Thursday - May 6, 6pm @ FIREBALLS

Coming into this, our 8th game of the season, hopes were high for BLUR. We’ve fought and held our own against most of the teams in our division. We’ve played incredible defense so far. But, so far, we’ve also come up on the losing end of all of our previous games. This team was the 1st in the season that didn’t hand us a loss. In fact, our last meeting ended up in a tie. So, on paper, this would be the team that would potentially give us our easiest shot at a win so far this season. As the FIREBALL team was not a push-over in our last meeting, BLUR would have to play smart and play hard if they were going to break their streak. With the umpire calling a start to the game, it was time to see if BLUR could get over the hump and notch the 1st victory of the season.

1st Inning
As visitors in this game, the BLUR offense took to the field 1st. Rachel was up to lead us off in the game. Rachel hung tight with the FIREBALL pitcher as they traded back and forth until they reached full count. The next pitch hit the ground on the way in and Rachel got on base with a walk. Katelyn was up next. The pitcher drilled her 1st pitch right down the middle and caught Katelyn by surprise. No swing and the count was at 0 and 1. Katelyn took a swing and hit the ball into foul territory to add another strike to her collection. After another high pitch, Katelyn stayed alive on fouls. On the next pitch, the pitcher got Katelyn to swing, but with the ball just out of reach, Katelyn struck out. Lexie came to the plate next. A foul tip on the 1st pitch put Lexie behind in the count early. Lexie swung at the next pitch and missed, bringing up strike 2 as Rachel stole 2nd. Lexie fouled one off on the next pitch to stay alive. A high pitch came through and brought the count to 1 and 2 on Lexie, and then Lexie stayed alive on the next 3 pitches with foul balls. On the next pitch, Lexie made contact and sent the ball out into the FIREBALL outfield. As the FIREBALLS tried to recover the ball, Rachel rounded 3rd base and took a shot at home as the outfield threw the ball home. Rachel beat the throw to home and scored, putting BLUR on the board. On the throw, Lexie turned the corner at 1st and made it to 2nd on the steal. Hylah was up next. Holding the bat on the 1st pitch, Hylah misjudged the strike. She took a swing on the next pitch, but missed, bringing the count to 0 and 2. Swinging again, Hylah missed the 3rd pitch and struck out, but the ball got past the catcher and Lexie was able to steal 3rd and get herself into scoring position. Olivia came to the plate next. A low 1st pitch gave Olivia a 1 and 0 count. She took a swing on the next pitch and tipped it foul and the count was even. She held her bat on the next pitch, but the ball found its mark. Then, the FIREBALL pitcher turned on the heat and got one past Olivia for the 2nd time in a row to strike her out and close the inning.

Lexie was in to pitch for BLUR in the 1st. Lexie took a moment to warm her arm up, but, with 1 strike in the mix, Lexie walked the 1st batter. Finding her rhythm, Lexie turned it around on the next batter. No swing, strike 1. No swing, strike 2. Ball. Ball. Finally, she brought in the last pitch and found her target. Strike 3. Riding the wave, Lexie did even better on the next batter. She got the FIREBALL batter to swing on the 1st pitch and squeaked the ball past her for strike 1. Then, the next 2 pitches flew by and caught the batter napping, bringing in strikes 2 and 3 for the strikeout on the 3rd FIREBALL batter. Cooling off, Lexie missed on her 1st pitch on the next batter. Another ball got past Hylah and the FIREBALL runner successfully stole 2nd. Another ball came through and the runner took 3rd on another successful steal. Finally, a walk on the batter put FIREBALLS on 1st and 3rd. The next batter took a swing on Lexie’s 1st pitch and tipped it foul for strike 1. Lexie threw the heat on her next pitch and got it past the batter to bring up strike 2. The batter stayed alive on Lexie’s next pitch by fouling it off. On Lexie’s next pitch, the batter took a swing to try to duplicate her previous effort, but, this time, she got a bigger piece of it and sent it down the 3rd base side of the BLUR infield. Janessa moved in to collect the ball. Seeing the runner coming in from 2nd, Janessa decided to go for the easy out, by tagging the runner as the other runner crossed home plate for the 3rd out of the inning. Since the play at 3rd was not a force and the other runner crossed the plate before the tag, the run scored and tied up the game for the FIREBALLS.

BLUR 1 – FIREBALLS 1

2nd Inning
At the top of the 2nd, Natalie came to the plate to see what she could do. The 1st pitch to Natalie went high, but Natalie quickly followed it up with a foul ball to even the count. A low pitch, followed by a swing and a miss, inched the count up to 2 and 2. The FIREBALL pitcher’s next pitch missed the target and filled up the count on Natalie. The next pitch had to be perfect to get Natalie out of there. The FIREBALL pitcher wound up for the pitch and released the ball. Reading the ball perfectly, Natalie held her bat and let the umpire do her work. The umpire called it a ball and Natalie got on base with a walk. Anna was up next. On the 1st pitch, the ball hit the ground and got past the FIREBALL catcher. Natalie took the opportunity to steal 2nd. On the next pitch, Anna took a swing and connected. The ball was moving fast and Natalie took off for 3rd. Reacting quickly, the pitcher reached out her glove and caught the line drive, getting Anna out , and stopped Natalie in her tracks. Natalie turned back to 2nd and ran as fast as she could, but the pitcher was able to connect with the 2nd baseman to get the double play. Kas was up next. She split the difference with the pitcher on the 1st 2 pitches, including a hit that went foul, to get the count to 1 and 1. Kas took a swing on the next pitch and sent the ball bouncing down the 3rd base line. Kas took off for 1st as the FIREBALL 3rd baseman moved in to get the ball. The 3rd baseman scooped up the ball and threw to 1st. She beat Kas to the bag by a hair and was able to get the 3rd out with the throw.

Lexie was back in to pitch in the 2nd. Lexie came in firing to begin the 2nd. Heat on the 1st pitch, got it by the 1st batter for a strike. Then the batter fouled it off on the 2nd pitch to bring up 0 and 2. A passed ball on the next pitch cooled things off a bit, but Lexie was able to get the batter to swing on the next pitch for the strikeout. The 2nd FIREBALL batter came out swinging and connected on Lexie’s 1st pitch. She sent the ball on a slow roll up the middle. Lexie had to come way off of the rubber to collect the ball. She turned and threw to Natalie at 1st. Natalie stretched to catch the ball, but it fell out of her glove. Quickly, Natalie recovered it and stepped on 1st just before the runner and got the 2nd out of the inning. After a low pitch on the next FIREBALL batter, Lexie tried to get a strike through, but the batter was ready for it. The batter connected and sent the ball through the middle on an awkward bounce. The ball hit the ground and bounced over Lexie as she tried to reach the ball. The ball started to come down near Katelyn, playing 2nd, and as she tried to pick it up, Katelyn fumbled the ball, giving the runner enough time to make it safely to 1st. Lexie went back to work as the next batter came to the plate. Lexie’s 1st pitch blew past the immobile FIREBALL batter for strike 1. Her next 2 pitches missed the mark, bringing up 2 and 1. The runner on 1st kept threatening to steal, but was held back by Hylah from her position at catcher. Another ball came through and, yet again, Hylah had to work hard to keep the runner on 1st. Finally, a walk on the batter put FIREBALL runners on 1st and 2nd. Lexie started to struggle on the rubber and took 3 pitches on the next batter before finding her strike. On a passed ball, the FIREBALL runners stole 2nd and 3rd and a walk on the batter eventually loaded the bases for the FIREBALLS. Trying to get us out of the inning unscathed, Lexie threw low on her 1st pitch to the next batter for a ball. On the next pitch, the batter took a swing and connected. The line drive went straight back to Lexie and, getting her glove up in time, Lexie was able to secure the ball on the fly to get the batter out, stranding 3 FIREBALLS on base.

