Coming into Saturday’s game, the 5th game of the season, BLUR remained empty handed as a win continued to elude them. BLUR hosted the FIREBALLS in this game, who had so far had a similar experience in their previous outings this season.
So far this season, the BLUR girls seemed to have a much easier time getting started during their weekend, morning games than their weeknight games. Hopefully, that pattern would be proven true against the FIREBALLS and BLUR would come out with a W. But, with the umpire calling a start to the game, BLUR would have to lay it on the line to make it happen. With both teams still out of the win column, one 0 had to go. Who’s 0 would it be?
1st Inning
Lexie was up 1st, leading the BLUR defense in the 1st inning. Lexie battled with the 1st FIREBALL batter, including a couple of no swing strike pitches, to work her way up to full count. The batter stayed alive on a foul ball, but made contact on the next pitch sending the ball rolling through the 1st base side of the BLUR infield. Natalie came off the bag to collect the ball and ran back to step on the bag, getting the 1st out of the game. Lexie lost focus on the next batter and, with a swinging strike in the mix, she walked the next batter and the FIREBALLS got on base. Still struggling, a pitch got away from Lexie and it hit the ground fast and hit the batter on the foot, putting FIREBALL runners on 1st and 2nd. On the next pitch, a passed ball sent the runners to their respective next bases. With runners now on 2nd and 3rd, the batter took a swing and connected on the next pitch, sending the ball into the 3rd base side of the infield. Janessa quickly walked over to scoop it up and hold the runners in place. Then, she threw the ball to Natalie at 1st to get the 2nd out. After the 1st ball pitch, the 5th FIREBALL batter, wanting to bring the runners home, took a swing on the next pitch and put it in play. This time, the ball went through the 2nd base side of the infield, getting past Lexie, but Katelyn was ready on the back up and stopped it. Quickly, she turned and connected with Natalie, getting the 3rd out of the inning and shutting out the FIREBALLS in the 1st.
Rachel was up 1st, starting BLUR off once again this season. Managing only 1 strike on Rachel, the FIREBALL pitcher walked her on to 1st. Again, with 1 strike, the pitcher walked Katelyn as well, putting BLUR runners on 1st and 2nd. Lexie took a swing on the 1st pitch of her at bat and missed for a strike, but the FIREBALL pitcher was finding it difficult to hit her target and, after a couple of ball pitches, lost control of her next pitch, hitting Lexie with the ball and loading the bases. Hylah was up next. She held the bat on the 1st pitch, unfortunately it was a strike. She made contact on the next pitch, sending the ball down the middle of the infield. The pitcher, reacting quickly to the bouncing ball coming her way, reached out her glove and made the grab. She turned and threw the ball home to the waiting catcher and got the out on Rachel, preventing the score. With bases loaded and 1 out, Natalie was up next. Swinging aggressively, Natalie missed the ball on her 1st 2 tries. A low pitch brought up 1 and 2. On the next pitch, Natalie took a cut and sent the ball over the FIREBALL infield. The 2nd baseman moved in to make the catch, but dropped the ball and Natalie reached 1st as Katelyn crossed home, putting BLUR on the board early in the game. Trying to build on Natalie’s hit, Kas took a swing on her 1st pitch and sent the ball into the grass. Unfortunately, the umpire wasn’t ready and had to reset the play. On the next (first) pitch, Kas threw out a bunt and made the FIREBALL pitcher think twice and stopped her motion during the wind up, resulting in an illegal pitch, which advanced the runners, bringing Lexie across the plate. The pitcher had to regroup. On the next pitch, Kas took a hard swing and made contact, but the ball popped high into the air and the FIREBALL short stop came all the way into the 1st base side of the field to make the catch for the out. Anna was up next. Anna’s at bat was reminiscent of BLUR’s 1st 2 batters. The pitcher was only able to throw 1 strike against Anna, bringing the count to 3 and 1. Her next pitch floated through the top of the strike zone for full count, but yet another ball put Anna on 1st on a walk and loaded the bases for BLUR again. Olivia was up next. On the 1st pitch, Olivia got a hit that found a seam and hit the ground behind 2nd base for a single. As the FIREBALL defense scrambled for the ball, Hylah and Natalie scored. Destiny was up next. She also made contact on the 1st pitch, but the pitcher was ready for it. On the bounce, the FIREBALL pitcher scooped up the ball and threw to 1st, getting the out on Destiny and putting an end to the BLUR rush.
