swing and missed for strike 1. The batter fouled the next pitch off and got behind in the count. On the 0-2 pitch, Lexie fired another good pitch in. The batter took a swing and missed. With the 2nd strike out in a row, Lexie was unstoppable. The next batter came up to the plate. Lexie’s 1st pitch missed the mark for a ball. The batter swung at Lexie’s next 2 pitches for strikes 1 and 2. After missing on the next 2 pitches, the next one was on target and the batter hit it into foul territory. At full count, Lexie fired one in and it was a strike pitch. The batter stepped forward and released her bat. The bat came around and barely missed the pitch as it flew through the strike zone into Kas’s glove. Strike 3! Lexie put on a pitching clinic in the 5th inning, getting 3 strikeouts in a row and making quick work of the SWAT offense.
SKIPPING NINJAS 11 – SWAT 4
6th Inning
Coming off of a fantastic pitching performance, Lexie was up 1st in the 6th. Lexie came out swinging aggressively. Lexie swung at the 1st pitch and missed. She fouled off the next one and got behind early. On the 0-2 pitch, the pitcher threw a wild pitch for a ball. Lexie fouled one more off to stay alive, but missed on the next pitch for a strikeout. Elise was up next. The SWAT pitcher had trouble finding her strike and a walk on Elise put a SKIPPING NINJAS runner on base. Aale’a was up next. In typical fashion, Aale’a swung aggressively and hit the 1st pitch into foul territory. After a ball pitch, Aale’a watched a strike pitch fly by. She fouled off 1 more before missing on the next pitch, giving up the 2nd out of the inning. With Elise still on 1st base, Kas came up to the plate. With 2 outs, Elise needed to make her way to 3rd if the SKIPPING NINJAS were to add to their lead. On the 1st pitch on Kas took a swing and missed. Elise took off toward 2nd on a steal. The catcher popped up and threw to 2nd, but the 2nd baseman wasn’t able to gain control of the ball and Elise reached 3rd on the error. On the next pitch, Kas hit a grounder down the 1st base line and the SWAT 1st baseman charged the ball. She picked it up and strolled over to put her foot on the bag for the 3rd out.
We were notified by the umpire that game time had elapsed and this would be the final at bat of the game. Knowing that it was do or die time, the SWAT offense needed to have a big inning in order to spoil the victory for the SKIPPING NINJAS. Lexie was brought back in to close the show. Lexie threw her 1st pitch against the 1st batter. It was off the mark and the batter held her bat for a ball. The 2nd pitch was good and the batter took a swing and sent a grounder down the 3rd base line. Hylah picked up the ball and made the throw to 1st for the out. Lexie started off strong against the next SWAT batter. The batter watched Lexie’s 1st 2 pitches go by for strikes 1 and 2. The next pitch was a ball and the batter fouled off the follow-up to stay alive. On the next pitch, the batter hit a slow roller up the 1st base side of the infield. Both Rachel and Rebecca moved in to pick up the grounder, but both backed off at the same time. Recovering, Rachel picked up the ball and started to head toward 1st. At the last second, she tossed the ball to Rebecca and the ball hit the ground. The batter reached 1st safely on the error. Lexie started to struggle on the next batter. After 5 pitches, the batter walked, but not before the runner was able to steal her way to 3rd. The next batter took her position at the plate. On the 1st pitch, the batter connected, but the ball hit the ground and died right in front of home plate like a perfect bunt. Kas got up and collected the ball, but, with a runner on 3rd and the other runners on the move, she decided to hold the ball and the batter reached 1st safely, loading the bases for SWAT. This energized the SWAT offense. The next batter came to the plate and battled Lexie until reaching full count. On the next pitch, the batter hit the ball toward Natalie, playing short stop. Natalie, unsure of where to go with the ball, hesitated before throwing the ball to 1st and it was all the time the SWAT runners needed to advance safely and score. The next batter came up to bat. After taking a strike on Lexie’s 1st pitch, she put the ball in play and