BLUR 1 – FIREBALLS 1

3rd Inning
Continuing to show that these 2 teams were very evenly matched, the score was still tied as the game moved into the 3rd inning. Jahlan was up 1st to start things off in the 3rd. On the 1st pitch, Jahlan took a swing and got a hit. The ball went rolling through the 3rd base side of the FIREBALL infield. The FIREBALL short stop rushed in to scoop up the ball as Jahlah ran toward 1st base. Coming up firing, the short stop threw the ball to 1st, beating Jahlan to the bag and getting the 1st out of the inning. Nikki was up next. A high ball on the 1st 2 pitches got Nikki ahead in the count, but the FIREBALL pitcher quickly turned things around as she threw heaters on the next 2 pitches, getting them by Nikki as she held her bat. On the next pitch, Nikki identified the strike pitch and took a swing. Her bat sailed just over the ball and the pitch reached the FIREBALL catcher’s glove to score the 2nd out. Jessica was up next. The FIREBALL pitcher had problems trying to find Jessica’s strike zone and, after a 1st strike pitch, she threw 4 balls in a row, walking Jessica. Janessa was next at bat. The FIREBALL pitcher’s 1st pitch came in hot and accurate, bringing up 0 and 1. The catcher dropped the ball and lost it for a moment and allowed Jessica enough time to make it to 2nd on a steal. The next pitch went wide and Jessica took off for 3rd. The catcher reached out her arm to make the catch and she got up and tried to throw Jessica out at 3rd. The ball came in as Jessica approached the base. The FIREBALL 3rd baseman caught the ball and turned to tag Jessica, but Jessica touched the base and was safe. Unfortunately, Jessica didn’t stop on the bag. She overran 3rd base and almost reached the fence on the 3rd base side. Seeing a 2nd opportunity, the FIREBALL 3rd baseman held on to the ball and tagged Jessica for the 3rd out, retiring the side and sending BLUR back to the drawing board.

Natalie was brought in to pitch in the 3rd. Natalie’s 1st pitch on the 1st FIREBALL batter went high, but she got the batter to swing and miss the next pitch to even up the count at 1 and 1. Her next pitch missed the mark again, but Natalie quickly found a strike on the next pitch to even up the count again at 2 and 2. Brining her trademark fastball, Natalie caught the stunned FIREBALL batter and got the ball past her as she held the bat for the strikeout. Finding her groove, Natalie got to work on the next batter. Bringing the heat again, the ball hit the target and the FIREBALL batter was left scratching her head. The batter took a swing at the next pitch, but misjudged the speed and missed for strike 2. The ball went high on the next pitch, but Natalie was able to reel it back in and threw the heat on the next pitch for the 2nd strikeout in a row. The next FIREBALL batter wouldn’t go down so easily. A high ball on the 1st pitch brought up 1 and 0. A strike on the next pitch evened up the count. Another ball brought up 2 and 1. On the next pitch, the FIREBALL batter connected and sent the ball on a hard bounce up the middle of the infield. Making a quick adjustment, Natalie collected the ball on the bounce and, with some time, turned and made the easy throw to 1st for the 3rd out to close out the 3rd inning with both teams still tied.

BLUR 1 – FIREBALLS 1

4th Inning
With the score still even going into the 4th, and both team effectively cancelling each other out, the game looked like it was headed for a repeat of BLUR’s last game against the FIREBALLS. Janessa was up 1st to complete her at bat from the previous inning. Janessa was up 1st. The FIREBALL pitcher’s 1st pitch came in fast and Janessa was caught holding her bat, but after the initial pitch, the pitcher couldn’t find her strike again. 3 pitches in a row went by before the pitcher fired in a strike to bring up full count on Janessa. The next pitch went low and Janessa got on base with a walk. Janessa dropped her bat as she jogged to 1st. The FIREBALL 2nd baseman and short stop moved to cover 2nd and the pitcher kept an eye on Janessa, anticipating the steal. Sure enough, without warning and without direction from her base coaches, Janessa turned on the speed as she rounded 1st. As the pitcher turned to make the throw, Janessa ignored the warnings and refused to turn back to 1st, hoping for an error. The pitcher released the ball and beat Janessa to 2nd base, allowing the FIREBALL 2nd baseman to make the catch and get the tag for the out. Rachel was up next. Trying to shake off the earlier play, Rachel was caught off guard by the 1st pitch and held her bat for strike 1. The next pitch went low and evened up the count. Rachel took a swing on the next pitch but missed and the 2nd strike was recorded, bringing up 1 and 2. Finally, the pitcher lost control of the next pitch and hit Rachel with the ball. After a moment to recover, Rachel got on base with a walk as Katelyn came to the plate to take her at bat. The 1st pitch to Katelyn went high, but the next pitch was on target and Katelyn held her bat as the count reached 1 and 1. Katelyn got a piece of the next pitch and sent a hard line drive back to the pitcher as Katelyn and Rachel took off. The pitcher tried to catch the ball, but dropped it. The pitcher scrambled to get control of the ball. As she came up, she saw that Rachel was just getting to 2nd. Seeing that Katelyn still had some ground to cover, the pitcher decided to turn her attention to 1st base. She stepped and made the throw and the FIREBALL 1st baseman caught the ball and got the out on Katelyn. With a BLUR runner on 2nd base, Lexie took her turn at bat. The 1st pitch on Lexie got past the catcher and Rachel stole her way into scoring position. The next pitch came through hard and fast and was called a strike by the umpire, but it got past the catcher and rolled up the backstop. Trying to make something happen and get the BLUR offense moving, Rachel rolled the dice and took off for home. The FIREBALL pitcher quickly moved in to cover the plate and Rachel, wanting to avoid the collision, slowed up just enough for the catcher to throw the ball back home to get the out on Rachel, retiring the side.

Natalie was back in to pitch for BLUR in the 4th. The 1st FIREBALL batter came out swinging. Unfortunately, she missed on the 1st 2 pitches and quickly got behind in the count against Natalie. But Natalie was unable to find her strike zone with her next 3 pitches and brought up full count. A ball on the next pitch put the batter on base with a walk. The next FIREBALL batter came out swinging aggressively as well. She fouled out the 1st pitch. A low ball on the next pitch evened up the count and another low pitch brought the count to 2 and 1. On the next pitch, the batter made contact and sent the ball through the BLUR infield toward 2nd base. Katelyn got in front of the ball and made the stop as the runner from 1st reached 2nd. Katelyn got up and threw to 1st as the runner, now on 2nd, seizing her opportunity, left for 3rd. The ball reached 1st in time to get the 1st out, but the other runner made it to 3rd on the play. The next FIREBALL batter came to the plate. After fouling out Natalie’s 1st pitch and swinging at and missing the next, the batter made contact on the next pitch and sent a fast grounder down the 3rd base side of the BLUR infield. Janessa moved in to make the stop but the ball got past her glove. Lexie, playing short stop, moved toward the ball, but it was too far out of reach and the ball reached the grass. The FIREBALL runner was headed for home. As the BLUR outfield tried to get the ball home, the runner, now on 1st, turned her single into a double and the other runner beat the ball home and scored, effectively breaking the long-running tie late in the game. After the count reached 3 and 1, the next batter connected on a pitch and sent the ball into the BLUR outfield. Rachel rushed in, picked up the ball and threw it back to the infield to hold the runners at 1st and 3rd. After fouling out the 1st pitch, the 5th FIREBALL batter hit one past Katelyn, playing 2nd, for a single and brought a runner across the plate. A walk on the next 2 batters loaded the bases and brought in another FIREBALL run. The next batter came to the plate swinging and hit a slow grounder down the middle. Natalie moved in to collect the ball and threw the ball to 1st for the 2nd out, but 1 more run scored. After Natalie battled with the next batter to a count of 2 and 2, the batter got a hit and sent the ball into the BLUR right field for a single, brining home another FIREBALL runner. Katelyn was injured on the play trying to get the stop on the infield. The next FIREBALL batter came to the plate and connected on Natalie’s 1st pitch and sent the ball racing down the 3rd base line. Janessa reeled it in and threw the ball to Kas at 1st for the 3rd out, moving the game into the 5th inning.

BLUR 1 – FIREBALLS 6

5th Inning
With the FIREBALLS exploding with 5 points in the last inning, BLUR had to play catch up. Lexie was up 1st to see if she could get the BLUR offense started. On the 1st pitch, Lexie got a hit and sent the ball rolling up the 1st base side of the infield. The FIREBALL 2nd baseman got the stop and flipped the ball to get the out on Lexie at 1st. A walk on Hylah put a BLUR runner on base. Olivia was up next. After fouling out the 1st pitch on a bunt attempt, Olivia was hit by a stray pitch and got on base with a walk. With BLUR runners on 1st and 2nd, Natalie was next up to the plate. After a ball on the 1st pitch, Natalie connected, but the ball popped up over the FIREBALL infield. The 3rd baseman moved under the ball and made the catch for the 2nd out and Hylah was caught off base, hoping for the FIREBALL defender to drop the ball. Once the ball was secured, Hylah had to scramble back to 2nd base to narrowly avoid getting picked off. Anna was up next. Swinging on the pitcher’s 1st pitch, Anna brought up strike 1. The next pitch went low, but the umpire called it a strike and the count was at 0 and 2. Anna tried to connect on the next pitch, but fouled it off to stay alive. On the next pitch, the ball got past the FIREBALL catcher and the BLUR runners stole 2nd and 3rd and put themselves into scoring position. Another ball evened up the count at 2 and 2. On the next pitch, Anna took a swing and missed the ball, striking out and closing out the 5th for the BLUR offense.