FIREBALLS 0 – BLUR 4
2nd Inning
Lexie was back at the rubber in the 2nd. A high pitch and a swing brought the count to 1 and 1 on the 1st batter. On Lexie’s next pitch, the batter hit the ball and it bounced through the 3rd base side into the grass behind short stop. Rachel quickly moved in to collect the ball and threw it back to 2nd base to hold the runner to a single. A passed ball on the next batter advanced the runner to 2nd on a steal. And after 2 straight ball pitches, that brought up 3 and 0, the batter took a swing and hit a slow dribbler down the middle. Lexie reeled it in and threw to Natalie at 1st to get the out on the runner as the runner at 2nd made it safely to 3rd base. The next batter came out and took a swing on Lexie’s 1st pitch. She connected and the ball went through to Kas at short stop. Kas got in front of the slow rolling ball as the FIREBALL runner on 3rd took off for home. Kas got up and threw the ball to 1st as the runner safely crossed the plate, putting the FIREBALLS on the board, but the slow grounder bought the runner just enough time to make it on base. The 4th FIREBALL batter came to the plate. A swing on a low pitch brought up strike 1, but the ball got past Hylah and the FIREBALL runner successfully stole 2nd. On Lexie’s next pitch, the batter sent a hard grounder straight at Kas as the runner took off for 3rd. This time, Kas charged the ball, but on the way up, the ball got loose and the runner had time to beat the throw to 1st. With runners on 1st and 3rd, Lexie turned her attention to the next FIREBALL batter coming to the plate. Working her way to full count, Lexie threw heat on the next pitch and got the batter to swing, striking her out. Mixing strikes and a ball to bring up 1 and 2, Lexie threw her next strike pitch. The batter swung the bat and connected, but the ball fell and rolled just in front of the pitcher’s circle. With 2 outs in the inning, all runners took off. Lexie moved to the ball and, going with her momentum, made the quick toss to Hylah at home to prevent the score and holding the FIREBALLS to 1 run in the inning and, so far, the game.
Jessica was up to lead us off in the 2nd. The FIREBALL pitcher’s 1st pitch hit the ground. On the next pitch, Jessica held her bat, but the pitch was ruled a strike. She took a cut on the next swing, but missed to bring up strike 2. On the next pitch, the pitcher slowed her delivery just enough to throw off Jessica’s timing and her swing just barely missed the ball for an out. Nikki came to the plate determined to do her part for BLUR. Showing good pitch selection, Nikki worked her way to full count. On the next pitch, Nikki got a hit and sent it into the FIREBALL outfield. The outfielder in left center moved in for the catch. She extended her glove, but the ball bounced off of her glove and hit the ground and Nikki was safe on 1st. Doing her best to push the pace, Nikki threw up some solid base stealing during Janessa’s at bat. High pitch. Ball 1. Swing on the next pitch for a strike and Nikki stole 2nd. Janessa held the bat on a strike pitch and the count was now at 1 and 2. On the next pitch, Janessa took a swing and missed for the out and Nikki successfully stole 3rd and put herself into scoring position. Rachel was up next. With 2 outs, Nikki was chomping at the bit to make it home. The 1st pitch got past the FIREBALL catcher and rolled up the 1st base side of the backstop. Nikki rolled the dice. The FIREBALL pitcher rushed in to cover home and the catcher regained control of the ball and made it back to tag the plate for the force out on Nikki, preventing the score and moving the game into the 3rd inning.
