It was the 1st day back from Castro Valley’s Spring Break. And, it had been 2 weeks since the SKIPPING NINJAS last regulation game, which was a loss. Although the NINJAS appeared in 2 unofficial scrimmage games in between, there were many players missing and, therefore, it wasn’t a true NINJAS team that took the field in those scrimmage outings. This would mark the 1st time the NINJAS played an official game in 2 weeks. By chance, the NINJAS faced off against INTENSITY again and, with the results of the previous game, the NINJAS had to shake off the rust of the previous 2 weeks and try to come up with an answer for a challenging opponent.
1st Inning
With the SKIPPING NINJAS taking the field 1st on offense and INTENSITY down to 8 players due to injuries and absences, INTENSITY tapped their ace pitcher to start the game. With Kas out for the SKIPPING NINJAS, Rachel was up 1st in the lineup. Rachel came out and fouled off the 1st pitch. The pitcher threw heat on the next 2 pitches and struck Rachel out. Erika was up next. The pitcher threw a ball on the 1st pitch and Erika fouled off the 2nd, which brought up 1-1. After that, the pitcher couldn’t find the strike and eventually walked Erika. Lexie came up to the plate next. The pitcher fired one in for a standing strike on Lexie and, on the pitch, Erika made it to 2nd on a steal. The next pitch was a ball and Lexie watched 1 more go by for strike 2. Lexie connected on the next pitch, sending a hard grounder toward the INTENSITY 2nd baseman. Erika reached 3rd as the INTENSITY defense went for the out at 1st, but an overthrow at 1st gave Lexie the single and Erika made it home to put the SKIPPING NINJAS on the board. Miara was up next. After a ball on the 1st pitch, the pitcher lost control of the ball and Miara was hit by the pitch. The pitcher regrouped as Rebecca took her position at the plate. Rebecca took a swing at the pitcher’s 1st pitch. She released too late and collected a strike for her efforts. She took a swing at the next pitch and again, missed, but this time she released too early. The pitcher followed it up with 2 balls in a row to even up the count. On the 2nd ball, Lexie made her way into scoring position on a steal. The INTENSITY catcher got up to throw Lexie out at 3rd, but missed her target and Lexie scored on the overthrow as Miara made it to 2nd base. Rebecca held up her bat on the last pitch, but it was a strike and Rebecca was sent back to the NINJAS dugout. Elise was up next. Miara stole 3rd on the 1st pitch and Elise held her bat for a strike. Elise took a swing at the next pitch but missed for strike 2. The pitcher put 2 balls in the count to even things up before firing one in and getting it past Elise for the strikeout, ending the initial NINJAS rush.
Fighting fire with fire, the SKIPPING NINJAS selected Miara to lead the team in the 1st. The 1st INTENSITY batter came up to the plate. Miara fired one in for a strike. The batter connected on Miara’s next pitch, putting it in play. She sent a ground ball through the 1st base side of the NINJAS infield. Rachel moved in to collect the ball. As she came up with it, the ball hit the ground and the batter earned a single. Miara threw heat on her 1st pitch against the 2nd INTENSITY batter for a strike. On the pitch, the runner on 1st made is safely to 2nd on a steal. The batter fouled off Miara’s next pitch for 0-2. Balls on the next 2 pitches evened up the count. Miara threw heat again and it looked like it was going to put the batter away, but, unexpectedly, the batter connected and send a low and fast fly ball down the 1st base line. Lexie reached out for it, but it was out of reach and the ball landed in fair territory. Aale’a quickly threw the ball back to Lexie to hold the runner to a single, but the other runner reached 3rd on the play. The next batter came up to the plate. She fouled off the 1st pitch and missed the 2nd, bringing up strikes 1 and 2. The batter took a swing at Miara’s next pitch and connected, sending a fast grounder right up the middle of the infield. Miara scooped up the ball, checked 3 to freeze the runner, and threw the ball for the out at 1st. The runner took off for home on the throw and, thinking quickly, Lexie fired one in to Hylah at catcher and successfully turned the double play, preventing the score with the out at home. With a runner on 3rd, the next batter came up to bat. She swung at Miara’s 1st pitch and took a ball on the next for 1-1. She fouled off the next pitch before getting a hold of the next one, sending a fly ball over Aale’a’s head in right field for a double, bringing the other INTENSITY runner home. The next batter tried to keep it moving, but she missed on the 1st pitch. She hit the ball on the next pitch, but the ground ball went straight to Miara and she was able to pick it up and make the easy throw to 1st for the 3rd out.