With the clock ticking on the game, BLUR had to get out of the 5th inning quickly to get another shot at a comeback. Lexie was brought in to pitch. As if on cue, Lexie got off to a great start. Throwing heat on her 1st pitch in the inning, the batter was caught off guard and held her bat for strike 1. The FIREBALL batter took a swing on the next pitch and missed for strike 2. Lexie missed the mark on the next 3 pitches to bring up full count. Then, she brought another heater across the plate and got it past the batter for the strikeout. The 2nd FIREBALL batter came out swinging and connected on Lexie’s 1st pitch. She sent the ball bouncing down the 3rd base side of the field. Lexie, reacting quickly, was able to get in front of it. On the bounce, Lexie grabbed the ball and threw to Hylah, playing 1st, for the 2nd out of the inning. Undeterred, Lexie got back to work as the next FIREBALL pitcher came to the plate. In quick succession, Lexie threw heat on the 1st 2 pitches and the FIREBALL batter was stunned with 2 strike pitches in a row. On the next pitch, the batter took a swing and fouled it off to stay alive. Lexie lost control of her next 2 pitches and evened up the count at 2 and 2. Then, for her last pitch of the inning, Lexie dialed it in and burned one in to Kas’s glove for strike 3, getting the final out of the inning with enough time in the game to start the 6th inning and giving BLUR a final shot at getting back in the game.

BLUR 1 – FIREBALLS 6

6th Inning
Kas was up 1st in the 6th inning to try to get the BLUR offense in motion. Taking a swing on a low pitch and swinging and missing on the 2nd pitch put 2 strikes on the count and Kas was behind quickly. Kas took a swing on the next pitch and fouled it off to stay alive. Then, on the next pitch Kas connected. Unfortunately, the ball popped up and started to drift into foul territory. The FIREBALL catcher got under the ball and caught it for the 1st out of the inning. Jahlan was up next. 2 missed pitches in a row and Jahlan got ahead in the count early, but battling back and forth with the pitcher, she inched her way to full count. Then Jahlan fouled off 2 in a row to stay alive. On the next pitch, the FIREBALL pitcher squeezed one through and caught Jahlan holding her bat for the strikeout and the 2nd out of the inning. With the window of opportunity closing, and time ticking away, on BLUR in the 6th, Nikki came up to the plate. The pitcher had trouble adjusting to Nikki’s strike zone and, with 1 swinging strike in the mix, wasn’t able to get Nikki out of there and gave her 1st base on a walk. Still struggling against Jessica, the FIREBALL was able to reach full count before sending Jessica to 1st on another walk. Janessa was up next. On a passed ball on the 1st pitch, the BLUR runners stole their way into scoring position. The FIREBALL catcher tried to get the throw off, but it was too late and the runners advanced safely. After fouling one off and holding her bat for a ball on the FIREBALL pitcher’s next 2 pitches, Janessa got a hit and sent a fast grounder through the FIREBALL infield out into the grass for a single and brought both Nikki and Jessica home, adding 2 more to BLUR’s tally. Back at the top of the lineup, Rachel was up next. After working her way to 2 and 2 against the FIREBALL pitcher, Rachel got a hit and sent the ball rolling down the 3rd base line. The 3rd baseman made the stop, but, trying to get the out on Janessa, BLUR’s lead runner, motioned like she was going to throw the ball to 2nd. No one was ready for the catch at 2nd and the 3rd baseman had to hold her throw, giving Janessa and Rachel enough time to advance safely. Lexie was up next. A passed ball on the 1st pitch caused the BLUR runners to threaten the steal, but the FIREBALL catcher recovered quickly and forced them back. After a foul tip on the next pitch, Lexie stood her ground for the next few pitches as the pitcher struggled to regain her rhythm. In the end, the pitcher walked Lexie and loaded the bases. Hylah was up next. The 1st pitch on Hylah got past the catcher and rolled up the backstop. Janessa decided to roll the dice and she tried for home. The FIREBALL pitcher moved in to cover home plate. Janessa stutter-stepped, then slowed her run as she was wary of the collision. This gave the FIREBALL defense enough time to recover the ball and get it back to the pitcher, who stepped on home plate to get the force out and stifling the BLUR offense.

With the clock ticking on the game, the BLUR defense had to work fast to bring up another inning if they were going have another chance. Hylah was brought in to pitch. As this was one of Hylah's few appearances at the rubber this season, she got off to a slow start. After her 1st pitch went high, Hylah was able to get the 1st batter to swing. The batter fouled the ball off to even up the count at 1 and 1. Hylah was not able to find the strike again on the batter and the batter got on base with a walk. The next batter came to the plate and took a swing at Hylah's 1st pitch. She connected, but popped the ball up high above Kas, playing catcher. Kas got up and under the ball, then reached her glove out. It looked like she lost the ball in the air. So, she gritted her teeth and kept her glove open. She caught the ball for the 1st out of the inning. The 3rd FIREBALL batter came to the plate next. On Hylah's 1st pitch, the batter connected and sent the ball through the BLUR infield. Lexie came off of 1st to collect the ball. As she got up to make her throw, she took a hard step toward 2nd to go for the FIREBALL's lead runner, but no one was at 2nd to cover. By the time Lexie turned to 1st, the batter crossed the bag and was safe. With runners on 1st and 2nd, Hylah turned her attention back to the plate. Her 1st pitch went high. The batter fouled off the next pitch and the count was at 1 and 1. Hylah got one past the swinging batter on the next pitch and the FIREBALL runners stole their way into scoring position. A ball on the next pitch brought the count to 2 and 2. Hylah dug deep on her next pitch and threw a heater right into Kas's glove and the surprised batter struck out and was sent back to the FIREBALL dugout. The next batter came out swinging. She missed Hylah's 1st pitch and fouled off the 2nd. A passed ball on the next pitch got the runners moving, but Kas quickly recovered and the runners were forced back to their bases. Inching their way to full count, Hylah and the batter knew that the next pitch would decide who won the battle. Hylah wound up and released the ball. The batter took a swing and connected, sending the ball rolling fast through the infield. Rachel moved in to stop the ball, but the ball got past her and rolled into the grass and the runner was able to reach 2nd base on the play as she brought the 2 other FIREBALLS home. Hylah's 1st pitch on the next batter was on the mark, but she lost control of the next one and hit the batter. The batter took 1st base on a walk as the next batter came to the plate. Shaken by the last play, Hylah had trouble finding her strike and after reaching a count of 3 and 0, Hylah's next pitch went wild again and hit the 2nd batter in a row, loading the bases. It was time to switch pitchers, but before that could happen, regulation time expired and since the FIREBALLS were ahead in the game and they were the home team, the umpire called it and the game was over.

Final Score
BLUR 3 – FIREBALLS 8

Game Ball
Another tough loss for the BLUR girls, especially since this was a team that we were very evenly matched with, especially given the fact that our last game against the FIREBALLS ended in a tie. Unfortunately, our typical weeknight slow start, coupled with some crucial mental errors during the game, hurt us in the end. That said, it's always difficult to give out a game ball under those circumstances. Hylah was awarded the game ball, not only for her performance during this game, as she played all over the field including finishing the game at the rubber, but also her overall performance and contribution to the team this season. Great job Hylah!

Saturday - May 1, 9am @ INFERNO

Moving into the 2nd half of the 2010 season, BLUR faced INFERNO for the 2nd and last time in regulation play. BLUR came into the game with their spirits high and the desire to put on a good show as this was the opening game for the league’s annual BBQ. It wouldn’t be the normal, Saturday morning game. This would be the game that would kick off the festivities for league family and friends for a day at the softball fields. Many fans and friends as well as other teams would be present to watch the game unfold and BLUR needed to bring out their best game to tie things up with INFERNO for the season. A win would be great, but more importantly, BLUR would have to put on one of their best performances for all of the fans in attendance. For this game, the field scoreboard would be utilized and as the announcer called out the lineups for both teams, the BLUR girls prepared for the tough INFERNO team. The umpire called a start to the game and, as visitors, BLUR was 1st at bat.