FIREBALLS 1 – BLUR 4
3rd Inning
Lexie was back in to pitch for the 3rd inning. A walk on the 1st batter put a FIRBALL runner on 1st base. On a passed ball on the next batter, the runner on 1st made it to 2nd on a steal. A couple of swings brought up 2 strikes, but, unfazed, the batter took another swing. This time, she connected and send the ball quickly through the infield. Kas charged in to make the stop. As she got up, this time with the ball under control, she raised her hand and gave the runner leaving 2nd a hard look and walked her back to base. Then, Kas quickly made the throw to 1st, beating the runner to the bag for the out. A walk on the next batter put FIREBALL runners on 1st and 2nd. The 4th FIREBALL batter came to the plate. After fighting tooth and nail against Lexie to bring the count to 2 and 2, the batter connected and sent a fast grounder through the infield into the grass. Reacting quickly, Rachel got the stop on the ball, holding the runners and limiting the batter to a single. With the bases loaded and after an initial ball pitch, the next FIREBALL batter got a piece of Lexie’s next pitch, sending the ball into the BLUR outfield for a single and scoring 1 run. Lexie started to struggle. A walk on the next batter brought one more run home and kept the bases loaded. Lexie got back to work on the next batter. Two foul tips in a row showed that Lexie was back to her old form as the batter was swinging at good, hard pitches. The next pitch went wide for a ball and the batter stayed alive 1 more time with a foul tip. On the next pitch, the batter tried her luck again, but, this time, Lexie won the exchange and struck the batter out. The next batter came out strong and took a swing on Lexie’s 1st pitch. She made contact and sent a hard grounder tearing through the BLUR infield. Once again, Rachel stopped the ball quickly, holding the batter to a single, but the FIREBALLS took a risk and sent their runners. 2 runs scored on the play and the FIREBALLS took the lead in the game. With runners on 1st and 2nd and 2 outs, the FIREBALLS were surging. Lexie eyed the batter and delivered her pitch. No swing and the ball hit Hylah’s glove at the center of the strike zone. On a low passed ball that brought up 1 and 1, the FIREBALL runners stole 2nd and 3rd to get themselves into scoring position. The batter tried her hardest to get them home. She swung on Lexie’s next pitch for strike 2. Lexie took a look and a deep breath as she prepared for her next pitch. She brought her hands together and closed her eyes to visualize the pitch. Lexie stepped forward, brought around her arm and delivered the pitch. Swing and a miss and the ball hit Hylah’s glove. Lexie got the strikeout on the batter and put an end to the FIREBALL rush in the 3rd.
Maintaining control of the game in the 3rd, the BLUR offense took their turn at bat. Back at the top of the lineup, Rachel was up 1st. Battling the pitcher to full count, Rachel misjudged the pitcher’s delivery and held her bat on a strike pitch and was sent back to the dugout empty handed. Katelyn was up next. Also battling with the pitcher to full count, Katelyn held her bat on the last pitch, but, this time won the battle and got on base with a walk. Lexie was up next. On the 1st pitch, Lexie took a swing and missed as Katelyn stole 2nd. A ball on the next pitch brought up 1 and 1. Lexie decided to swing on the next pitch. She connected, as Katelyn left for 3rd, and sent the ball toward the FIREBALL 2nd baseman. Going for the lead runner, the 2nd baseman threw to 3rd, but the 3rd baseman didn’t turn to tag Katelyn and Katelyn and Lexie safely earned 3rd and 1st respectively. Hylah was up to the plate next. The 1st pitch went low and Hylah foul tipped the next one for 1 and 1. A pitch down the middle notched the next strike and a ball on the next pitch brought it to 2 and 2. Taking a shot on the next pitch, Hylah sent a hard grounder through the FIREBALL infield. The short stop moved in to pick up the ball and, as she stood up and got ready to throw to 1st, the BLUR runners took off. The throw to 1 missed the mark and got past the 1st baseman as Katelyn came home. Lexie turned the corner at 3rd and, seeing that the FIREBALLS were still scrambling for the ball, took off for her shot at scoring another run as Hylah reached 2nd. The FIREBALLS threw home, but the ball was too late and BLUR scored 2 on the play and regained the lead. Natalie was up next and, after an initial ball pitch, she hit the ball down the 3rd base side. The 3rd baseman was going to throw home, but Hylah took a couple of steps off of 2nd, drawing the 3rd baseman’s attention and buying Natalie some time. The 3rd baseman thought she could beat Natalie to the bag with a throw and released the ball. The throw went wide and Hylah was able to make it to 3rd. Kas was up next. With runners on 1st and 3rd, Kas took a swing on the 1st pitch. She hit it toward the FIREBALL 2nd baseman. The 2nd baseman made the throw to 1st and Hylah took off for home and scored extending the BLUR lead. The 1st baseman had to come off of the bag to make the catch and Kas was safe at 1st. Anna was up next. On Anna’s at bat, Natalie started to play with the catcher on every pitch. Taking a lead and staying out there, the catcher was forced to come all the way past the pitcher and almost to 2nd base to personally tag Natalie out on nearly every pitch to Anna. This helped to cool the FIREBALL pitcher down, but a foul tip on the next to last pitch, brought Anna to full count. Knowing that the pitcher needed to throw a strike to win the exchange, Anna took a swing, but the off-speed pitch arrived just a bit late and caused Anna to miss and strike out. Olivia took her turn at bat and the FIREBALL pitcher had trouble finding her strike zone. A walk on Olivia loaded the bases. Destiny was up next. After splitting the difference with the pitcher on the 1st 2 pitches, Destiny connected, but the grounder hugged the 1st base line and looked like it was going to roll foul. The 1st baseman reacted quickly to collect the ball in fair territory then stepped on the bag to get the final out of the inning.
