After splitting the difference between their 2 weekend games, an interesting turn of events, due to the rescheduled rainout game that was played yesterday, the SKIPPING NINJAS were set to rematch SWAT. The girls took to the field with confidence to see if they could repeat their effort from the previous game and take home 2 in a row against a game opponent trying to avenge a loss. With SKIPPING NINJAS at home for the 3rd game in a row, the NINJAS got into their defensive positions, ready to welcome the SWAT offense to the field.
1st Inning
Lexie started the game off at pitcher and got things started quickly as the 1st SWAT batter came up to bat. After throwing a ball on the 1st pitch, Lexie was able to bring it back and got the batter to swing for a strike. After another ball pitch, the batter took a cut on Lexie’s next pitch. She connected and put the ball in play. The ball popped up and Erika, playing right center, was able to get under the fly ball to make the catch for the 1st out of the game. The next SWAT batter came up to the plate. After swinging at Lexie’s 1st 2 pitches for strikes, the batter smartly held the bat on Lexie’s next pitch and the count reached 1-2. The batter took a swing at the next pitch and put it in play. Unfortunately, she sent a grounder directly to Katrina, playing 3rd, who scooped it up and took her time to make a good throw. She sent the ball to 1st for the 2nd out. Lexie started to struggle on SWAT’s 3rd batter and threw a ball on the 1st pitch. The batter took a swing at Lexie’s next pitch and fouled it off. Lexie followed that pitch up with 2 more balls, bringing the count to 3-1. The batter fouled off 1 more pitch and the count was full. On Lexie’s next pitch, the SWAT batter connected, but she hit another ground ball toward Katrina. Katrina moved in to collect the ball and, taking her time, gunned the ball to 1st for the 3rd out of the inning.
It was the SKIPPING NINJAS offense’s turn at bat. As she has been all season, Kas was up 1st in the lineup. After taking a ball on the 1st pitch, Kas hit the ball, but the grounder was easily contained by the SWAT defense and tossed to 1st to get the out on Kas. Erika was up next. Erika took a swing at the 1st pitch for a strike. After a ball on the 2nd pitch, Erika was hit by the follow up and was awarded 1st base. Lexie came to the plate next. After a ball on the 1st pitch, Lexie took a swing and connected. Sadly, the ball popped up over the infield and the SWAT defense was able to get under it to make the catch and get the 2nd out of the inning. Miara was up next. Swinging aggressively, Miara took a cut at the pitcher’s 1st pitch and hit a hard grounder through the 3rd base side of the field. Getting a good jump, the SWAT short stop was able to get in front of the ball and reel it in. Coming up with it, the short stop saw Miara approaching 1st base and knew that her throw wouldn’t make it in time. Smartly, she decided to go for the easy out on Erika at 2nd. Taking her time, she tossed the ball to 2nd and the SWAT 2nd baseman put her foot on the bag to get the force out on Erika, closing the door on the 1st inning.
SWAT 0 – SKIPPING NINJAS 0
2nd Inning
It literally seemed like a continuation of the previous game as the defenses continued to effectively shut each other out. Lexie was back at the rubber in the 2nd. Getting right back to work, Lexie peeled off 2 strikes in a row. A ball on the next pitch brought the count to 1-2. Lexie followed it up with another strike pitch to put the 1st SWAT batter away. Unfortunately, Lexie lost her groove on the next batter and, on 5 pitches, walked the batter to put a SWAT runner on base. The next batter came to the plate. Again, Lexie started off with a ball. She followed it up with a strike pitch to even up the count. Then the batter fouled off the next one and got behind. Undeterred, the batter took a swing at Lexie’s next pitch and sent a fast grounder down the 1st base side of the SKIPPING NINJAS infield. Rachel came in to collect the ball. She bobbled the ball on the way up and, by the time she regained control of the ball, the SWAT runner made it to 2nd base safely. Rachel attempted to get the out on the runner going to 1st, but the runner beat the ball to the bag and the runner, now on 2nd, took the opportunity to advance to 3rd. Lexie went back to work as the next SWAT batter came up to bat. Lexie’s 1st pitch was a ball. She followed it up with 2 strikes in a row. On the 2nd strike, the ball got past Hylah, at catcher, and the SWAT runners took advantage of the opening with the runner on 1st making it all the way to 3rd and the runner on 3rd making it safely home to put the 1st point on the board. Lexie was able to record a 2nd strike out on the next pitch as the batter took a swing and missed, but SWAT’s offense seemed to be coming alive. The next batter came up to bat. After a ball and a foul on Lexie’s 1st 2 pitches, the batter roped one out to right field for a single, bringing another SWAT runner across the plate. Lexie began to struggle again. A ball on the 1st pitch brought up 1-0, a ball on the next pitch fell out of Hylah’s glove and the runner on 1st took off for 2nd. Quickly recovering, Hylah picked up the ball and threw the ball to 2nd. Rachel got into position to receive the throw, caught the ball and tagged the runner coming to 2nd base to bring out the SKIPPING NINJAS offense.