1st Inning
Rachel was up to kick things off in the game. The INFERNO pitcher took a moment to find her pitch. Not able to find her pitch on Rachel, the pitcher threw 4 pitches across that all missed their mark and Rachel got on base with a walk. Katelyn was up next. The pitcher drilled the 1st pitch in, getting the ball past Katelyn as she held her bat for strike 1. The pitcher struggled as she alternated between strikes and balls until she reached full count. Rachel stole 2nd as the next pitch got past the catcher, but with the pitch being ruled a ball, Katelyn got on base as well. The 1st pitch to Lexie went high and got past the catcher again and the BLUR runners safely advanced to 2nd and 3rd on a steal. Another few ball pitches later and Lexie was awarded 1st base on a walk and the bases were loaded for BLUR. Hylah was up next. The INFERNO pitcher threw high on the 1st pitch for ball one. The next one came through the strike zone and caught Hylah holding the bat to even up the count. With bases loaded and no outs, the INFERNO pitcher either couldn’t or wouldn’t give Hylah a shot at a good pitch and eventually walked her, keeping the bases loaded as Rachel came home, putting BLUR on the board in the 1st inning. Kas was up next. On the 1st pitch, Kas got a hit and sent it down the middle of the infield. On the bounce, the pitcher grabbed the ball. Quickly, she threw the ball to the catcher to prevent the score and got the 1st out of the inning. Natalie was up next. The 1st 2 pitches on Natalie went high. The 3rd pitch was low and outside, but the umpire called it a strike, bringing up 2 and 1. The next pitch went right down the middle as Natalie held her bat and the count evened up. Natalie took a swing on the next pitch. Getting the swing off a little too late, Natalie’s bat missed the ball as it flew into the catcher’s glove for the 2nd out of the inning. Anna was up next. Splitting the difference on the 1st 2 pitches, the INFERNO pitcher brought the count to 1 and 1. On the next pitch, Anna took a swing and connected sending a grounder through the middle of the infield. The pitcher, with plenty of time, leaned down and picked up the ball. She got up and flipped the ball to the catcher to, once again, prevent the score and secure the 3rd out.

Lexie was in at pitcher in the 1st. Lexie also needed a moment to get started as this was yet another early game. Working her way to full count, Lexie alternated between strikes and balls. The batter stayed alive with a foul ball on the next pitch. Lexie’s next pitch was just outside the strike zone and the batter got on base. Lexie’s 1st pitch on the next INFERNO batter went low and the runner on 1st took off for 2nd. The batter took a swing and missed on the next pitch to even up the count. A passed ball on the next pitch sent the runner on 2nd on a successful steal to 3rd. On the next pitch, the batter hit one just over Katelyn playing 2nd for a single and brought the runner on 3rd across the plate to tie up the score. Lexie’s 1st pitch on the next INFERNO batter went high for ball 1 and the runner on 1st, stealing aggressively, made it to 2nd. On the next pitch, the batter connected and sent the ball straight to Natalie at short stop. Natalie picked up the grounder and threw the ball to 1st and got the out. With the ball and the defense’s attention on the other side of the field, the runner on 2nd easily made her way to 3rd on a steal. The next INFERNO batter came out swinging and sent Lexie’s 1st pitch to the outfield for a single. Rachel retrieved the ball and threw it back to the infield, but the runner on 3rd had time to take off for home and score, putting INFERNO in the lead. The 5th batter came to the plate and also took a swing at the 1st pitch. She sent the ball into foul territory for strike 1. Lexie’s next pitch came in high, evening up the count. A swing and a miss on the next pitch brought up strike 2 and the runner on base took off and stole 2nd. The batter connected on the next pitch and sent a hard grounder toward Katelyn, playing 2nd. Katelyn bobbled the ball on the way up, but recovered in time to make the throw to 1st, securing the 2nd out. Lexie struggled at first with the next batter. Lexie took 4 pitches before she was able to find the strike. But, once she found it, Lexie wouldn’t let it go. The next pitch came threw and caught the INFERNO batter napping. Strike 2. Following it up with nearly the exact same pitch, the batter was caught holding the bat one more time as Lexie got it past her for the strikeout to close out the 1st inning.

BLUR 1 – INFERNO 2

2nd Inning
Nikki was up 1st in the 2nd inning. The INFERNO pitcher, having cooled off, needed a couple of pitches to get in the groove. After 2 ball pitches, the pitcher finally got one past Nikki for a strike. The next pitch went high, but the one after that found its mark and the count was full. Playing the odds, Nikki held her bat on the next pitch and, sure enough, the ball went low and Nikki got on base with a walk. Olivia was up next. On the 1st pitch, Olivia held out her bat for a bunt and Nikki took a strong lead. With a ball on the 1st pitch, the INFERNO catcher forced Nikki back to the bag as she quickly got up and threw the ball to 1st base. The next pitch on Olivia came with some heat and caught Olivia off guard. Holding her bat, Olivia let a strike pitch go by. Olivia held her bat a 2nd time for another strike, but the pitcher missed on her next pitch and the count was full. On the next pitch, Olivia took her swing and connected. The ball popped up over the infield and the pitcher came off the rubber to get under the ball and made the catch for the out. Jessica was up next. Jessica hung tight in the batter’s box as she worked her way to full count against the INFERNO pitcher. The next pitch came in too low and Jessica got on base. With BLUR runners on 1st and 2nd, Janessa was up next. The 1st 2 pitches on Janessa went high. Janessa held her bat on the next pitch, but, this time, the pitch was good and the count went to 2 and 1. Holding her bat again, the pitch barely grazed the bottom of the strike zone and the umpire called it a strike. A passed ball on the next pitch brought up full count and the BLUR runners stole their way into scoring position. A passed ball on the next pitch got Janessa to 1st and Nikki saw an opportunity and tried for home. The catcher was able to quickly recover the ball near the backstop and had to race Nikki back to the plate. The catcher was able to get there just before Nikki and tag the plate as Nikki slid in. Nikki was called out and the INFERNO defense, once again, thwarted BLUR’s attempt to score. Back at the top of the lineup, Rachel was up for her 2nd at bat in the game. With BLUR runners on 1st and 2nd, the pitcher found her mark and threw a pitch past Rachel for a strike. Rachel got a hit on the next pitch, but sent the ball into foul territory to bring up 0 and 2. On the next pitch, the ball went high and Jessica stole 3rd base. Rachel got a piece of the next pitch and sent a grounder down the middle. The BLUR runners took off for their next bases. With Jessica coming home, the pitcher collected the ball and continued her attack on the BLUR lead runners. The pitcher threw the ball to the catcher and the catcher stepped on the plate, getting the 3rd out at home on Jessica.

Lexie was back in to pitch in the 2nd. Having cooled off between innings herself, Lexie had trouble finding her pitch with the 1st batter. Lexie threw 3 balls before finding her strike to bring up 3 and 1, but she lost it again on the next pitch and the 1st INFERNO batter got on base. Lexie’s 1st pitch found its mark for a strike, and the runner took off for 2nd. Hylah got up to make the throw to 2nd as Katelyn moved in to cover. Hylah let the ball go and Katelyn caught the ball. As Katelyn came down with it, the runner slid to avoid the tag and was able to safely reach 2nd base. A passed ball on the next pitch evened up the count and the INFERNO runner continued to aggressively steal her way into scoring position. Lexie reeled it back in and battled to full count on the batter. Missing the throw on the next pitch put 1 more INFERNO runner on base. With runners on 1st and 3rd, Lexie got ahead in the count with the 1st 2 pitches on the next batter. She evened it up with balls on the next 2, but, throwing heat, Lexie was able to get the batter to swing at the next pitch. Lexie squeaked the ball past the batter, striking her out. Lexie got back to work on the next batter. She alternated between strikes and balls until the count was full. On the next pitch, Lexie dialed in the heater again and got the batter to swing and miss again, sending the batter back to the dugout empty handed. On the next batter, Lexie had trouble on her 1st 2 pitches and they both missed the strike zone, bringing up 2 and 0. On the next pitch, the batter took a swing and connected, popping the ball up over the BLUR infield on the 3rd base side. Waving everyone off, Janessa moved under the ball and reached out her glove to make the catch and getting the 3rd out of the inning.