sent a hard grounder toward Rachel, playing 2nd base. Rachel reached out her glove, but couldn’t reach the ball and the runners advanced again and brought 1 more run in. A little rattled by the SWAT surge, Lexie walked the next batter and 1 more SWAT runner crossed the plate and the bases stayed loaded as the next batter came up to bat. Digging deep, Lexie started to string strike pitches together. The batter swung at the 1st 2 pitches and missed for strikes 1 and 2. She connected on the next pitch and sent a grounder toward Natalie. She picked up the ball and threw to 1st for the out, but the runners advanced and 1 more run scored. With 2 down, the game tying run came up to bat. The SKIPPING NINJAS defense had to tighten up here to take home the win. Lexie continued to throw strikes. The batter knew that she had to make something happen. So, she started swinging. She hit Lexie’s 1st 2 pitches into foul territory. After a ball, the batter fouled one off to stay alive. Lexie got back to the rubber to throw what could potentially be the last pitch of the game. She set her feet and presented the ball as the batter dug her feet into the dirt and gripped her bat. Lexie stepped forward and released the ball. The batter took a step toward Lexie and released her swing. The ball flew toward Kas’s glove and it was a good pitch. The batter brought the bat down to meet the ball and as the ball flew through the strike zone, the bat barely missed it and it hit Kas’s glove. Kas locked the ball down. The umpire called the strikeout, ending the game with the SKIPPING NINJAS in the lead, making it 3 wins in a row.
Final Score
SKIPPING NINJAS 11 – SWAT 8
Game Ball
The SKIPPING NINJAS put on a great performance in this game, making it very difficult to hand out the game ball. Because of this, it was decided that an unprecedented 3 game balls would be handed out for this game. It’s worth mentioning that the entire team worked great together and put a very effective defense on the field. Not to mention spectacular performances by all 3 of the pitchers in the game. Erika did a great job holding SWAT at bay for 3 innings and Lexie had an amazing 6th inning. For pitching, a ball was awarded to Erika. Aale’a was awarded the 2nd game ball due to her multiple hits for singles and RBIs in the game. And finally, for her great pitching, defense at 3rd and a big hit for a triple, with 2 RBIs in the 2nd, Hylah was awarded the final game ball. Great job ladies! And great job NINJAS – apologies to the players that were overlooked. I wish I could have given you all a game ball for such a great game.
1st Inning
The SWAT pitcher started off in a slump against Kas. With 4 pitches, Kas was on base with a walk. Rachel was up next and the pitcher continued to struggle as she warmed up. The pitcher’s 1st pitch on Rachel got past the catcher and Kas stole 2nd. On the next pitch, Kas stole 3rd base when the catcher dropped the ball. The SWAT catcher was able to recover quickly and threw the ball to 3rd, trying pick her off, but the errant throw got past the 3rd baseman’s glove. Kas turned the corner and scored on the error. The pitcher returned to the rubber to complete Rachel’s at bat. The pitcher continued to struggle and walked Rachel. Erika came up next. On the 1st pitch, Erika took a swing and popped the ball up in the air. The SWAT defense made the catch for the out on Erika. It was Hylah’s turn at the plate. On the strike pitch, the catcher lost control of the ball and Rachel stole 2nd. The pitcher followed it up with a ball to even up the count. After another ball, the pitcher threw a wild pitch and Rachel made it safely to 3rd on a steal. The pitcher threw 1 more ball, bringing the count to 3-0 on Hylah. Hylah held her bat on the next pitch for 3-1. On the throw back from the catcher, Rachel gunned it for home and slid under the tag and scored. Hylah fouled 1 more off to stay alive, but, on the next pitch, Hylah took a swing and missed for a strikeout. Natalie was up next. She came out swinging and fouled off the pitcher’s 1st 2 attempts. With potentially 1 pitch left in the top of the inning, the pitcher dug deep and sent one in. This pitch was on target and Natalie took a swing, striking out, she was sent back to the dugout to end the half.
