Just 1 day after a tough loss, the SKIPPING NINJAS were set to take on SWAT. This was a reschedule of an earlier rained out game and, since the rains also affected our pre-season scrimmage with SWAT, this was the first time playing against them this season. With rumors circulating that this was the team to beat this season and not wanting to take a 2nd loss in a row, the SKIPPING NINJAS were coming to the game with a little caution, but with the team ready to go, there was a sense of confidence in the air.
1st Inning
Having run through most of the pitching depth in the last 2 games, Miara was set to pitch to lead the SKIPPING NINJAS defense against SWAT. Coming out with the heat, Miara caught the 1st SWAT batter by surprise. She fired the 1st pitch in and it was on target. Strike 1. Not wanting to go down without a fight, the batter took a swing at Miara’s next 2 pitches and struck out. The next batter came to the plate. As if in disbelief of Miara’s pitching ability, she refused to swing. Strike 1. Again, the batter stood still. Strike 2. Miara lost control of the next pitch for a ball, but quickly turned it around and struck out the 2nd SWAT batter. The next SWAT batter came to the plate. She took the 1st pitch. Incredibly, with 8 pitches so far in the inning, Miara threw 7 strikes. The batter took a cut on the next pitch, fouling it off. She connected on Miara’s next pitch and sent a low fly ball toward Hylah at 3rd base. Hylah reached for it but couldn’t get a handle on the ball and the batter reached 1st safely. Miara lost control of her 1st pitch against the 4th SWAT batter for a ball. The next 2 pitches also failed to find their target and the count was at 3-0. Miara collected herself and threw heat on the next 3 pitches, putting the SWAT offense away in spectacular fashion.
Kas came out to start the SKIPPING NINJAS off in the 1st. Swinging aggressively; Kas connected on the 1st pitch and put the ball in play, scoring a single on a grounder to 3rd. Lexie was up next. On the 1st pitch, the ball got past the catcher and Kas stole 2nd. Warming up, the SWAT pitcher struggled to find her pitch and after 2 balls, she was able to get a strike over the plate. With the count on Lexie at 3-1, Lexie held her bat on the next pitch. Ball. Lexie got on base with a walk. Miara was up next. Counting on the ball pitch, Miara took the first one and it was called a strike. Miara took a swing on the next pitch and hit a grounder to the SWAT short stop, but with all the runners moving, the short stop hesitated to throw and the bases were loaded. Elise was up next. Alternating between balls and strikes, Elise reached full count. She took a swing on the next pitch, but missed and struck out. Rachel came to the plate next. The SWAT pitcher began to struggle and eventually walked Rachel, bringing Kas home and putting the SKIPPING NINJAS on the board. Hylah took her turn at bat. Hylah stayed alive after swinging at a couple of pitches, but, with her count full, the pitcher missed the mark again and walked Hylah, bringing Lexie home. Rebecca was up next. Refocused, the SWAT pitcher found her groove again and on 3 pitches struck Rebecca out for the 2nd out of the inning. Natalie came to the plate next and took a swing on the 1st pitch. She connected and sent a hard grounder through the SWAT infield out into the left field grass for a single. As the SWAT defense tried to recover, Miara and Rachel scored. Katrina was up next. The 1st pitch on Katrina got past the SWAT catcher and Hylah and Natalie advanced to scoring position on a steal. Eventually, a walk on Katrina loaded the bases. Aale’a was up next. After a ball on the 1st pitch, Aale’a got hit by the next pitch for a walk, bringing Hylah home. Erika came to the plate next. She swung hard at the pitcher’s 1st pitch and fouled it off. The next 3 pitches missed their mark and the count was at 3-1. Erika took a cut on the next pitch and missed for strike 2. Then, Erika held her bat on the next pitch, reading a ball. Unfortunately, the umpire saw it differently and called the strike, ending the initial SKIPPING NINJAS surge and moving the game into the 2nd inning.
SWAT 0 – SKIPPING NINJAS 5
2nd Inning
Miara was back at the rubber for the 2nd inning. Her pitch speed dropped a bit in the 2nd and the 1st batter was ready. After a ball on the 1st pitch, the batter started to swing. She missed on the next pitch for strike 1. She tried again and missed for strike 2. On the next pitch, the batter connected and roped the ball out to Erika in left field. Erika got a late jump on the ball and it hit the ground just out of her reach and, as she rushed to collect the ball, the batter was able to reach 3rd. The next batter came to the plate. Beginning to show signs of fatigue, Miara threw 2 balls in a row, but managed to refocus to get the batter to swing. 3 pitches later and the batter struck out. The next batter also went down swinging after 5 pitches. With 1 out left to go, Miara poured on the heat. Strike 1, the batter didn’t swing. Stike 2, the batter didn’t swing again. Strike 3, the batter took a cut, but missed and left the SWAT runner stranded on 3rd as Miara retired the side.