FIREBALLS 5 – BLUR 7
4th Inning
With the BLUR lead now down to 2 points, Natalie was brought in to pitch for the 1st time in the game. Natalie had her game face on and was eager to see what she could do at the reins of the BLUR defense. Natalie threw her trademark fastball in with no resistance from the 1st batter. Strike 1. A swing on the next pitch sent the ball into foul territory for strike 2. A couple of ball pitches evened up the count. Then another heater to cap off the 1st batter notched the 1st out of the inning. Natalie had a little trouble on the next batter as her pitches went high on the 1st 2 pitches. A foul ball on the next pitch brought up strike 1. On the next pitch, the batter made contact and sent the ball high over the infield. On the fly, Natalie stepped under the ball and caught it for the 2nd out. Natalie had the same start on the next batter, but eventually found her target and caught the batter swinging on the next 2 pitches. A ball on Natalie’s next pitch brought up full count and Natalie had 1 pitch left to make it a perfect inning. Sure enough, Natalie delivered the goods and burned in another fast ball. The batter held the bat and the umpire called the strike and the FIREBALL offense was stunned.
Jessica was up first for BLUR in the 4th. The FIREBALL pitcher could not find her range and after 2 ball pitches, the pitcher threw a low pitch hit the ground and rolled hard into Jessica’s ankle. Shaking it off, Jessica got on base. Nikki was up next. Nikki took a swing on a high ball and sent it into foul territory. Strike 1. 2 wild pitches brought up 2 and 1 on Nikki. Another foul ball evened up the count. Not wanting to go down without a fight, Nikki took a swing on the next pitch, but the ball got past her and she struck out. Janessa came up next. The FIREBALL pitcher was having trouble finding her pitch again and threw 3 ball pitches in a row. The last one hit the ground and got past the catcher. Jessica took her shot and made it safely to 2nd. Janessa took a swing on the next pitch but fouled it out. At 3 and 1, Janessa held her bat and, sure enough, the pitcher missed the strike zone again and Jessica took off for 3rd. The catcher stood up and threw to 3rd to try to get the out, but the throw went over and Jessica turned the corner and gunned it for home. Jessica scored easily as Janessa walked to 1st. Rachel was back up at the plate. The 1st pitch got past the catcher and Janessa stole 2nd. The next pitch missed the mark again, and, stealing aggressively, Janessa took off for 3rd. The catcher got up again to throw to 3rd, but the FIREBALL 3rd baseman had to come off the bag to make the catch as Janessa approached 3rd. The 3rd baseman had to rush to attempt the tag and lost control of the ball as Janessa slid safely into 3rd. The FIREBALL pitcher worked up to full count on Rachel before losing control once again and sent Rachel to 1st on a walk. Katelyn was up next. Katelyn took a swing on a high ball for a strike. The pitcher, feeling the strikes coming back, strung together 2 pitches and got them both by Katelyn, sending her back to the BLUR dugout for the 2nd out of the inning. Lexie was up next. On the 1st pitch, Lexie took a swing and sent the ball into right field for a single, bringing 1 run home. With BLUR runners on 1st and 2nd, Hylah came out of the dugout for her turn at bat. The pitcher threw low on the 1st pitch for a ball. Hylah took a swing at another low pitch and missed for a strike as Rachel stole 3nd. A low, outside pitch just grazed the strike zone and was ruled a strike, catching Hylah by surprise as Lexie stole 2nd. With the count at 1 and 2, with 2 outs and runners on 2nd and 3rd, Hylah, sensing her chances slipping away, took a swing on the next pitch. The bat went low and the ball sailed over it and reached the catcher’s glove and Hylah struck out to end the 4th inning.