It was the SWAT offense’s turn to see if they had an answer for the SKIPPING NINJAS. Erika was set to pitch in the 1st. Erika started off slow and threw a ball on her 1st pitch. On the next pitch, the 1st batter connected and sent a grounder right up the middle. Erika reached out her glove, but, when she picked it up to make the throw, the ball fell out and the batter reached 1st. The next SWAT batter came to the plate. Erika fired the 1st pitch in and got it past the batter, who watched it go by for a strike. She followed it up with a ball. The batter took a swing at Erika’s 3rd pitch and missed and the runner safely stole 2nd base. Erika’s 4th pitch missed the mark and evened up the count as the runner advanced to 3rd on the passed ball. The batter fouled Erika’s next pitch off to stay alive. Then, a ball pitch brought up full count. On the next pitch, the batter hit a slow grounder down the 1st base line. Rebecca charged the ball and picked it up. When she turned to make the throw, 1st base was empty and the batter got on base. With Rebecca’s attention elsewhere, the runner took off toward home. Rebecca tried to throw her out, but the SWAT runner crossed the plate safely and put SWAT on the board. Kas missed the catch and the ball got away from her. So, the runner on 1st was able to make it to 2nd on the error. The next SWAT batter came out swinging and connected on Erika’s 1st pitch. Hylah missed the grab at 3rd and the batter got on base as the runner reached 3rd. The next SWAT batter came up to bat. After a ball on the 1st pitch, Erika strung 2 strike pitches together and the batter watched them go by. On the 1-2 pitch, the batter took a swing. Kas dropped the ball and with the Drop 3rd Strike rule in effect, the batter took off for 1st. However, since there was a runner occupying the bag, the batter was called out on the play as the runner on 3rd scored on the play, tying up the game. Erika returned to the rubber to face off against the next SWAT batter. Erika’s 1st pitch was a ball. The runner on 2nd took off when Kas dropped the ball. Kas recovered quickly and fired the ball at Hylah. Hylah made the catch and quickly turned to tag the runner for the out. After reaching full count, a walk on the batter put a SWAT runner back on base. The next batter came up to the plate. She watched the 1st pitch fly by for a strike. She watched another go by for a 2nd strike. She didn’t want to go down without a fight and swung at Erika’s next pitch. Unfortunately, she missed the ball and struck out, ending the inning knotted up at 2 points each.
SKIPPING NINJAS 2 – SWAT 2
2nd Inning
Rebecca was up 1st to get things started in the 2nd inning. She split the difference with the SWAT pitcher on the 1st 2 pitches. Rebecca took a swing on the next pitch and put it in play. The ground ball rolled right into the pitcher’s glove and was thrown out at 1st. Lexie was up next. After splitting the 1st 2 pitches, the pitcher lost her rhythm and waked Lexie, putting her on 1st base. Elise was up next. With a passed ball on the 1st pitch, Lexie stole 2nd base. The pitcher threw another ball across to bring the count to 2-0. On the next pitch, Elise connected and send a hard grounder straight back to the pitcher. The pitcher reached down, but couldn’t come up with it and Elise reached 1st safely as Lexie was able to get herself to 3rd. Aale’a was up next. Aale’a came out swinging and connected on the 1st pitch, sending a hard ground ball tearing through the infield that got past the 2nd baseman for a single. Lexie scored on the play, but the SWAT defense was able to get the out on Elise as she tried to advance to 3rd. Kas was up next. Also swinging on the 1st pitch, Kas sent a fly ball out into the right center field grass for a single, bringing Aale’a home. Rachel was up next. After a short battle with the pitcher and reaching full count, Rachel was hit by a pitch and got on base. Swinging on the 1st pitch, Erika, who was up after Rachel, hit a ground ball past the SWAT short stop for a single, loading the bases. The pitcher got back to the rubber as Hylah made her way to the plate. On the 1st pitch, Kas stole home and scored on a passed ball as Rachel and Erika advanced into scoring position. Hylah watched the next pitch go by for a strike. After a ball, Hylah took a swing at the 2-1 pitch and connected. She hit a fly ball deep into right center field for a triple, bringing Rachel and Erika home. Natalie was up next. She also took a swing at the pitcher’s 1st pitch and hit a ground ball past the SWAT short stop for a single, bringing Hylah across the plate. A walk on Rebecca, in her 2nd plate appearance in the inning, put SKIPPING NINJAS runners on 1st and 2nd. Lexie came up for her 2nd appearance in the inning. After taking a ball on the 1st pitch, Lexie connected and popped one up over the infield. The SWAT defense got under the ball and made the catch to end the SKIPPING NINJAS offensive half.