SKIPPING NINJAS 2 – INTENSITY 1
2nd Inning
Natalie was up 1st in the 2nd inning. The INTENSITY pitcher started to struggle right away against Natalie. She threw 3 balls in a row to start things off before getting one past Natalie to bring up 3-1. Natalie held her bat on the next pitch for the walk and Natalie headed to 1st base. Natalie turned the corner at 1st on her way to 2nd, but a combination of an alert INTENSITY defense and Natalie’s slow run on the steal sealed Natalie’s fate and INTENSITY got the out at 2nd. Hylah was up next. Continuing to struggle, the pitcher threw 2 balls to start things off. Hylah missed the next pitch and watched one go by and the count was even at 2-2. Another ball brought up full count. Then, Hylah connected on the next pitch, but the ball popped up over the infield and the INTENSITY short stop was able to get under the ball for the catch and the out on Hylah. Katrina was up next. Once again, the pitcher was off to a slow start and threw 2 balls against Katrina. But the next 3 pitches were on target and got Katrina to swing. Katrina tried her best, but couldn’t time the pitches on her 1st at bat and she struck out, ending the inning for the NINJAS offense.
Continuing the pitcher duel, Miara was back at the rubber in the 2nd inning. Making quick work of the INTENSITY offense, Miara put on a pitching clinic. Miara fired her 1st pitch in and got it past the 1st batter for strike 1. The batter took a cut on the next pitch and missed for strike 2. Miara settled in for her 3rd pitch and the batter dug in. Miara released the ball and, once again, it was on target. The batter took a swing and the bat went just over the ball for strike 3. The next batter came up to the plate. Miara faltered a bit on the 1st 2 pitches, but quickly regained her pitch. At 2-0, Miara fired one in and the batter fouled it off. A ball on the next pitch brought up 3-1. The batter fouled the next one off and reached full count. Miara pulled out the fast ball on the next pitch and fired one in. Looking like she was moving in slow motion, the batter released her bat, but it traveled through the strike zone so late that the batter may as well have been swinging at thin air. The batter struck out and was sent back to the INTENSITY dugout empty handed. The next batter came up to bat. Miara, now on fire, threw heat on the 1st pitch and got it past the batter for strike 1. The next pitch came in hot and, for the 2nd pitch in a row, the batter watched it go by for strike 2. After a ball on the next pitch, Miara drilled one in again. This time, the batter took a swing, but again, the batter released too late and missed the ball, striking out and closing the door on the 2nd inning.