BLUR 1 – INFERNO 2

3rd Inning
Katelyn started BLUR off in the 3rd inning. A high pitch and a swing put the count at 1 and 1. Alternating the next 2, the pitcher brought the count to 2 and 2. The next pitch came through high, but Katelyn took a swing at it and missed for the 1st out. Lexie was up next and took a swing at the 1st pitch. The umpire called it a ball, but on appeal from the INFERNO coach, the ump called for help from the base umpire. After some discussion, they reversed the call and the count was changed to 0 and 1 as play resumed. Lexie fought her way to full count and a ball to end the exchange put Lexie on base. Hylah came to the plate next and after 2 pitches, including 1 swing, Hylah found herself behind with a count of 0 and 2. Hylah connected on the next pitch and sent the ball tearing through the infield. The INFERNO short stop moved in front of the ball and as she went to scoop up the grounder, she missed the pick up and Hylah made it safely to 1st. Kas came up to the plate. She took a swing on the 1st high pitch, missing it for a strike. A foul tip on the next pitch put Kas behind in the count further by bringing up strike 2. Knowing her at bat was coming to a close, Kas prepared herself for the next pitch. She got in her stance and loaded the bat behind her. The pitcher threw the ball and Kas immediately identified the strike. She took a swing and connected, sending the ball up the middle of the infield and took off for 1st. The pitcher, reacting quickly, picked up the ball and threw to 1st for the 2nd out as the BLUR runners moved to 2nd and 3rd and got themselves into position to score. Natalie came to the plate next. The pitcher started to lose her groove on Natalie as the 1st 2 pitches missed the target and brought up 2 and 0. Natalie took a swing on the next pitch for the 1st strike in the count. Then, after 2 more pitches, the count was full. A passed ball on the next pitch got Natalie on base, but the door was open and BLUR tried to go for the tie. Lexie took off for home and the pitcher ran over to cover the plate as the catcher scrambled for the ball. The catcher got a hold of the ball and turned back to make a run at the plate as Lexie crossed the commit line. Arriving in the nick of time, the catcher stepped on the plate a split-second before Lexie reached it on her slide. BLUR denied one more time at home, had to regroup as their defense took the field.

Natalie took over at the rubber for the 3rd inning. Getting off to a good start, Natalie brought the heat on the 1st INFERNO batter of the inning. Natalie fired the 1st pitch in and the batter held her bat. Strike 1. Natalie reset, stepped off of the rubber and drove the pitch in. Once again, the batter held her bat and collected strike 2. Settling down to find her mark, Natalie threw the ball, once again with bad intentions, and the batter took a swing. The batter missed and was sent back to the INFERNO dugout. Natalie started off on the next batter with another strike, but missed on the following 2 pitches and brought the count to 2 and 1. The INFERNO batter took a swing on the next pitch and connected, sending the ball toward 3rd base. Janessa moved in front of the ball and got her glove down to reel the grounder in. She picked it up and made the throw to 1st for the 2nd out of the inning. A walk on the next batter put INFERNO on base. The 4th INFERNO batter came to the plate to try to turn things around. She took a hard swing on Natalie’s 1st pitch and connected. The ball popped up as it sailed over the BLUR infield toward Kas at short stop. Kas, watching the ball, waved everyone off as she moved to get under it. Kas reached out her glove to receive the ball and caught it. But the ball popped out of her glove and the crowd gasped. With the 2nd effort, Kas kept her eye on the ball and brought up her throwing hand to catch it, securing the 3rd out. Then, for good measure, Kas turned and threw the ball to 1st, but as the out was recorded on the catch, the follow-up play was academic.

BLUR 1 – INFERNO 2

4th Inning
Anna was up 1st. Anna took a hard swing on the INFERNO pitcher’s 1st pitch and connected. She sent the ball through the infield toward the INFERNO short stop. The short stop crept in and got the stop. She turned and made the throw to 1st. The ball arrived just as Anna was crossing the bag and Anna was ruled out. After a 1st strike pitch on Nikki, the pitcher couldn’t find her target and eventually lost the exchange as Nikki jogged to 1st. Olivia was up next. The 1st pitch went high and Olivia took a swing at the next pitch and missed for the strike as Nikki took off for 2nd. The catcher got up quickly to try to throw Nikki out, but the throw went over 2nd base and Nikki was able to scramble and make it all the way to 3rd base. The pitcher and Olivia got back at it and split the next 2 pitches, bringing up 2 and 2. Then, the pitcher threw her next pitch and Olivia read strike. So, Olivia took a swing, the ball dipped as her bat came around and landed in the catcher’s glove. Olivia was sent back to the BLUR dugout empty handed. Jessica was up next. The pitcher’s 1st pitch hit the ground and got past the catcher. Nikki took a big step off of 3rd, but the catcher quickly recovered and Nikki turned back. The pitcher never found the strike on Jessica and after 3 more pitches, Jessica got on base with a walk. With 2 outs and BLUR runners on 1st and 3rd, Janessa took her turn at bat. The 1st pitch on Janessa got past the catcher and Jessica was able to steal 2nd safely. With BLUR runners ready to score, Janessa took a swing at the next pitch to put it in play. Unfortunately, the ball popped up high over the 3rd base side of the infield and the BLUR runners took off. The INFERNO 3rd baseman made the adjustment and got under the ball. She reached out her glove and made the catch to retire the side.

Natalie was back in at pitcher in the 4th. Starting off strong again, Natalie got the batter to swing at the 1st pitch. The batter fouled it off. Natalie brought the heat again on the next pitch and caught the INFERNO batter napping to bring the count to 0 and 2. Missing the mark on the next 2 pitches evened up the count, but Natalie won the exchange with another heater that blasted its way into Kas’s glove, striking the 1st batter out. The next INFERNO batter came to the plate and was determined to get INFERNO moving. She took a swing on Natalie’s 1st pitch, but missed. Natalie threw 2 balls in a row and got behind in the count, but found the strike again on the next pitch to even up the count at 2 and 2. Natalie dug in her cleats against the pitching rubber as she prepared to send the next pitch through. She gripped the ball and rolled it inside her glove to find the seam. She stepped forward hard and started the wind up. Her arm came around and Natalie released the ball toward home plate. The batter misjudged the pitch and held her bat. The strike pitch came through and found a home in Kas’s glove, striking the batter out and making it 2 strikeouts in a row for Natalie. With the effort on the 1st 2 INFERNO batters of the inning hitting her, Natalie couldn’t find the strike pitch on the next batter and the batter got on base with a walk. The next INFERNO batter took a swing at Natalie’s 1st pitch and tipped it into foul territory. She took a swing at the next pitch and got a better piece of it, but fouled it out as well. On the next pitch, the ball got past Kas and the runner on base took off for 2nd. Kas recovered and threw the ball to Katelyn at 2nd. Katelyn caught the ball, but the runner slid to avoid the tag and was safe. Fouling the ball out again, the batter stayed alive on the next pitch. The next pitch was low and it nearly got away from Kas as the runner on 2nd took off for 3rd. Kas got up and threw the ball to Janessa well ahead of the runner. Janessa caught the ball as the runner slid again to avoid the tag. This time, Janessa tagged the runner on the facemask, but the base umpire called the runner safe and INFERNO was getting ready to score. Natalie went back to the rubber to try to close out the inning. Natalie’s next pitch missed the strike zone and filled up the count. Digging deep, Natalie found the strike and delivered her fast ball. The batter held the bat and was stunned as the umpire called the strike. The game moved into the 5th inning.

BLUR 1 – INFERNO 2

5th Inning
With the 4th inning in the books and the score frozen for the last few innings, it was clear that both teams were nullifying each other for the better part of this game. It was a great defensive effort on both sides of the ball. BLUR came to the plate to see if they could take this game. Rachel was up 1st. The pitcher got ahead in the count quickly as she threw a strike on the 1st pitch as Rachel held her bat. But, the INFERNO pitcher started to pitch erratically alternating between strikes and balls. At 2 and 2, Rachel stayed alive with a foul ball and eventually reached full count. With a ball on the next pitch, Rachel got on base with a walk. Katelyn was up next and the pitcher continued her skid. In 4 pitches, Kately got on base also with another walk. With 2 runners on base, Lexie came to the plate to take a shot at moving the BLUR runners. Lexie got a hit on the 1st pitch and send the grounder up the 2nd base side of the field and the runners made a break for it. Incredibly, the INFERNO 2nd baseman got a jump on the ball and moved in to make the stop. Getting up as Katelyn ran by, on her way to 2nd, the INFERNO 2nd baseman reached out her glove and tagged Katelyn for the 1st out. Quickly, the 2nd baseman turned and threw the ball to 1st, beating Lexie to the bag and scoring a double play. Hylah came to the plate next. Hylah took a swing on the 1st pitch for a strike, but the ball got past the catcher and she had to scramble to retrieve it. Coming off of her big lead, and despite the previous failed BLUR attempts to score on a steal from 3rd, Rachel took a shot and turned on the speed. The pitcher moved in to cover home and Rachel slowed a bit. The catcher collected the errant ball and turned to toss it to the INFERNO pitcher. As the ball came in, Rachel slid into home, avoided the tag and scored, tying up the game. On the next pitch, Hylah connected and sent the ball through the infield, out into the grass for a single. Kas was up next. After a foul tip on the 1st pitch, Kas hit the ball toward 3rd base. On the bounce, the INFERNO 3rd baseman grabbed the ball and threw to 1st, getting the out on Kas and bringing out the INFERNO offense.