Trailing by 6, the SWAT offense took to the field. Erika was back at pitcher. After a ball and a strike, the 1st batter put the ball in play and sent a hard ground ball to Natalie, at short stop. Bobbling the ball on the way up, Natalie was not able to get the throw to 1st on time and the batter reached 1st safely. The next SWAT batter was up. Losing her groove, Erika threw 3 balls in a row. On the 3-0 pitch, Erika found her strike, but the batter was ready and she connected, sending a grounder down the 3rd base line. Hylah moved in and made the stop. In a very acrobatic move, Hylah quickly picked up the ball and fired the ball to Rachel, playing 2nd, to take out the lead runner. The next batter came to the plate. On Erika’s 1st pitch, the batter laid down a perfect bunt. In the scramble, Kas picked up the ball, but with no one covering 1st, she didn’t know where to throw it and the runners advanced safely. The next batter took her position at the plate. Erika missed on her 1st pitch. Then the batter fouled the next one off to even up the count. Swinging and missing Erika’s next 2 pitches, the batter struck out and was sent packing for the 2nd out of the inning. The next SWAT batter came out with determination. After taking the 1st pitch, she started swinging aggressively. She took a cut and missed Erika’s 2nd pitch. Then, she fouled the next one off before taking a ball. She fouled one more to stay alive before taking another ball. The runners stole their way into scoring position on the passed ball. On the 2-2 pitch, the batter took a swing. She missed the ball and struck out, sending the game into the 3rd inning.
SKIPPING NINJAS 8 – SWAT 2
3rd Inning
Having preserved the 6 point lead, Elise was set to kick things off in the 3rd. After splitting the difference with the SWAT pitcher on the 1st 2 pitches, Elise alternated balls and swinging strikes until she struck out. Aale’a came out swinging aggressively and fouled off the SWAT pitcher’s 1st 2 pitches. On the 3rd pitch, Aale’a connected and sent a hard ground ball through the infield, out into the left field grass for a single. Back at the top of the lineup, Kas fouled a couple of pitches off as well, with a ball thrown in for good measure. On the 1-2 pitch, Kas took a swing and struck out for the 2nd out. Rachel was up next. She took a cut on the 1st pitch and put the ball in play. On the bounce, the pitcher was able to grab the ball and make the easy throw to 1st for the 3rd out on Rachel, making quick work of the SKIPPING NINJAS offense in the 3rd.
Hylah was selected to lead the SKIPPING NINJAS defense in the 3rd inning. Energized by their defensive performance and trying to remedy the 6 point deficit, the SWAT offense came out swinging. The 1st batter fouled off Hylah’s 1st pitch. The batter connected on the 2nd pitch, popping it up over the infield. Waving everyone off, Hylah moved in and made the catch for the out. Hylah lost her touch on the next batter and, on 4 pitches, put a SWAT runner on base with a walk. The next batter came to the plate and fouled off Hylah’s 1st pitch. She watched one go by for a strike and the runner advanced to 2nd on a steal. The batter watched one more go by and the umpire ruled it another strike. On Hylah’s next pitch, the batter held her bat, thinking that it was off the mark, but the umpire pumped her fists to signal the strike out and the batter was sent back to the dugout empty handed. Hylah started to struggle against the next SWAT batter. On the 1st pitch, the runner on 2nd stole 3rd base on a passed ball. Hylah couldn’t find her strike pitch and, with the next 3 pitches, walked the batter, putting SWAT runners on 1st and 3rd. Hylah continued her skid against the next batter. On the 1st pitch, the ball got away from Kas and the runner on 3rd made it home on a steal as the other runner reached 2nd safely. Hylah alternated pitches until she reached full count. On the next pitch, the batter hit the ball and sent a grounder straight back to Hylah. On the bounce, Hylah grabbed the ball and made the easy throw to 1st for the 3rd out, holding SWAT to 1 point in the inning.