SKIPPING NINJAS 2 – INTENSITY 1
3rd Inning
At the top of the 3rd, after yet another defensive showcase put on by both teams, the INTENSITY defense took to the field with their ace pitcher at the rubber again. Aale’a was up 1st to see what she could do. Aale’a came out swinging. She fouled off the 1st pitch and missed the 2nd. After a ball on the 3rd pitch, Aale’a was able to connect and put the ball in play. The ground ball rolled up the 3rd base line and Aale’a took off for 1st. The INTENSITY 3rd baseman picked up the ball and made the throw to 1st. The ball was out of reach and forced the 1st baseman to come off of the bag for the catch, the opening allowed Aale’a to reach 1st base safely. Rachel was up next. Rachel battled with the pitcher, alternating strikes and balls until full count. Rachel fouled off 1 more pitch to stay alive. On the next pitch, Rachel held her bat and the ball looked to be outside, but the umpire disagreed and called the strikeout. Erika was up next. Erika came out swinging and fouled off the 1st pitch. She fouled off one more after taking balls on the 2 previous pitches. With the count at 2-2, she put the ball in play. The INTENSITY short stop moved in to pick up the ground ball and made the throw to 1st for the out on Erika as Aale’a reached 2nd base. Lexie was up next. Lexie took a swing at the pitcher’s 1st toss and connected. She sent a line drive just over the INTENSITY defenses heads deep into right field for a single, which gave Aale’a enough time to turn the corner at 3rd and beat the ball to the plate to put up another run for the NINJAS. Miara was up next. The pitcher struggled to get a strike over the plate and threw a ball on the 1st pitch. A passed ball on the next pitch gave Lexie an opening to steal 2nd. The pitcher threw another ball to follow it up. On release of the next pitch, Lexie stole 3rd base. The pitch was ruled a ball and Miara walked. Miara turned the corner at 1st and gunned it for 2nd. The INTENSITY catcher got up and fired the ball to 2nd base. Miara dove to get under the tag, but the umpire called her out. With the 3rd out, the SKIPPING NINJAS defense took to the field.
Giving INTENSITY a different look, Natalie was brought in to take over pitching duties. Natalie took a while to warm up and walked the 1st INTENSITY batter. The next batter came to the plate. After a ball on the 1st pitch, the batter connected and sent a line drive out into left field that hit the ground. Erika was able to recover quickly and throw the ball back in to hold the batter to a single. With INTENSITY runners on 1st and 2nd, the next batter came up to bat. On release of the 1st pitch, the runners took off on a steal and the batter connected, putting a ball in play. The ball rolled slowly up the 3rd base side of the field and Natalie moved in to pick it up. She got up to make a play, but as the runner rounded 3rd and got past Natalie, she hesitated before making her throw. She decided to go for the out at home, but it was too late and the runner scored and the runner on 2nd advanced safely to 3rd. The next batter came up to bat. On the 1st pitch, the runner on 1st stole 2nd base and the pitch was ruled a ball. Natalie had trouble on the next pitch as well and added another ball to the count. Natalie got one past the batter to bring up 2-1. Then the batter fouled one off to even things up. After another ball, the batter connected and sent a hard ground ball tearing through the NINJAS infield past Hylah’s glove, at 3rd base, for a double, bringing 2 runs in and putting INTENSITY in the lead for the 1st time in the game. The next batter came to the plate. After uneventfully reaching full count on the batter, Natalie hung one out over the plate and the batter got a piece of it. She sent a grounder rolling through the infield. This time Miara was able to get in front of the ball and made the throw to Lexie for the 1st defensive out of the inning. The next batter came up. Natalie got one past her for a strike. Balls on the next 2 pitches put Natalie behind. She was able to recover and get one more past the batter to even things up. On the next pitch, the batter took a swing and sent another ball past Hylah into left field for a single, bringing another runner home. Natalie got back to work as the next batter came up to the plate. Natalie’s 1st pitch got past Katrina and the runner on 1st advanced on a steal. Natalie’s next 2 pitches also missed their mark and the count was at 3-0. The batter fouled off the next pitch. Then she missed on a 2nd attempt and the count was full. The batter connected on the next pitch. Miara moved in to pick up the grounder and again made the connection with Lexie at 1st for the 2nd out as the runner on 2nd made it to 3rd. After starting off with a ball on the next batter, Natalie hit her with a pitch and put her on base. Natalie split the difference with the next batter on the 1st 2 pitches. On the next pitch, the batter put it in play, hitting a fast ground ball past Hylah for a single and bringing 1 more INTENSITY run across the plate. Natalie started to struggle and started off on the next batter with 2 balls in a row. On the 3rd pitch, the batter got a hit and sent a grounder through the 3rd base side of the field. Miara moved it to collect the ball and, taking her time, threw to 1st for the 3rd out. However, the NINJAS were now faced with a 3 point deficit.
