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.
No comments:
Post a Comment