Down 2 points at the bottom of the 2nd, Rebecca came to the plate 1st for the SKIPPING NINJAS. Showing good plate discipline, Rebecca selected her pitches wisely and, after 5 pitches, got on base with a walk. Hylah was up next. The 1st pitch was wide and got past the SWAT catcher and Rebecca made it safely to 2nd on a steal. Hylah fouled off the next pitch to bring up 1-1. The next pitch was a ball. The next pitch on Hylah was a strike, but the ball came out of the catcher’s glove, which allowed Rebecca to steal 3rd base. The SWAT catcher quickly regained control of the ball and tried to beat Rebecca to 3rd, but the ball bounced out of the SWAT 3rd baseman’s glove. Getting up quickly, Rebecca got up and took off for home and scored, putting the SKIPPING NINJAS on the board for the 1st time in the game. Hylah stayed alive on the next pitch by fouling it off, but went down on the next pitch by swinging for strike 3. Elise was up next. Elise went back and forth with the pitcher during her at bat. She took the 1st pitch for a strike. The next pitch was low and outside, bringing up 1-1. Elise took a swing at the next pitch for strike 2. The next pitch went high. With the count at 2-2, Elise took a swing and missed the next pitch, striking out for the 2nd SKIPPING NINJAS out of the inning. Rachel was up next. Coming out swinging, Rachel sent a fast grounder through the SWAT infield. Sadly, the SWAT 2nd baseman reeled it in and made the easy toss to 1st for the out on Rachel, holding the SKIPPING NINJAS to 1 point in the inning.
SWAT 2 – SKIPPING NINJAS 1
3rd Inning
Natalie was set to take over pitching duties in the 3rd inning. Going up against the 1st SWAT batter, Natalie took a few pitches to get started. Balls on the 1st 2 pitches put Natalie behind early, but she was able to rebound and get a strike past the batter who took the pitch like a statue. After another ball, the batter took a swing at the next pitch, fouling it off to bring up full count. She fouled off another one to stay alive, but Natalie was able to put her away with another beautiful strike pitch. The next SWAT batter came up to bat. She started swinging aggressively and fouled off the 1st pitch. The batter connected on the next pitch sending a slow roller up the middle of the infield. Natalie strolled over to pick up the ball. She turned and fired it to 1st for the out. Putting 2 batters away in quick succession, Natalie got back to the rubber to face off against the 3rd SWAT batter of the inning. With Natalie on fire, SWAT couldn’t afford to let pitches go by and the next batter came out determined to get on base. She took a swing at Natalie’s 1st pitch. Strike 1. She swung and missed Natalie’s next pitch. Strike 2. Natalie missed on the next 2 pitches, evening up the count. Natalie regrouped and reset on the pitching rubber. The batter anxiously awaited the next pitch. She loaded her bat as Natalie presented the ball. Natalie took a step and the batter loaded her bat. Natalie stepped forward and started the pitch. Natalie’s arm traced a circle in the air and her hand released the ball at the bottom of the arc and sent it fast and straight toward home plate. It was obviously a strike pitch. The batter released her bat and brought it around to meet the ball. The bat came down hard and entered the strike zone. The ball entered the strike zone as well. The bat came down and barely missed the top of the ball and, SNAP, the ball slammed into the catcher’s glove. Strike 3. With that, Natalie put on a great pitching show, sending 3 SWAT batters back to their dugout.