FIREBALLS 5 – BLUR 9
5th Inning
Having effectively shut down the FIREBALL offense in the last inning, Natalie was called up to pitch again. Splitting the 1st 2 pitches on the 1st batter, Natalie threw straight down the middle on the next pitch. The batter took a swing and hit it right up the middle. On the bounce, Natalie caught the ball and threw the ball to Lexie at 1st for the out. Natalie had trouble on the next batter and, in 5 pitches, the batter got on base with a walk. Natalie had to reel it back in on the next FIREBALL batter. The batter took a swing on Natalie's 1st pitch for a strike. Still swinging aggressively, the batter connected on the next pitch, but sent it high over the BLUR infield as the FIREBALL runners left their bases, anticipating a missed catch. Janessa moved in and got under the ball. Reaching out her glove, Janessa secured the ball, for 1 out, and caught all of the FIREBALL runners by surprise. As the FIREBALL runners scrambled back to their bases, Janessa gunned the ball to Lexie at 1st, beating the runner and notching a double play to retire the side.
Natalie was up at bat 1st in the 5th inning. After a high pitch followed by a foul tip, the pitcher lost her pitch and Natalie earned 1st base on a walk. Natalie dropped her bat and jogged up the 1st base line as the FIREBALLS reset their defense in preparation for Kas coming up to the plate. As Natalie approached the half-way point to 1st, she turned on the speed and took the turn at 1st, then she gunned it and made it all the way to 2nd on the steal, catching the FIREBALL defense by surprise and left them scratching their heads as to what just happened. On a high ball pitch to Kas, Natalie took off for 3rd. The catcher reeled in the ball and got up to try to throw Natalie out at 3rd. The FIREBALL 3rd baseman received the ball, but couldn’t turn in time to get the tag on Natalie as she slid into the base to avoid the out. After a foul ball on Kas, the count was at 1 and 1. Kas took a swing on the next pitch and hit the ball hard down the middle. On the fly, the pitcher snatched the ball out of the air, for the out on Kas, as Natalie jumped off base. The pitcher turned to throw and Natalie had to scramble back to 3rd. Anna was up next. On the 1st pitch, Anna hit the ball and sent it rolling through the middle of the infield. The pitcher had to react quickly to get the stop. As the FIREBALL pitcher got up, she checked 3rd to make sure Natalie was staying put and turned to throw to 1st, getting the 2nd out of the inning. Olivia was up next and, wanting to bring Natalie across the plate, started to swing her bat. Fouling out the 1st pitch and holding her bat for 2 balls brought up 2 and 1. After evening up the count on a foul tip, Olivia stayed alive for a moment as she continued to make grazing contact with the next couple of pitches. Finally, the FIREBALL pitcher was able to draw the swing and Olivia missed, striking out and closing out the 5th inning.