SKIPPING NINJAS 8 – SWAT 3
4th Inning
At the top of the 4th, the SKIPPING NINJAS were riding a comfortable 5 point lead, but SWAT was starting to play more aggressively and, although they were being held by the SKIPPING NINJAS defense, they managed to squeeze a few runs through and couldn’t be counted out just yet. Erika came to the plate 1st. After taking a ball on the 1st pitch, Erika took a swing and missed to even up the count at 1-1. Erika watched the next pitch go by for a strike. After a ball brought the count to 2-2, Erika took a swing and missed the SWAT pitcher’s next pitch for the strike out. Hylah was up next. She connected on the 1st pitch and sent a hard grounder through the infield out into the left field grass for a single. With a SKIPPING NINJAS runner on 1st, Natalie came up to the plate. After taking 2 balls, Natalie laid down a perfect bunt and took off for 1st. The catcher got up and picked up the ball. She threw the ball to 2nd to try to take Hylah out, but she overthrew the SWAT 2nd baseman and Hylah was able to reach 3rd on the error while Natalie held up at 1st. Rebecca was up next. On the 1st pitch, Natalie stole 2nd base on a passed ball. The pitcher missed the mark on her next pitch, bringing up 2-0. Rebecca took a swing at the next pitch and popped it up. The SWAT defense was ready and made the catch for the 2nd out. With 2 outs and runners on 2nd and 3rd, Lexie came up to bat. She took a ball on the 1st pitch. On the next pitch, Lexie got a hit and sent a hard ground ball toward the short stop. The short stop picked up the ball and made the throw to 1st. On the throw, the runners took off. Lexie beat the throw to 1st and got on base as Hylah and Natalie crossed the plate and reached 3rd respectively. Elise was up next. With 2 runners on, Elise started to swing aggressively to keep the runners moving. She hit the 1st pitch into foul territory for strike 1. She took a swing at the next pitch and missed for strike 2. On the next pitch, Elise held her bat, but the pitch was on the mark and she struck out.
Hylah was back to pitch in the 4th. Sensing their time running short, the SWAT offense started swinging. The 1st batter took a swing at Hylah’s 1st pitch. She sent a low fly ball out into left field that hit the ground in front of Elise for a single. Rattled, Hylah started to struggle quickly on the next batter. After throwing a ball on the 1st pitch, Hylah lost control of the next pitch and it got past Kas, allowing the runner to steal 2nd base on the passed ball. Counting on another ball pitch, the batter held her bat on the next pitch, but the ball found its mark and the batter collected a strike. A passed ball on Hylah’s next pitch allowed the runner to steal 3rd safely. The SWAT batter popped up Hylah’s next pitch. The ball drifted high above the infield toward 2nd base. Rachel positioned herself under the ball, reached out her glove and made the catch for the 1st out. Tagging up, the runner on 3rd rolled the dice and left for home. Rachel threw the ball to Kas. Kas moved in front of the plate to make the catch. She caught the ball and turned to apply the tag on the runner, but the runner slid and avoided it and was able to score. The next batter came up to the plate. She took a ball on the 1st pitch. On the next pitch, the batter popped one up toward left center field. Natalie backed up and reached out her glove. At the last second, Natalie readjusted and spun herself around. Amazingly, she was able to make the off-balance catch for the 2nd out. With 2 outs, the next batter came up to bat. She also took a ball on the 1st pitch. She connected on the next pitch. This time, she popped it up over the 1st base side of the field and the ball drifted toward foul territory. Lexie moved off of the bag and positioned herself near the fence in front of the SKIPPING NINJAS dugout. She reached out her glove and made the catch for the 3rd out and SWAT was forced to go back to the drawing board.