Back at the top of the lineup, Kas was back at the plate. Kas battled with the SWAT pitcher. After 2-0, Kas swung and missed. Then, another ball and a strike later and the count was full. On Kas’s last pitch, she took a swing and put the ball in play. She sent a ground ball toward the SWAT short stop for a single. Lexie was at bat next. Lexie took a swing on the 1st pitch for a strike and Kas safely stole 2nd. After another strike, Lexie stayed alive by fouling off the 3rd pitch. At 0-2, it looked like Lexie was going to be put away, but the SWAT pitcher threw 4 balls in a row and Lexie got on base. Miara was up next. On the 1st pitch, Kas stole 3rd as Miara took the strike pitch. On the next pitch, Miara put it in play. The ball rolled slowly up the middle of the infield and the SWAT pitcher rushed to collect the ball. As the pitcher made the play at 1st for the out on Miara, Kas hesitated on the run to home. She hung up on the 3rd base line. Frozen, Kas watched as the SWAT 1st baseman made the throw home. Then, she decided to go for it, but it was too late and the SWAT catcher tagged Kas out for the double play. With the action at home, Lexie was able to make is safely to 3rd. Elise was up next. After a strike on the 1st pitch, Elise connected, but popped the ball up over the SWAT infield. The pitcher was able to get under it for the 3rd out of the inning with both the SKIPPING NINJAS and SWAT defenses cancelling each other out in the 2nd.
SWAT 0 – SKIPPING NINJAS 5
3rd Inning
Natalie was brought in to pitch in the 3rd. After a ball on her 1st pitch, Natalie hit the 1st SWAT batter and gave her 1st base. Natalie’s 1st pitch on the 2nd batter was a strike and, with a ball on the next pitch, the runner on base stole 2nd. On the next pitch, the batter connected and sent one out into the SKIPPING NINJAS center field. Rebecca tried to reach the ball, but it hit the ground and the batter reached 1st safely as the other runner advanced to 3rd. The next batter came to the plate. Natalie’s 1st pitch was a ball and the runner on 1st stole 2nd. The batter took swings on Natalie’s next 2 pitches, missing both. A passed ball on the next pitch opened the door for the SWAT runner on 3rd to reach home and put SWAT on the board for the 1st time in the game. A strike on Natalie’s next pitch sent the batter back to the SWAT dugout, but not before the runner on base stole her way to 3rd. The next batter came to the plate. Natalie struggled to find her pitch and, after 4 pitches, the count was at 3-1. On the next pitch, the batter took a swing and connected, sending a grounder down the 3rd base line toward Hylah. When Hylah committed to the throw to 1st, getting the out, the runner on 3rd took off for home and scored. Natalie got right back to work on the next SWAT batter. She missed on her 1st pitch, but was able to quickly find her groove and get the batter to swing. The batter missed the 1st pitch, then held her bat for strike 2. The batter held her bat again, reading ball on the pitch. Unfortunately for her, the pitch sailed through the strike zone and Natalie struck her out.
Rachel was up 1st for SKIPPING NINJAS. She tried to revive the SKIPPING NINJAS offense by swinging and connecting on the 1st pitch. She hit a line drive to the SWAT 2nd baseman, who snatched the ball out of the air for the 1st out of the inning. Rachel threw her bat after the hit and nearly hit the catcher. The umpire called time and warned Rachel not to do it again. Hylah was at the plate next and swung at the 1st pitch for a strike. She connected on the next pitch, sending a fast grounder through the SWAT infield for a single. Rebecca was up next and took a swing on the 1st pitch for a strike as Hylah stole 2nd. The SWAT catcher popped up to throw Hylah out at 2nd, but the throw missed the mark and Hylah was able to make her way to 3rd. Rebecca fouled the next pitch off to bring the count to 0-2. A ball on the next pitch brought the count to 1-2 on Rebecca. The SWAT pitcher’s next pitch came out hot and on target. Unfortunately, Rebecca released the bat a touch too late, the bat barely missed the pitch and Rebecca went down swinging. The SWAT pitcher, surging late in the 3rd, started to string strikes together. Natalie was up next to try to bring Hylah home. The pitcher missed on the 1st pitch, but pulled it together and got Natalie to swing. The pitcher strung 3 good pitches together and struck Natalie out, shutting out the SKIPPING NINJAS offense for the 2nd inning in a row.