FIREBALLS 5 – BLUR 9
6th Inning
With a little time left in regulation, the BLUR defense took the field to begin the 6th inning. Lexie was brought back in to pitch. Lexie struggled with the 1st FIREBALL batter, eventually bringing up full count. The batter knew that Lexie had to throw a strike to win the fight and was ready. On the pitch, the batter took a swing and connected sending the grounder straight back toward Lexie. Lexie had to charge to reach the ball. As she picked up the ball, the runner approached 1st and Lexie had to rush to make her throw. The ball arrived in Natalie’s glove a split-second too late and the runner got on base. Lexie had another battle with the next batter as it went back and forth until the count was at 2 and 2. On the next pitch, the batter connected, sending the ball through the infield. Katelyn, playing 2nd base, moved in to make the stop and quickly threw to 1st for the out. A walk on the next batter put FIREBALL runners on 1st and 2nd. After an initial ball pitch, the batter connected and hit the ball out into the BLUR outfield, recovering quickly, Rachel threw the ball back in to Kas as 1 FIREBALL runner crossed the plate. Then Kas walked the ball back to Lexie, holding the runners on 2nd and 3rd. The next batter came to the plate and was determined to build on the earlier action. Taking a swing and fouling out respectively on the 1st 2 pitches, the count on the batter was at 0 and 2. The batter continued to swing and got a hit on the next pitch sending the grounder down the 1st base line. Natalie picked up the ball and tagged 1st for the 2nd out, then quickly threw the ball to Hylah at home to prevent the runners from coming home. After a high and a low pitch on the next batter, the count was at 2 and 0. With 2 outs, the runners took off when the batter made contact on the next pitch. Kas moved in to make a play on the ball, but ran into the runner going to 3rd and losing the ball in the scuffle. On the backup, Rachel collected the ball and held the runner at 3rd, but 1 more FIREBALL reached home. The surging FIREBALL offense was chipping away at the BLUR lead, which now stood at 2 points. There was some discussion between the umpires regarding whether Kas obstructed the runner, but they ruled that there was, in fact, no obstruction and play resumed. The next FIREBALL batter came to the plate. Lexie’s 1st pitch went high. Hylah collected the ball and threw back to Lexie. Hylah lost control of the throw and it went over Lexie’s outstretched glove. Seizing the opportunity, the FIREBALL runner took off for home and scored before BLUR could get the ball back home. Lexie went back to work, but struggled to find the target on her next 2 pitches. The batter took a swing and missed on the next pitch for strike 1, but the ball got past Hylah and the runner on 2nd made it to 3rd. A walk on the batter put FIREBALLS on 1st and 3rd. The next batter took a swing on the 1st pitch, missing it for a strike. The next 2 pitches went high and the count was not at 2 and 1. On the next pitch, the batter took a swing and hit the ball. The ball bounced slowly between the pitching rubber and home plate. Natalie charged the ball and picked it up. It was a foot race back to 1st. At the last second, Natalie extended her hands to get the tag on the runner for the out. Unfortunately, the runner on 3rd crossed the plate before the out and 1 more FIREBALL scored, tying up the game.
With the score now tied and regulation time running out, there would be no further innings played on the day. So, it would be BLUR’s last chance to regain the lead to win the game. Destiny was up 1st in the 6th. On the 1st pitch, Destiny took a cut and connected. On the bounce, the pitcher collected the ball and made the easy throw to 1st for the out. A walk on Jessica, put a BLUR runner on base. Swinging aggressively to try to advance Jessica, Nikki took the 1st 2 pitches, but missed both. After a couple of foul balls and ball pitches, Nikki stayed alive and the count evened up at 2 and 2. Nikki took a swing on the next pitch. The bat came around to meet the ball. The ball dipped and Nikki’s bat sailed over. Nikki struck out to bring up the 2nd out, but the passed ball allowed Jessica to reach 2nd on a steal. Janessa was up next. Janessa took a swing on the 1st pitch and connected. The ball popped up high over the infield. Jessica held up on 2nd. Janessa took off for 1st as the FIREBALL 3rd baseman waved everyone off as she moved in to make the catch. Losing the ball momentarily, the 3rd baseman bobbled the catch and the ball hit the ground and Janessa was safe on 1st. Rachel was up next. After battling with the pitcher, Rachel reached full count. The next pitch was a ball and Rachel walked. With 2 outs and bases loaded with no time left in the game, Katelyn was potentially BLUR’s last chance batter for the game. After the 1st 2 pitches, the count was at 1 and 1. Katelyn took a swing at the next pitch and connected. She sent the ball rolling fast through the infield as the FIREBALL defense made their move. Katelyn took off for 1st and the BLUR runners were on the move. The pitcher missed the grab, but the FIREBALL 2nd baseman, playing backup, moved in and scooped up the grounder. Quickly running over to 2nd base, the 2nd baseman stepped on the bag, getting the force out and maintaining the tie score. With no time left on the clock, the umpire called the game and the score knotted up. With that, the winless streak for both teams remained intact.
Final Score
FIREBALLS 9 – BLUR 9
Game Ball
In today's game, there was some impressive play executed by the BLUR defense, which made for a very exciting game of softball. Kas had a great day at short stop. But, for her defensive and situational awareness in the 5th inning where she caught the ball on the fly for 1 out, then followed it up with a throw to 1st for the double play, the game ball was awarded to Janessa. Great job Janessa! Way to keep your head in the game!
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