SKIPPING NINJAS 9 – SWAT 4
5th Inning
Leading by 5 and the clock ticking on the game, the SKIPPING NINJAS need to pull away to solidify the victory. Aale’a was up 1st. Aale’a fouled of the SWAT pitcher’s 1st pitch. She connected on the 2nd, but popped it up. The pitcher was able to get under it for the out. Kas came out swinging. She connected on the pitcher’s 1st pitch sending a fly ball into deep right field for a triple. With a runner on 3rd, the SWAT pitcher returned to the rubber to face off against Rachel. On the 1st pitch, Rachel laid down a perfect bunt to try to give Kas an opening. The pitcher crashed to pick up the ball as Kas got ready to run home. The pitcher picked up the ball and turned to face Kas and ran her back to 3rd, giving Rachel time to reach 1st base. Erika was up next. Erika took the 1st pitch for a strike and Rachel stole 2nd as the defense decided to protect home from a possible steal from Kas. After a ball on the next pitch evened the count up, Erika swung the bat and connected, sending a ground ball back to the pitcher. When the pitcher threw to 1st for the out on Erika, Kas took off for home. The SWAT 1st baseman threw the ball home, and Kas slid under the tag and scored as Rachel reached 3rd safely. Hylah was up next. After taking a ball on the 1st pitch, Hylah hit a hard grounder past the SWAT 3rd baseman for a single and Rachel took off. By the time the defense recovered, Rachel scored and Hylah reached 1st. Natalie came to the plate next. Keeping the SWAT defense on their heels, Natalie swung at the 1st pitch and sent a hard ground ball to the SWAT short stop. With the runners moving, the short stop came up and hesitated while she decided where to throw the ball. That split-second was all the time Hylah and Natalie needed to advance safely. Rebecca was up next and, following this inning’s trend of the NINJAS swinging early, took a poke at the 1st pitch and popped it up over the infield. The SWAT 1st baseman got under the ball for the catch and the 3rd out.
Lexie was selected to take over pitching duties in the 5th. Lexie got off to a good start against the 1st SWAT batter. The batter fouled off Lexie’s 1st pitch. After a ball, the batter watched the next pitch fly by for a strike. Then, she fouled off another pitch to stay alive. Lexie threw 2 balls in a row to fill up the count. On the next pitch, the batter took a swing and missed. With the strike out, Lexie notched the 1st out off the inning. Lexie got back to work against the next SWAT batter. On fire, Lexie threw heat on the 1st pitch. The batter took a swing and missed for strike 1. The batter fouled the next pitch off and got behind in the count. On the 0-2 pitch, Lexie fired another good pitch in. The batter took a swing and missed. With the 2nd strike out in a row, Lexie was unstoppable. The next batter came up to the plate. Lexie’s 1st pitch missed the mark for a ball. The batter swung at Lexie’s next 2 pitches for strikes 1 and 2. After missing on the next 2 pitches, the next one was on target and the batter hit it into foul territory. At full count, Lexie fired one in and it was a strike pitch. The batter stepped forward and released her bat. The bat came around and barely missed the pitch as it flew through the strike zone into Kas’s glove. Strike 3! Lexie put on a pitching clinic in the 5th inning, getting 3 strikeouts in a row and making quick work of the SWAT offense.
SKIPPING NINJAS 11 – SWAT 4
6th Inning
Coming off of a fantastic pitching performance, Lexie was up 1st in the 6th. Lexie came out swinging aggressively. Lexie swung at the 1st pitch and missed. She fouled off the next one and got behind early. On the 0-2 pitch, the pitcher threw a wild pitch for a ball. Lexie fouled one more off to stay alive, but missed on the next pitch for a strikeout. Elise was up next. The SWAT pitcher had trouble finding her strike and a walk on Elise put a SKIPPING NINJAS runner on base. Aale’a was up next. In typical fashion, Aale’a swung aggressively and hit the 1st pitch into foul territory. After a ball pitch, Aale’a watched a strike pitch fly by. She fouled off 1 more before missing on the next pitch, giving up the 2nd out of the inning. With Elise still on 1st base, Kas came up to the plate. With 2 outs, Elise needed to make her way to 3rd if the SKIPPING NINJAS were to add to their lead. On the 1st pitch on Kas took a swing and missed. Elise took off toward 2nd on a steal. The catcher popped up and threw to 2nd, but the 2nd baseman wasn’t able to gain control of the ball and Elise reached 3rd on the error. On the next pitch, Kas hit a grounder down the 1st base line and the SWAT 1st baseman charged the ball. She picked it up and strolled over to put her foot on the bag for the 3rd out.