SWAT 2 – SKIPPING NINJAS 5
4th Inning
Natalie was brought back in to pitch in the 4th. The 1st SWAT batter came out swinging and fouled off and missed the 1st 2 pitches, bringing up 2 strikes. Natalie struggled on the next 3 pitches and the count was full. On the next pitch, the batter, hoping for a ball, held her bat and struck out. Natalie continued to struggle and threw balls on the 1st 2 pitches on the 2nd SWAT batter of the inning. On the 3rd pitch, the batter connected and sent one out to the SKIPPING NINJAS center field for a single. Continuing the skid, Natalie walked the next batter. With SWAT runners on 1st and 2nd, Natalie got ready to face the 4th batter. On the pitch, the runner on 2nd stole 3rd. The batter put the ball in play and sent a grounder to Miara, playing short stop, who collected the ball and looked the runner on 3rd back to base. As she turned to make the throw to 1st, the runner on 3rd took off for home and scored. With the runner reaching 1st before she could get the throw to 1st off, Miara noticed that the runner going from 1st to 2nd hesitated and decided to throw the ball to 2nd base. The ball reached 2nd base and the SKIPPING NINJAS defense was able to notch the 2nd out of the inning on the play. After all of the excitement, Natalie got back to work and quickly found her pitch on the next batter. Natalie put 2 strikes together to get ahead in the count, but not before the SWAT runner was able to steal her way to 3rd base. On the passed ball, the runner took off for home. As the SKIPPING NINJAS scrambled to cover home, the runner came down like a freight train. The SKIPPING NINJAS catcher tossed the ball to Natalie, but the toss was high and the runner was able to get under it to tag the plate and score. With 1 pitch left on the batter, Natalie got back to work. Without missing a beat, Natalie threw the pitch on target and got the batter to swing and miss for the strikeout.
With SWAT eating away at the SKIPPING NINJAS lead at the bottom of the 4th, Katrina was up 1st. Swinging on the 1st pitch, Katrina connected and put the ball in play. She sent a fast grounder toward the SWAT 3rd baseman for a single. Aale’a was up next. The SWAT pitcher was on and threw a strike on the 1st pitch, catching Aale’a off guard. A ball on the next pitch put the count at 1-1. A strike on the 3rd pitch got past Aale’a for strike 2. Then, Aale’a took a swing at the next pitch, but missed and struck out. Erika was up next. The pitcher started to struggle against Erika. With balls on the 1st 2 pitches, Katrina was able to steal her way into scoring position. With the count at 3-1, Erika took a swing and connected, sending a fly ball out into the SWAT outfield for a single and bringing Katrina home. Kas was up next. On the 1st pitch, Kas took a swing and put the ball in play. She sent a grounder down the 1st base line. The SWAT 1st baseman collected the ball and tagged 1st for the out as Erika reached 2nd. It was Lexie’s turn at bat. She took a strike on the 1st pitch. On the 2nd pitch, she got a piece of the ball and sent a grounder toward the SWAT short stop for a single. However, not needing to run, Erika took off for 3rd and, with the short stop in possession of the ball, ran into the out and ended the offensive inning for SKIPPIN NINJAS.
SWAT 4 – SKIPPING NINJAS 6
5th Inning
Lexie was brought in to pitch in the 5th. The 1st SWAT batter didn’t waste any time. Swinging on the Lexie’s 1st pitch, she hit a line drive to Rachel, playing 2nd base. Rachel couldn’t get a handle on the ball and the batter got a single. Lexie battled with the 2nd SWAT batter and, on 4 pitches was able to get the strikeout, but not before the runner was able to steal 2nd base somewhere during the exchange. It took a few more pitches to put away the next SWAT batter, but after reaching full count, Lexie got the 3rd batter to swing and miss on the last pitch for another strikeout. Again, during the at bat, the runner managed to make her way to 3rd base. With SWAT threatening to score, Lexie got back to work against the next SWAT batter, who already managed to get 2 big hits to center field in this game. Lexie missed on her 1st pitch, bringing up ball 1. Lexie found her mark on the 2nd pitch as the batter held her bat and the count was at 1-1. A swing on Lexie’s next pitch brought up 1-2. Trying to get the runner moving, the batter took a swing at Lexie’s next pitch. The ball was just out of reach and Lexie struck out 3 SWAT batters in a row to bring the SKIPPING NINJAS offense back out on the field.
