Game 19 - Double Header Game 2 - Sat 5.31 - W

Coming off of the loss to the Raiderettes, the Whos played their 2nd game of the day in Piedmont hosted by the Piedmont Peppers. Fortunately the Whos were able to split the difference on the day and go out with a win. I have to say that the new surroundings and the Piedmont field were a great place to play our 2nd game of the day. But once again, this Piedmont team (or the ump) didn't seem to know all the rules we were playing under. This caused some frustration on our part. But aside from that, this game was probably one of the more fun games to play this season. Not just because of the win, although that may have played a factor, but since the interleague games don't count for our standings, I think we just went out there to have fun and that seemed to show through in how our girls played their game.

FINAL SCORE
Whos: 6
Piedmont Peppers: 4

RECAP
The Whos took their at bats and you wouldn't have thought that they played and lost the earlier game to the Raiderettes. This Who team was energized and came ready to play. Mari walked to get on 1st and stole 2nd. Gaby then hit a ball to the infield and Mari took off for 3rd, while Gaby held at 1st. On the next pitch Gaby stole 2nd. Kas came up for her 1st turn, but struck out. Jade put us on the board with 3 by hitting one deep into center field for her 1st home run of the day bringing Mari and Gaby with her. Hylah and Destinee followed this up with walks then advanced to 2nd and 3rd. Shelbey hit a grounder and Hylah took off, but the Peppers were able to field the ball and get it back to home. Hylah chose not to slide and was tagged out at home. Casey came up but the Peppers got 3 past her to get the 3rd out of the inning.

Shelbey leading things off at pitcher fielded the first grounder and got it to Hylah at 1st to notch the 1st out of the inning. The next batter hit one into the outfield, but the Whos managed to hold her at 1. Shelbey was then able to make quick work of the next 2 batters to hold the Peppers scoreless.

The next Who at bat started off with Angelica getting stuck out. Mari got on base with a walk then stole her way around to 3rd. Gaby hit one high and was missed in the infield and the confusion allowed both Mari to score and Gaby to be safe on 1st. Gaby then stole her way to scoring position. On her next at bat, Jade was hit by the ball and gained 1st base. Then Hylah hit a wobbly ball to the Peppers' short stop, but she overthrew to 1st alowing Hylah to get to 2nd and driving Gaby across home. Destinee came up for her turn, but the Peppers put an end to the Who attack with a strike out, retiring the side.

Mari, making her 2nd appearance on the day, once again impressed with her play on the rubber. The 1st batter hit a ball down the 3rd base line and was safe at 1st, then stole 2nd. A quick play by Hylah on the next pitch got the ball to 3rd base to get the out on the runner who was trying to steal 3rd. The next batter hit a quick grounder to Kas at short stop who gunned it to Jade at 1st to make the 2nd out. The next batter got on base, then a short pop up was caught by Mari to get the 3rd out of the inning.

Top of the 3rd and the Whos came up to bat. The Peppers sensing that this game was slipping away, put in a new pitcher. Shelbey hit a short grounder to the pitcher and the throw beat her to 1st for the out. Casey walked and stole to 2nd. On Gaby's turn, the pitcher was able to string 3 together for the strike out. Then, Mari hit the ball, but once again, the Peppers' defense came together to get the out at 1.

Hylah was tapped to pitch for the 2nd time this season. She hasn't had a lot of practice with pitching as her focus was mostly on catching this year. This, combined with the wobbly, hammered-in pitching rubber caused her to struggle to find her strikes. The first batter walked and stole to 3rd. Hylah struck out the next batter, but then loaded the bases on walks. The next walk put the Peppers on the board for the first time in the game. Hylah hit the next batter and she took 1st base bringing another runner in. The next walk brought in a 3rd runner. Gaby fielded the next hit and decided to protect the lead by throwing to Jade at home for the 2nd out. But Hylah walked another batter, which brought in the 4th runner, tying up the game at the top of the 4th. The Peppers were right back in it.

To open up the 4th, Gaby hit a single then stole 2nd. Kas struck out on her next turn. Jade, then, hit her 2nd home run of the game brining Gaby in to score 2, regaining the lead. Hylah was hit by a pitch and got on base, then stole to scoring position. Destinee came up to bat, but despite her best efforts was not able to connect with the ball and struck out. Shelbey took her turn and connected, but it popped up and the Peppers were able to make the play and hold the Whos to 2 on the inning. They were still in the game.

Jade was tapped to pitch in the 4th. Before play started, and clearly still uneasy with her recent pitching performances, she asked to have the switch ready to go. Although I didn't want to pull her - as she needed to 'get back on the horse' to regain her confidence - I called Shelbey and Mari to be ready for the switch if Jade asked for it. Jade managed to strike out the 1st batter, then followed it up with 2 walks that then advanced to 2nd and 3rd. Jade looked at me, but I was glad she decided to shake it off. The next batter hit the ball, but the runners held and she was safe at 1st and the bases were loaded. At this time, I told Jade to finish and I was very happy that she decided to do so. Jade worked her way to full count on the batter. Could this scenario be any more dramatic or tense - 4th inning, 2 outs, full-count, bases loaded? This game now hinged on the perfect pitch or hit as it could've gone either way. Jade found her target and wound up for the pitch, stepped forward and delivered the ball - definitely a strike by the looks of it. Now, could the batter connect? The batter stepped forward, twisted her hips and started to bring her hands forward and her bat around. An instant later, she swung high and the ball flew just under the bat into Hylah's glove. Strike 3! Batter's out. Game over. What an awesome way to end a great day of Softball.

GAME BALL
Needless to say, the 2 home runs for a total of 5 of our 6 points and keeping it together to close the show, earned Jade the game ball for this game. Great job Jade! Don't lose confidence and work to find that pitch, we're going to need it in our tournament games.