We were notified by the umpire that game time had elapsed and this would be the final at bat of the game. Knowing that it was do or die time, the SWAT offense needed to have a big inning in order to spoil the victory for the SKIPPING NINJAS. Lexie was brought back in to close the show. Lexie threw her 1st pitch against the 1st batter. It was off the mark and the batter held her bat for a ball. The 2nd pitch was good and the batter took a swing and sent a grounder down the 3rd base line. Hylah picked up the ball and made the throw to 1st for the out. Lexie started off strong against the next SWAT batter. The batter watched Lexie’s 1st 2 pitches go by for strikes 1 and 2. The next pitch was a ball and the batter fouled off the follow-up to stay alive. On the next pitch, the batter hit a slow roller up the 1st base side of the infield. Both Rachel and Rebecca moved in to pick up the grounder, but both backed off at the same time. Recovering, Rachel picked up the ball and started to head toward 1st. At the last second, she tossed the ball to Rebecca and the ball hit the ground. The batter reached 1st safely on the error. Lexie started to struggle on the next batter. After 5 pitches, the batter walked, but not before the runner was able to steal her way to 3rd. The next batter took her position at the plate. On the 1st pitch, the batter connected, but the ball hit the ground and died right in front of home plate like a perfect bunt. Kas got up and collected the ball, but, with a runner on 3rd and the other runners on the move, she decided to hold the ball and the batter reached 1st safely, loading the bases for SWAT. This energized the SWAT offense. The next batter came to the plate and battled Lexie until reaching full count. On the next pitch, the batter hit the ball toward Natalie, playing short stop. Natalie, unsure of where to go with the ball, hesitated before throwing the ball to 1st and it was all the time the SWAT runners needed to advance safely and score. The next batter came up to bat. After taking a strike on Lexie’s 1st pitch, she put the ball in play and sent a hard grounder toward Rachel, playing 2nd base. Rachel reached out her glove, but couldn’t reach the ball and the runners advanced again and brought 1 more run in. A little rattled by the SWAT surge, Lexie walked the next batter and 1 more SWAT runner crossed the plate and the bases stayed loaded as the next batter came up to bat. Digging deep, Lexie started to string strike pitches together. The batter swung at the 1st 2 pitches and missed for strikes 1 and 2. She connected on the next pitch and sent a grounder toward Natalie. She picked up the ball and threw to 1st for the out, but the runners advanced and 1 more run scored. With 2 down, the game tying run came up to bat. The SKIPPING NINJAS defense had to tighten up here to take home the win. Lexie continued to throw strikes. The batter knew that she had to make something happen. So, she started swinging. She hit Lexie’s 1st 2 pitches into foul territory. After a ball, the batter fouled one off to stay alive. Lexie got back to the rubber to throw what could potentially be the last pitch of the game. She set her feet and presented the ball as the batter dug her feet into the dirt and gripped her bat. Lexie stepped forward and released the ball. The batter took a step toward Lexie and released her swing. The ball flew toward Kas’s glove and it was a good pitch. The batter brought the bat down to meet the ball and as the ball flew through the strike zone, the bat barely missed it and it hit Kas’s glove. Kas locked the ball down. The umpire called the strikeout, ending the game with the SKIPPING NINJAS in the lead, making it 3 wins in a row.
Final Score
SKIPPING NINJAS 11 – SWAT 8
Game Ball
The SKIPPING NINJAS put on a great performance in this game, making it very difficult to hand out the game ball. Because of this, it was decided that an unprecedented 3 game balls would be handed out for this game. It’s worth mentioning that the entire team worked great together and put a very effective defense on the field. Not to mention spectacular performances by all 3 of the pitchers in the game. Erika did a great job holding SWAT at bay for 3 innings and Lexie had an amazing 6th inning. For pitching, a ball was awarded to Erika. Aale’a was awarded the 2nd game ball due to her multiple hits for singles and RBIs in the game. And finally, for her great pitching, defense at 3rd and a big hit for a triple, with 2 RBIs in the 2nd, Hylah was awarded the final game ball. Great job ladies! And great job NINJAS – apologies to the players that were overlooked. I wish I could have given you all a game ball for such a great game.
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