For the 3rd time in as many innings, Natalie took the reins of the BLUR defense. Getting the 1st batter to swing at her 1st 2 pitches, Natalie got ahead in the count at 0 and 2. Natalie threw a ball on the next pitch, but quickly recovered and threw a strike that caught the INFERNO batter by surprise, striking her out. Natalie had trouble against the next batter and the batter walked. The 3rd batter came to the plate. Natalie’s 1st pitch was a ball and the runner aggressively made her way to 2nd. Natalie had trouble again on the next couple of pitches and was still hunting for her strike as the count reached 3 and 0. Natalie finally found a strike, but the runner on 2nd took off and reached 3rd on the throw back from the catcher. INFERNO was stealing aggressively as they applied the pressure to try to take the game. A ball on the next pitch walked the batter. As the batter moved up the 1st base line, Kas threw the ball back to Natalie. When Natalie started to move back in position at the rubber, the runner going to 1st turned up the speed and turned the corner at 1st. The BLUR defense was not ready and no one moved in to cover 2nd base. Natalie was caught by surprise as well. When she realized what was happening, she turned to make the throw, as the BLUR defenders moved toward 2nd. The ball reached Katelyn’s glove and as the BLUR defense’s attention was focused on 2nd base, the INFERNO runner at 3rd saw an opening and came across home on a steal, putting INFERNO back in the lead. The next INFERNO batter came to the plate. A passed ball on the 1st pitch brought up 1 and 0 and the runner on 2nd stole her way safely to 3rd. After evening up the count on the next pitch, Natalie lost her groove and walked the batter. With runners on 1st and 3rd and only 1 out, Natalie went back to work. A passed ball on the 1st pitch got away from Kas and the runner on 3rd saw the opening. She took off from 3rd as Kas retrieved the ball. Kas scrambled to get back to home plate as the runner approached. Kas reached out her hands to try to get the tag, but the runner was just out of reach and was able to put 1 more run on the board for INFERNO. In the confusion, the runner on 2nd made it to 3rd. With the ball on the 1st pitch, Natalie was behind in the count. Unfortunately, she wasn’t able to turn it around and although she got the batter to swing for 1 strike, the rest of her pitches missed and the batter walked, putting INFERNO runners on 1st and 3rd. The next batter came out swinging. Missing Natalie’s 1st pitch, the batter got behind in the count. On the next pitch, the runner on 1st stole 2nd and the batter held her bat, hoping for the best. But as the umpire called it a strike, the count reached 0 and 2. On the next pitch, the batter took a swing and sent the ball bouncing through the infield. Katelyn scooped up the ball and turned to throw to 1st. The runner at 3rd gunned it for home. BLUR secured the 2nd out at 1st, but as Lexie turned to make the throw home, it was too late and the runner scored. Natalie turned back to her position at the rubber to try to limit the damage and get BLUR out of the inning. Natalie threw her fast ball on the 1st pitch. Strike 1. The batter connected and fouled the ball out. Strike 2. A high pitch and a passed ball evened up the count at 2 and 2. Natalie brought the heat on the next pitch and threw the ball at Kas’s glove. The INFERNO batter took a swing, but misjudged the speed of the pitch, missing the ball and striking out to end the inning with INFERNO up by 3 points.

BLUR 2 – INFERNO 5

6th Inning
Moving into the 6th inning with the clock ticking on regulation play, if BLUR couldn’t cover the distance, the game would be over. If BLUR could take the lead, INFERNO would get another chance to come back. If BLUR tied it up, regulation time would expire and BLUR would add another tie game for their 2010 record. It was do or die for BLUR. Natalie was up 1st. After a high pitch for a ball, Natalie got a hit, but fouled it out. Another high pitch and a foul ball evened up the count at 2 and 2. On the next pitch, the INFERNO pitcher, taking advantage of Natalie’s aggressive swing, threw out the change-up. Natalie, expecting the ball to come in hot, started her swing. When she realized that her timing was off, Natalie tried to hold the bat back, but it was too late as the bat completed the swing. Natalie was sent back to the BLUR dugout with the 1st out of the inning. Anna was up next. After a high pitch for a ball, Anna took a swing and hit the ball down the 1st base side of the infield. The INFERNO 2nd baseman moved in to make the grab and flipped the ball to 1st for the out on Anna. With the 2nd out, the INFERNO defense ramped up their game to hold on to their lead and eke out a victory in this very well contested game. Nikki came to the plate next as BLUR’s potential last-chance batter. A low pitch followed by a high pitch put balls 1 and 2 in the count. A fast pitch down the middle gave Nikki her 1st strike as she held her bat. The INFERNO pitcher repeated the effort and notched another strike against a stunned Nikki. She followed it up with a ball to fill up the count. Knowing that the pitcher needed a strike to put the game to bed, Nikki got ready for the next pitch. Nikki gave the pitcher a hard look as the pitcher focused on her target. With the step and the wind up, Nikki brought her hands back and loaded the bat. As the pitch came through, Nikki let her hands go and the bat came around to meet the pitch. As the bat came through the strike zone, the ball went low and Nikki missed as it landed in the catcher’s glove, striking Nikki out and closing the show for INFERNO.

Final Score
BLUR 2 – INFERNO 5

Game Ball
There wasn’t a lot of offense generated in this game as it was a very hard-fought defensive battle between 2 evenly matched teams. -- A comment was made by the President of the league that this was the lowest scoring game of the season so far. -- The game stayed tight until very late in regulation play and INFERNO was able to put up the numbers to edge BLUR out in the game, but BLUR managed to put 2 points up on the board and both were directly attributed to Rachel. In the 1st inning, Rachel came in from 3rd after Hylah walked with bases loaded and in the 5th, Rachel scored the game tying run with a steal from 3rd. Great job Rachel! Let’s keep it going!

Monday - April 26, 6pm vs. CHILI PEPPERS

Although the last game didn’t put BLUR in the win column, the tie effectively broke the losing streak that BLUR has been on since opening day. Fighting hard every time, but falling shy of a win so far, BLUR’s 2010 record is very deceptive in that these girls can play. The combination of some very competitive and challenging teams and some unfortunate timing during games has put BLUR in a deep hole, but the girls keep fighting to claw their way out. Taking control early in the last game was a great boost to the BLUR girls’ confidence. Now it was time to see if they could keep it going against yet another very strong team.

For the 2nd and last time in regulation play, BLUR faced the CHILI PEPPERS. Our last meeting with the CHILI PEPPERS was a very tight, competitive game. It was time to see if BLUR could redeem that previous loss as the last game of the 1st half of the 2010 season got underway.

1st Inning
Since the CHILI PEPPERS was visitor this time around, the BLUR defense took their positions on the field and Lexie was in to pitch. Getting warmed up, Lexie threw a ball on the 1st pitch. She followed it up with a no-swing strike. The batter put her bat out on the next pitch on a bunt attempt, but the ball rolled foul to bring up 1 and 2. Lexie planted her feet and threw heat on the next pitch. The CHILI PEPPER batter took a swing and missed and Lexie was off to a great start in the game with a strikeout. The 2nd CHILI PEPPER batter came to the plate and Lexie had trouble finding her pitch. It took 4 throws before she notched a strike. On the next pitch, the batter took a cut and connected with the pitch. The ball was going toward foul territory, but, on the fly, Natalie reached out and picked the ball out of the air for the 2nd out of the inning. Lexie had trouble with the next batter and eventually lost the battle, walking the CHILI PEPPER batter. The next batter came to the plate. She threw out a bunt on Lexie’s 1st pitch, but left the bat out for a strike as the runner on 1st stole 2nd. On the next pitch, the batter took a swing and sent the ball for a ride into the BLUR outfield for a double. The BLUR outfield recovered quickly and threw the ball back to Hylah at home plate to try to prevent the score, but the runner had plenty of time and scored. When Hylah threw the ball back to Lexie, her throw went wild and got past the pitcher’s circle. Seizing the opportunity, the runner on 2nd made it to 3rd on a steal. Lexie’s 1st pitch on the next batter was high. On the next pitch, the batter connected and sent a hard grounder through the BLUR infield for a single, but 1 more run came across the plate as BLUR secured the ball. Shaking it off, Lexie got turned her attention to the 6th CHILI PEPPER batter taking her position at home plate. Lexie’s 1st pitch, caught the batter by surprise as she held the bat, bringing up strike 1 as the runner on 1st stole 2nd. Lexie threw heat again and for a 2nd time in a row, the batter was caught napping for strike 2. Lexie dug deep and sent the ball hurtling toward Hylah’s glove. For the 3rd time in a row, the batter held her bat and Lexie struck her out to bring out the BLUR offense.