SKIPPING NINJAS 3 – INTENSITY 6
4th Inning
With the division pitching limit of 4 innings, INTENSITY decided to save their ace pitcher to close the show. A new pitcher was brought in to give the NINJAS a different look. Rebecca was up 1st. Rebecca took a ball on the 1st pitch. The next 2 pitches came in on fire and got past Rebecca, putting her behind in the count. But the pitcher couldn’t find the strike on the next 3 pitches and a walk put Rebecca on base. Elise was up next. The pitcher threw a ball on the 1st pitch against Elise and Rebecca successfully stole 2nd. Another ball gave Rebecca a shot at 3rd. Elise watched a pitch go by for a strike. After another ball pitch, Elise took a swing and missed, bringing up full count. On the throw back to the pitcher, Rebecca took off for home. Reacting quickly, the pitcher fired the ball in to the catcher who caught the ball as Rebecca slid for home. Bringing the tag down on Rebecca’s torso, the catcher applied the tag, but Rebecca’s foot looked like it had reached the plate. Unfortunately, the umpire ruled it an out and Rebecca was sent back to the dugout. Another ball on Elise put her on base. Natalie was up next. After a ball pitch, Natalie watched the next one go by for a strike and Elise safely stole 2nd. After another ball, Natalie fouled one off for 2-2. After taking one more ball, Natalie tried to connect, but came out a touch too late and, after 6 pitches, she struck out. The pitcher started to struggle against Hylah. She threw a ball on the 1st pitch. A passed ball on the next pitch gave Elise an opportunity to steal 3rd. She took off as the catcher recovered the ball. The catcher threw to 3rd, trying for the out on Elise, but the ball got away from the INTENSITY 3rd baseman and Elise got up and ran for home, scoring on the error. The pitcher missed one more time, bringing up 3-0. After Hylah missed the next pitch, she redeemed herself and connected on the follow-up. Hylah send a hard ground ball through the INTENSITY defense out into the right field grass for a single. Katrina was up next. After splitting the difference with the pitcher on the 1st 2 pitches, Katrina put the ball in play. Unfortunately, the ground ball was easily picked up by the INTENSITY defense and they made the easy out on Katrina at 1st base, holding the NINJAS to 1 run in the inning.
Trying to keep INTENSITY guessing, Hylah took over pitching in the 4th. Hylah looked pretty good at pitcher given her relative lack of pitching experience over the last couple of years. The 1st INTENSITY batter came up to bat. Hylah alternated between balls and strikes and inched her way to full count. The batter fouled off one more and stayed alive. Finally, the batter connected and sent a hard grounder down the 3rd base side of the field. Miara, playing short stop, scooped up the ball and made the throw to Lexie for the 1st out. Hylah found her rhythm and got the next batter to swing. She missed the 1st 2 pitches and got behind in the count early. After a ball, the batter put the ball in play. Again, the grounder made its way into Miara’s glove. Taking her time, Miara threw the ball to Lexie for the 2nd out. With 2 down, Hylah got ready to face the next batter. Hylah got one past the batter for a strike. Hylah missed on the next pitch to even up the count. On the next pitch, the batter took a swing and connected. Incredibly, the batter hit a 3rd grounder straight to Miara and, once again, she picked up the ball and threw it to Lexie, at 1st, for the 3rd out, making quick work of the INTENSITY offense in the 4th inning.