Trailing by 1 and coming off of Natalie’s shutout of SWAT’s offense, it was time for the SKIPPING NINJAS to see what they could do on the other side of the ball. Natalie was up 1st. Natalie battled the pitcher during her at bat, fouling off a couple of pitches and taking a strike, but, eventually, a walk put her on base. Katrina came up to bat. The SWAT pitcher was having difficulty finding her groove and, after a few ball pitches that saw Natalie steal her way into scoring position, walked Katrina. Aale’a was up next. Aale’a took a swing at the pitcher’s 1st pitch for a strike as Katrina stole 2nd on a passed ball. Aale’a missed another pitch for strike 2. With balls on the next 2 pitches, the pitcher evened up the count on Aale’a. On the next pitch, Aale’a swung the bat and put the ball in play. The ball rolled up between the pitcher and catcher like a bunt, which caused some confusion as to which SWAT defender would pick up the ball. This gave Aale’a time to get to 1st and Natalie and Katrina to advance, with Natalie scoring on the play to tie up the game. The SWAT pitcher continued her skid against Kas, who was up next. After a ball on the 1st pitch, the next pitch was a passed ball, which gave Aale’a a chance to make it to 2nd on a steal. Katrina broke for home on the play as well and slid under the catcher’s tag to make it safely home and put the SKIPPING NINJAS in the lead for the first time in the game. Finally, a walk on Kas put SKIPPING NINJAS runners on 1st and 2nd. Erika was up next. The pitcher walked Erika and loaded the bases. Lexie came up next. Lexie took a swing at the pitcher’s 1st pitch and hit a hard grounder down the 1st base line. With a lot of time on her hands, the SWAT 1st baseman picked up the ball and ran back to 1st for the out on Lexie as Aale’a made her way down the 3rd base line toward home plate. The 1st baseman, in synch with the catcher, threw the ball home as hard as she could. The catcher snatched the ball out of the air and tagged Aale’a to complete the double play and prevent the score. Miara was up next. After taking a ball on the 1st pitch, Miara missed the 2nd and brought up 1-1. She connected on the next pitch and sent the ball out into center field for a single. The center fielder ran to get under the ball, but couldn’t quite reach it and the ball hit the ground. With that, the runners took off. Kas crossed the plate as Erika reached 3rd. With SWAT still trying to bring the ball back in, Erika broke for home and scored as well. SWAT was forced to bring in a new pitcher. Rebecca was up first against the new pitcher and was hit by the 2nd pitch. With SKIPPING NINJAS runners on 1st and 2nd, Hylah came up to the plate. After the runners advanced on separate passed ball pitches, the pitcher walked Hylah to load the bases. Elise was up next. Trying to make something happen, Elise fouled off the 1st 2 pitches. On the 3rd pitch, Elise connected. Unfortunately, she sent a slow grounder straight back to the SWAT pitcher, who quickly made the throw to 1st for the out on Elise, ending the inning for the SKIPPING NINJAS offense.