The CHILI PEPPER pitcher was one of the higher rated pitchers in the league and she came out ready to play. Rachel was up 1st to lead BLUR off in the game. The 1st pitch came through fast and Rachel was caught off guard. She was ready for the next one and took a swing. Rachel connected with the ball, but sent it into foul territory for strike 2. The next pitch was low and outside. With the count at 1 and 2, the pitcher dialed it in once again and caught Rachel holding her bat, striking her out. Katelyn was up next and the CHILI PEPPER pitcher seemed to have trouble adjusting to the new strike zone. Missing on all of her pitches, Katelyn got on base with a walk. Jahlan was up next. After a high pitch brought up ball 1, Jahlan took a swing and hit a hard grounder through the CHILI PEPPERS’ infield and out into the right field grass for a single. Lexie came to the plate next. On the 1st pitch, Katelyn tried for 3rd. The catcher collected the ball quickly and got up to throw her out. As Katelyn approached the base, the 3rd baseman caught the ball and turned, making the tag just as Katelyn reached the plate. The base umpire ruled it an out and sent Katelyn back to the BLUR dugout. Without missing a beat, the pitcher got back to work on Lexie, throwing a heater through to the CHILI PEPPER catcher for a strike. With 2 strikes and no balls, Lexie had to swing aggressively to stay alive, sending the next 2 pitches into foul territory. The pitcher got the better of Lexie as she threw the change-up on her next pitch. Her timing thrown off, Lexie took an off-balance swing at the ball, but she missed the ball and it reached it’s target, striking Lexie out and keeping BLUR scoreless in the inning.

CHILI PEPPERS 2 – BLUR 0

2nd Inning
Lexie was back in to pitch in the 2nd. The strikeout in the 1st inning seemed to light a fire under Lexie and she started to throw some heat at the CHILI PEPPERS. The first pitch got past the batter on a swing. The next pitch went high to bring up 1 and 1. The batter took a swing on the next pitch and missed it again, but Lexie’s next pitch went low and the count was now at 2 and 2. Lexie found her strike on the next pitch and put some speed behind it that drew the swing and the miss, striking the batter out and winning the exchange. The action on the next batter was much the same as Lexie alternated between strikes and balls to bring the count to 2 and 1. The batter made contact on the next pitch and sent the ball on a hard bounce through the BLUR infield. Katelyn moved in from her position at 2nd base and got the stop. She got up and flipped it to Natalie, beating the runner to the bag and getting the 2nd out of the inning. Lexie turned her attention back to the plate and the next CHILI PEPPER batter. Lexie got the batter to swing on the 1st pitch for strike 1. She missed the mark on the 2nd pitch and the count evened up. But digging into her bag of tricks, Lexie threw heat on the next 2 pitches and got them past the batter’s swinging bat, striking her out and sending the CHILI PEPPER batter back to the dugout scratching her head.

Hylah was up 1st for BLUR in the 2nd inning. On the 1st pitch, Hylah took a swing and connected. The ball bounced down the 1st base side of the field as Hylah ran to 1st. The pitcher scrambled over to get to the ball, but an awkward bounce caused the pitcher to fall to the ground without making the throw and Hylah got on base. Natalie was up next. She also took a cut on the 1st pitch and connected. This time the ball bounced down the 3rd base line, giving Natalie enough time to reach 1st as Hylah made it to 2nd. Kas was up next. Kas took a swing at the CHILI PEPPER pitcher’s 1st pitch and connected. The ball went into foul territory for strike 1. Kas tipped the next pitch to bring up another strike. Kas continued to stay alive on foul balls as the count inched it’s way to full. On the next pitch, Kas finally connected solidly and sent the ball rolling through the CHILI PEPPER infield on the 1st base side. As Kas ran for 1st, the 2nd baseman got in front of the ball and scooped it up. She tossed it to 1st to get the out on Kas, but Hylah and Natalie moved into scoring position on the play. With 1 out and BLUR runners on 2nd and 3rd, Anna came to the plate to take her at bat. After throwing 3 straight ball pitches, Anna took a swing and sent one into foul territory. The CHILI PEPPER pitcher threw heat on the next pitch and Anna held her bat for the strike, bringing up full count. The pitcher took a hard look at Anna and threw heat right down the middle. Anna took a swing, but missed and was sent back to the BLUR dugout. A walk on Olivia loaded the bases. Destiny came up to bat next. Destiny held her bat as the pitcher tried to adjust to Destiny’s strike zone. The pitcher got behind early, but managed to bring it back, getting to full count. On the next pitch, Destiny took a swing. Misjudging the height, Destiny’s cut was high and sailed just above the incoming pitch. She struck out to bring a close to the 2nd inning.

CHILI PEPPERS 2 – BLUR 0

3rd Inning
Lexie was back in to pitch for the 3rd time in the game. She got off to a good start as the 1st batter took a swing and missed to start the inning off with a strike. The next pitch hit the ground to even the count up. A swing on Lexie’s next pitch connected and sent the ball into foul territory and Lexie got ahead. Then, Lexie brought one more around and got the batter to swing and miss for the strikeout. The next CHILI PEPPER batter came to the plate. Splitting the difference on her 1st 2 pitches, Lexie was dead even with the batter at 1 and 1. The batter took a swing on the next pitch and connected, driving the ball straight into the ground. Immediately, the batter took off for 1st and the ball bounced hitting her on the run as she tried to get clear. It was ruled a dead ball and the batter had to reset as she collected another strike for her troubles. The batter stayed alive on one more pitch as she hit one to foul territory. Then, Lexie threw one across the plate and caught the batter swinging for the 2nd strikeout in a row. The next CHILI PEPPER batter came to the plate. Lexie threw high on the 1st pitch for ball 1. She got the batter to swing at the next pitch to even up the count. The batter connected on the next pitch, sending a grounder through the infield, that got past Katelyn at 2nd , and out into the grass for a single. With a CHILI PEPPER runner on base and 2 outs, Lexie got to work on the next CHILI PEPPER batter. On the 1st pitch, the batter left her bat out on a bunt and drew the 1st strike. Lexie followed it up with a hard, fast ball for strike 2. The pitch got away from Lexie on the next 2 pitches and the count was even at 2 and 2. Then, breathing deeply in preparation for the pitch, Lexie found her target and delivered the ball. Lexie drilled the pitch into Hylah’s glove and sent the CHILI PEPPERS’ offense back to their dugout empty handed for the 2nd inning in a row.

Holding their own against the CHILI PEPPERS in the game so far, could BLUR get their offense going to get back in the game? Jessica was up 1st to see what she could do. On the 1st pitch, Jessica was surprised by the CHILI PEPPER pitcher’s speed. She held her bat and the pitch found its mark. Strike 1. The next pitch fired in to the CHILI PEPPER catcher’s glove, once again, stunning Jessica. Strike 2. On the next pitch, Jessica attempted a swing, but the pitcher’s speed was still freezing Jessica and she managed to bring the bat only half way around as the ball found it’s way to the catcher. Strike 3. Jessica returned to the BLUR dugout as Nikki took to the plate. Nikki came out swinging and made contact on the 1st pitch. She sent the ball across the foul line for strike 1. The next pitch came in and caught Nikki by surprise for strike 2. Not willing to go down without a fight, Nikki took a cut on the next pitch, but, again, the pitch came through too fast for Nikki to make contact and she struck out. Janessa was up next. After an initial ball pitch, Janessa battled against the CHILI PEPPERS’ pitcher, going shot for shot, bringing up full count. On the last-chance pitch, Janessa held her bat, hoping for a strike, but the pitch just grazed the inside of the strike zone and the umpire called it a strike and Janessa struck out to close out the 3rd inning.