SKIPPING NINJAS 4 – INTENSITY 6
5th Inning
With the SKIPPING NINJAS trailing by 2 and the clock ticking on the game, the NINJAS needed to wake up their offense to get back in the game. Aale’a was up 1st for the NINJAS. After taking 2 balls in a row, Aale’a was hit by a pitch and got on base. Rachel came up next. She fouled off the 1st pitch, then watched one go by to bring up 0-2. When the 3rd pitch came through, Rachel got a hit and sent a fast grounder toward the INTENSITY short stop. The short stop bobbled the ball on the way up, which gave Rachel enough time to make it on base. The INTENSITY short stop turned her attention to 2nd base. She made the throw to 2nd. The 2nd baseman received the ball and turned to tag Aale’a for the out. The pitcher got to work as Erika came up to bat. Erika took a swing and missed the 1st pitch. The next pitch was a ball and Rachel stole 2nd before the catcher could react. Erika took a swing at the next pitch for a strike and Rachel safely stole 3rd. The pitcher threw a ball on the next pitch. Then, on the follow-up, Erika took a swing and struck out. Lexie came up to bat next. Lexie took a cut on the 1st pitch, missing for the strike. Rachel came out on her lead and the catcher stood up to walk her back to 3rd base. Once the catcher made the throw back to the pitcher, Rachel took off and crossed the plate, reducing the INTENSITY lead to 1 point. Lexie resumed her position to finish her at bat. Lexie swung and missed the next pitch, putting the 2nd strike in the count. After a ball on the following pitch, Lexie fouled of the next one to stay alive. After another ball, Lexie was able to get a hold of one and put the ball in play. She sent a grounder straight back to the pitcher and she was able to pick it up and make the throw to 1st for the out, retiring the side.
Miara was back at the rubber to take on the INTENSITY offense again. Having rested her pitching arm for a couple of innings, it seemed like Miara lost a little bit of speed, but her accuracy was on point. The 1st batter came up to the plate. Miara missed the mark on the 1st pitch, but was able to string 3 good pitches together and got the batter swinging. She took cuts at the 3 strike pitches, missing them all and striking out. Miara started off with a ball on the next INTENSITY batter. The batter fouled off Miara’s next pitch. The batter took a swing at the next pitch for a strike. Then, Miara dug deep and threw heat. Stunned, the batter held her swing and the umpire called the strike and the batter was sent packing. Miara lost her touch on the next batter. She was able to get the batter to swing at a couple of pitches, but a walk on the batter put an INTENSITY runner on base. The next batter came up to bat. She started off swinging and fouled off the 1st pitch. After a ball, the batter watched one get by her for a strike. On the next pitch, the batter took a swing. Missing the ball, the batter struck out and ended the inning for the INTENSITY offense. The SKIPPING NINJAS defense was able to hold INTENSITY scoreless for 2 innings in a row.
SKIPPING NINJAS 5 – INTENSITY 6
6th Inning
Entering the 6th inning trailing by 1, the umpire stated that, with the clock ticking on the game, this would likely be the last inning. With this being the last turn at bat, the SKIPPING NINJAS needed to kick it into high gear in this inning to have a shot at the win. Miara came up 1st. She came out swinging aggressively and fouled off the 1st 2 pitches. After a ball, Miara fouled off 1 more. On the next pitch, Miara connected and ripped on out to left field. The ball hit the ground in fair territory and Miara got a double on the play. Rebecca came up next. On the 1st pitch, Miara took off for 3rd. The catcher got up and fired it in to 3rd to try to get the out, but the INTENSITY 3rd baseman couldn’t lock it down and Miara scored on the error, tying up the game. Rebecca fouled off the next pitch before a ball brought up 2-1. The pitcher threw heat on the next 2 pitches and struck Rebecca out. Elise was up next. After taking a ball on the 1st pitch, Elise hit a grounder toward the 3rd baseman. She beat the ball to 1st for a single. Natalie was up next. After watching a strike go by, Natalie fouled off the next pitch. After a ball brought up 1-2, Natalie put the next ball in play. She hit a hard ground ball out to right field for a single. Elise reached 2nd and, while the INTENSITY defense scrambled for the ball, she was able to make it to 3rd base. Hylah was up next. With a ball on the 1st pitch, Natalie stole 2nd base. After a ball, Hylah fouled one off. Then, she took a swing and missed. A passed ball on the next pitch brought up full count and gave Elise the opening to score and put the NINJAS in the lead again. Natalie stole 3rd on the play and the catcher tried for the out, but missed the connection at 3rd and Natalie was able to follow Elise home. Finally, a walk on Hylah put a NINJA on base. Katrina came up next. Katrina went back and forth with the pitcher. At 2-1, Hylah stole 2nd on a passed ball. Katrina put the ball in play on the next pitch, but the grounder went back to the pitcher, who was able to get the ball to 1st for the out on Katrina as Hylah reached 3rd. Aale’a was up next. After reaching 2-2, Aale’a was hit by a pitch and got on base. With NINJAS runners on 1st and 3rd, Rachel came up to bat. Rachel watched 2 fast balls go by, both hitting their mark for strikes 1 and 2. Rachel took a swing at the next pitch and missed, striking out and ending the inning for the NINJAS offense with a 2 point lead.