SWAT 2 – SKIPPING NINJAS 5
4th Inning
With the clock ticking closer to the end of the game, the SWAT offense needed to come alive to come back from a now 3 point deficit. Having had a great 3rd inning, Natalie was brought back in to pitch in the 4th. Having cooled off on the SKIPPING NINJAS’ long defensive stand, Natalie needed a couple of pitches to get back in the groove. She threw 2 balls to start off against the 1st SWAT batter of the inning. The 3rd ball came across the plate and the batter, counting on another ball pitch watched it go right by for a strike. She took a swing at Natalie’s next pitch and hit a low fly ball over the SKIPPING NINJAS infield. Miara rushed in to get in front of the ball, reached out her glove and made the grab for the 1st out of the inning. The next SWAT batter came up to the plate. Natalie fought hard to get back in rhythm and alternated pitches until she reached full count. Natalie dug deep on the next pitch and got it past the batter for the strikeout. With 2 down, things were looking good for the SKIPPING NINJAS. Natalie threw a strike on her 1st pitch on the next batter. On the next pitch, the batter connected and sent a fast grounder down the 3rd base side of the infield. Hylah moved it, but a bad bounce popped the ball over Hylah’s outstretched glove, giving the batter enough time to reach 1st base safely. The next batter came up to bat. After alternating pitches again and seeing the runner on base reach 2nd on a passed ball, Natalie hit the batter with a pitch and put another SWAT runner on base. The 5th SWAT batter (and the tying run) came up to the plate. Swinging aggressively, she took a cut and connected on Natalie’s 1st pitch, hitting a line drive over the SKIPPING NINJAS infield out to center field. Kas moved in for the catch, but couldn’t keep a handle on the ball and it popped out. With the drop, one SWAT runner turned the corner at 3rd and made it home as Kas tried to recover the ball. Kas eventually picked up the ball and, instead of throwing the ball to 2nd, chased the runner going to 1st. Unfortunately, she missed her target and sent the SKIPPING NINJAS defense scrambling for the loose ball. The confusion allowed the SWAT runner, now on 3rd, to score on the error. Natalie got back to work on the next batter. The batter took a swing and missed Natalie’s 1st pitch as the tying SWAT run stole 2nd. Natalie struggled on her next 3 pitches, bringing the count to 3-1. On the 3rd ball, the runner on 2nd took off for 3rd. Katrina, at catcher attempted the throw down, but threw the ball out of Hylah’s reach and the runner continued on and scored, tying up the game. Finally, a walk on the batter put another SWAT runner on base. The SWAT offense, having tied up the game, started to run the bases aggressively to try to regain the lead. On Natalie’s 1st pitch, the runner on base stole 2nd base. Then, Natalie hit the batter to put another runner on. Natalie got set to face the 8th SWAT batter, now taking her turn at bat. A passed ball on the 1st pitch saw the runners move into scoring position on a steal. On the next pitch, the batter connected and sent a grounder straight back to Natalie. Natalie moved in. Taking her time, she picked up the ball and tossed it to 1st for the 3rd out.
The game now tied at 5 points and time ticking away, this would be the last ½ inning of the game. It was up to the SKIPPING NINJAS to get a run in and secure the victory. Rachel was up 1st. Taking a ball on the 1st pitch, Rachel connected on the 2nd and popped the ball up in the air. The pitcher moved in under the ball and made the catch for the out on Rachel. Natalie was up next. After taking a ball on her 1st pitch, Natalie connected on the 2nd pitch as well. This time she sent a grounder toward the SWAT 2nd baseman who scooped up the ball and tossed it to 1st for the out on Natalie. Katrina came up to bat next. Katrina battled with the pitcher, eventually reaching full count. A ball on the next pitch put the SKIPPING NINJAS’ winning run on base. Aale’a was up next. Aale’a took the 1st pitch for a strike as Katrina started to work her way around the bases. Aale’a took a swing at the next pitch and put it in play. Katrina broke for 3rd base. Aale’a’s hit sent a grounder down the 1st base line. The SWAT 1st baseman stepped in front of the ball and picked it up and walked back to 1st to step on the bag for the easy out, ending the game with a tie.
Final Score
SWAT 5 – SKIPPING NINJAS 5
Game Ball
Once again, the SKIPPING NINJAS and SWAT teams put on a defensive show for the 2nd day in a row, nearly matching the previous game’s outcome. Unfortunately, a couple of costly errors allowed SWAT to tie up the game and a strong defensive showing in the last inning held the SKIPPING NINJAS until the game was called. So, once again, pitching and defense carried the day for both teams. For the SKIPPING NINJAS, there was 1 person who really stood out as she put together 2 great innings at pitcher. Natalie had a great 3rd inning, striking out 3 SWAT batters in a row and started the 4th inning very strong. For that, Natalie was awarded the game ball. Great job Natalie!
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