Miara was up 1st. The SWAT pitcher started struggling against Miara and started the at bat throwing 2 balls. Miara swung and missed the next pitch, but, with the count at 2-1, the pitcher was not able to get another strike across the plate and Miara got on base with a walk. Elise was up next. The 1st pitch on Elise got past the SWAT catcher and Miara safely stole 2nd. A swinging strike on the 2nd pitch and Miara stole her way to 3rd base. Refocused, the SWAT pitcher got Elise to swing at her next 2 pitches for the strikeout. Rachel was up next. The 1st pitch on Rachel was a passed ball and Miara took a big lead off of 3rd. The SWAT catcher quickly recovered the ball and got up, freezing Miara on the 3rd base line between bases. Miara started inching back to 3rd and the catcher pump-faked to try to get Miara to surrender and turn back, but Miara held her ground. Shuffling back another step, Miara drew the catcher out. The catcher fired the ball to 3rd and Miara had to quickly make a decision. She took a couple of steps then dove for 3rd as the SWAT 3rd baseman made the catch. Diving under the tag, Miara reached 3rd base, unfortunately the base umpire signaled that Miara was out. After protesting the call – Miara was tagged on the back while her hand was on base, clearly showing that she made on base safely – the plate umpire let the call stand and Miara was officially called out on the play. With 2 outs, Rachel came back to the plate to finish her at bat. The next pitch was a ball, bringing up 2-0. Rachel fouled off the next pitch to bring up 2-1. She connected on the next pitch and sent a hard grounder to the SWAT 2nd baseman, who couldn’t get a grip on the ball, for a single. Sadly, having been warned earlier in the game, after the hit, Rachel threw her bat again, this time striking the umpire with it. The umpire called time and Rachel was ejected from the game. With Rachel being the 3rd out of the inning, both teams notched another mutual scoreless inning in the game.
SWAT 4 – SKIPPING NINJAS 6
6th Inning
With time running out and SKIPPING NINJAS ahead by 2, Miara was brought back in to pitch to close the show. With the SKIPPING NINJAS in the lead, this would be the last chance for SWAT to make something happen. Having rested her arm for the last 3 innings, Miara took a moment to warm up. After reaching 2-0, Miara got the 1st SWAT batter to swing and miss on a pitch before another ball brought the count to 3-1. The batter connected on Miara’s next pitch and put it in play. She hit a hard ground ball that tore through the SKIPPING NINJAS infield for a single. The next batter proved a bit easier as Miara started to find her groove. Miara struck the 2nd batter out, but not before the runner was able to get to 2nd base. The next SWAT batter came up to the plate. On the 1st pitch, the runner stole 2nd as the batter watched the strike go by. She took a swing at Miara’s next pitch for strike 2. Then, Miara threw heat and caught the batter by surprise and struck her out for the 2nd out of the inning. Miara struggled a bit on the next batter. Her 1st 3 pitches all missed the mark and she got behind in the count. At 3-0, Miara reeled it back in and fired off 2 strike pitches to bring up full count. The batter took a cut on the next pitch and put it in play. Miara, looked the 3rd base runner back to base. Then, she turned and fired the ball to Lexie at 1st. The throw got away from Miara and it went low and forced Lexie to adjust. She touched the ball, but couldn’t keep it under control and the batter got a single. With the error, the runner on 3rd took off for home and scored, reducing the SKIPPING NINJAS lead to 1 point. Miara struggled on the next batter. With a couple of strikes in the mix, the batter eventually got on base with a walk and now SWAT’s game winning run was on base. The next batter came up to the plate. Miara fired in a strike and the runners stole their way into scoring position. The batter fouled off Miara’s next pitch, bringing the count to 0-2. On Miara’s next 2 pitches, the count reached 2-2. Miara collected herself, dug deep and fired one in. The batter held her bat. The umpire stood up and after a beat, yelled STRIKE 3! Miara preserved the lead and closed the show. SKIPPING NINJAS came away with the victory!
Final Score
SWAT 5 – SKIPPING NINJAS 6
Game Ball
It was a great game by the SKIPPING NINJAS today. Shutting out SWAT for a couple of innings at the beginning and getting a big lead early in the game proved to be a winning formula for SKIPPING NINJAS on the day, but the story of the game today was the incredible pitching performances put on by all 3 NINJAS pitchers. But, with a commanding performance in all of her 3 pitching innings as well as some great base running and defensive play, Miara was awarded the game ball. Keep it up Miara!
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