It was the SKIPPING NINJAS defense’s turn take the field and try to maintain the lead for the win. Miara was back to close the show. After a ball on the 1st pitch, the batter put the ball in play. She hit a fly ball over the 3rd base side of the field. Natalie got in front of it and couldn’t get a hold of the ball and the batter got a single on the play. The next batter came up. After a ball on the 1st pitch, Miara got one past the batter and evened up the count. The batter connected on the next pitch and sent a grounder back to Miara. She picked up the ball and threw it to Lexie at 1st for the out. 1 down, 2 to go. Miara started to slow down a bit and lost control on the next pitch for ball 1. A passed ball on the next pitch allowed the runner to make it home on the play. The batter connected on the next pitch, popping it up over the infield. Both Natalie and Rachel converged on the ball. Neither called the ball, but both backed off, allowing it to hit the dirt, which gave the batter enough time to make it on base. With the error, the runner on 3rd scored, reducing the NINJAS lead to 1 point. Miara got back to work against the next batter. After fouling off the 1st 2 pitches, the batter put the ball in play and sent a fast grounder through the 1st base side of the field. Rachel, playing 2nd base unexpectedly backed off to cover 2nd and the ball reached the right field grass. Thankfully, Aale’a recovered the ball and held the batter to a single. The next INTENSITY batter came up to bat. The runners stole their way into scoring position on a passed ball. Miara lost focus on the batter and, eventually, a walk on the batter loaded the bases for INTENSITY. It was make or break for the NINJAS as INTENSITY was looking to bring the runners home. Miara got back to work. Clearing her head, she quickly got back at it and started throwing heat. She got the next batter to swing. After fouling one off, the batter swung at 3 pitches, missing them all for a strikeout. 2 down, 1 to go. Miara threw heat and caught the next batter napping for strike 1. Miara did it again and got it past the batter for strike 2. Then, Miara rocked back, stepped forward and threw the ball. The batter gritted her teeth and released the bat. The bat came around to meet the ball. Bracing herself for the impact, the batter gritted her teeth and closed her eyes. She missed the ball and the pitch hit Hylah’s glove for strike 3. The SKIPPING NINJAS preserved their lead and took home the victory.
Final Score
SKIPPING NINJAS 8 – INTENSITY 7
Game Ball
It was a nail-biter, with the NINJAS taking home the hard-fought victory against a tough team. But, for the 2nd game in a row, it was defense and pitching that carried the day for both teams. And both teams put on a great show for the fans. There were 2 SKIPPING NINJA players that really put forth a great performance: Miara – had an incredible day pitching and contributed a great deal at short stop and also had some good baserunning; and Lexie – although she was on 1st base all day, she really held it down and caught everything that came her way, including being involved in a double play. For that, both Miara and Lexie received game balls. Great job out there ladies!
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