CHILI PEPPERS 2 – BLUR 0

4th Inning
Moving into the 4th inning trailing by 2, BLUR tapped Natalie to take over at the rubber. Coming out guns a-blazin', Natalie threw her trademark fastball through to Kas, who was relieving Hylah at home. 3 in a row went through to Kas's glove and caught the batter swinging a couple of times for a strikeout. Natalie eased off a bit on the 2nd batter and after a high ball pitch, the batter got a piece of the next one and popped it up. Natalie easily moved under the ball to make the catch, securing the 2nd out of the inning. Natalie battled with the next batter and found her strike after 3 pitches. But the batter wouldn't go down without a fight and stayed alive with foul balls until the count was full. A miscue on Natalie's next pitch caused her to miss the mark and the CHILI PEPPER batter got on base with a walk. Natalie found the heat again and threw a strike pitch that the next batter tried to drop with a bunt. Leaving the bat out, the ball reached Kas's glove for the strike, but the runner on 1st aggressively took off for 2nd on a steal. Natalie followed it up with another fast strike, but the runner was unfazed as she continued on her mission to get to 3rd. Kas got up and tried the throw, but the ball arrived too late and the runner was safe at 3rd. After a high pitch, which brought the count to 1 and 2, the batter took a swing on the next pitch and sent the ball over the infield. The ball found a seam in the grass just behind 2nd base and the CHILI PEPPER batter scored a single and brought home the 3rd base runner. Natalie got back to work, but the CHILI PEPPER runners continued to apply the pressure. The 1st pitch went high and the runner on 1st stole 2nd. The next pitch missed the target as well, and the runner made her way into scoring position. Natalie found the strike on the next pitch and brought the count to 2 and 1. Natalie put another one across for another strike, but Kas couldn't get a handle on it and it got past her. The runner on 3rd took a shot and made it home on a steal. The next pitch brought up full count. The strike still eluding her, Natalie followed it up with another ball, which put another CHILI PEPPER on base. Trying to find a way out of the inning, Natalie got back to work on the next batter. Natalie threw her 1st pitch on the next batter. The batter took a swing and appeared to check it and the umpire called it a ball. On appeal, the base umpire overruled the call and Natalie earned the strike. Unfortunately, it was the only one on the batter as the next 3 pitches were ruled balls. On the 4th ball in a row, the batter walked to 1st. The next CHILI PEPPER batter came to the plate. Trying to get the runners moving, she took a swing on the 1st pitch and connected. The ball headed toward right field in a low arc. Katelyn stepped over and made the grab for the 3rd out of the inning and prevented the CHILI PEPPERS from scoring any more points in the 4th inning.

Back at the top of the lineup, the BLUR offense needed to figure out this pitcher if they were going to get back in this game. Rachel was up 1st. Rachel came out swinging. After a ball pitch, Rachel took swings and kept fouling the ball out. She stayed alive as she inched her way to full count. The next pitch came right down the middle and Rachel took a hard swing. She connected with the ball and sent it into right field. The right fielder got to the ball and fumbled it as Rachel turned the corner at 1st. The CHILI PEPPER outfielder quickly recovered and threw the ball to 2nd. The ball reached the 2nd baseman's glove just as Rachel came in to the base. Rachel tried to slide, but the 2nd baseman was ready for it and tagged Rachel out. Katelyn was up next. Katelyn fought hard against the CHILI PEPPER pitcher, and, after getting to full count, the pitcher threw a ball and Katelyn got on base. Jahlan came to the plate next. A low pitch came through for a ball. Then Jahlan held her bat on the next pitch, which was a strike. Repeating the pattern of the 1st 2 pitches, the pitcher split the difference with Jahlan and the count was at 2 and 2. On the next pitch, Jahlan took a swing. Unfortunately, she missed the ball and struck out. With 2 outs in the inning and Katelyn still stuck on 1st base, Lexie came to take her at bat. Swinging on the 1st pitch, Lexie missed the ball for a strike. The next pitch missed its target and evened up the count as Katelyn took a big lead off of 1st. The catcher got up and raised her hand to throw, but Katelyn wouldn't budge. The catcher released the ball to attempt the pickoff, but the ball went over the 1st baseman and Katelyn gunned it for 2nd. The pitcher got one more strike past Lexie. On the next pitch, Lexie took a swing and connected. On the bounce down the middle, the pitcher was able to reel it in and made the throw to 1st for the out on Lexie. BLUR continued to be stymied by the CHILI PEPPER defense.

CHILI PEPPERS 4 – BLUR 0

5th Inning
Natalie was back in to pitch in the 5th. Natalie threw 3 pitches on the 1st batter before she found her strike zone. After ball on the next pitch, Natalie was able to follow it up with a strike pitch to get the batter to swing . Missing the ball, the batter struck out. The next batter came out swinging aggressively and connected on Natalie's 1st pitch. The ball popped up high over the infield and both Natalie and Janessa went for the ball. They both called it and neither backed down. Avoiding the collision, but still getting in each other's way, the ball found a gap between them and hit the ground and the runner made it to 1st. The 3rd CHILI PEPPER batter of the inning came to the plate. Natalie's 1st pitch was high and the runner stole 2nd on the passed ball. The batter started to swing at everything as Natalie started to find her strike zone. The batter fouled out the next 2 pitches, bringing up 1 and 2. The next pitch got past Kas and the runner on 2nd took off. Kas recovered and tried to throw the runner out at 3rd, but the ball got there too late and Janessa didn't have time to turn and apply the tag. Natalie went back to work. The batter continued to stay alive on fouls until Natalie threw a ball pitch that put the batter on base. With CHILI PEPPER runners on 1st and 3rd, Natalie got the next batter to swing and miss for strike 1. The batter took a swing on the next pitch and connected. The ball found a seam on the 1st base side of the field and Lexie went after it. Lexie bobbled the ball on the way up and, with extra time, the runner crossed 1st as the other runners advanced and scored 1 run for the CHILI PEPPERS. With runners on 1st and 2nd, Natalie brought back the heat and got one past the next batter for a strike. The batter tried to get the next one, but only managed a foul tip to bring the count to 0 and 2. A passed ball on the next pitch allowed the CHILI PEPPER runner on 2nd to reach 3rd on a successful steal. A low pitch evened up the count at 2 and 2. Then Natalie turned it on again, getting the ball past the frozen batter for the strikeout and the 2nd out of the inning. Riding the wave, Natalie brought the heat again on her 1st pitch against the next CHILI PEPPER batter. On the next pitch, the batter popped the ball up high over the infield. With the ball headed toward center field, it started to drop and the BLUR short stop, 2nd baseman and right center fielder converged on the ball. With no communication between the 3 defensive BLUR players on the play, they backed off at the last second and all watched as the ball bounced off of 2nd base. The CHILI PEPPER runners were on the move and another run came home. With CHILI PEPPER runners now on 1st and 3rd, the next batter hit Natalie's next pitch toward 3rd base. Janessa rushed in to make the catch, but couldn't secure the ball and it dropped to the ground. As she scrambled to get the ball, the runner on 3rd took off for home and scored. With CHILI PEPPER runners now on 1st and 2nd, the 8th batter of the inning came to the plate. After an initial ball pitch, the batter hit one out into left field. Reacting quickly, Anna got in front of the ball and picked it up. She quickly threw the ball back to the infield and prevented the runners from scoring, but the bases were now loaded. The next batter came out to bring her teammates home. She took a swing at Natalie's 1st pitch and got a piece of it. On the bounce, Natalie moved in and scooped up the ball. She turned and threw to 1st for the 3rd out, but the CHILI PEPPERS added 3 points to their lead in the inning and were inching away from BLUR in the game.

Hylah was up 1st in the 5th. After taking a ball on the 1st pitch, Hylah took a swing on the next one and connected. The ball went high over the 1st base foul line in right field. As the ball came down the CHILI PEPPER right fielder thought that it would land in foul territory, but as it bounced, the umpire called it fair before it rolled out. The play was on, and Hylah had time to reach 1st base. Natalie was up next. A low pitch brought up 1 and 0. The CHILI PEPPER pitcher managed to string together 2 strikes to bring the count on Natalie to 1 and 2. On the next pitch, Natalie hit the ball down the middle and the ball got past the pitcher and the short stop missed the grab, but slowed down the ball as Hylah approached 2nd base. Hylah slowed her pace as the short stop and pitcher scrambled to pick up the ball. Then, Hylah saw an opening and skipped around the CHILI PEPPER players to make it safely to 2nd. Kas was up next. On the 1st pitch, Kas made contact and sent the ball on a tear through the CHILI PEPPER infield. The 2nd baseman contained the ball, holding Kas to a single and the bases were loaded for BLUR. Anna was up next. The pitcher had trouble finding the strike zone and walked her, bringing Hylah across the plate and putting BLUR on the board for the 1st time in the game. Olivia was up next and with the bases loaded, she wanted to control her own fate on her at bat. Swinging on the 1st pitch, Olivia hit the ball down the 1st base line and the runners were on the move. The 1st baseman came off the bag to collect the ball, but bobbled it as she made her turn to 1st. Having little time to get to the base, the 1st baseman recovered the ball and went after Olivia, getting the tag just before Olivia reached 1st. While the CHILI PEPPER defense was occupied, the other runners advanced and Natalie came across the plate, scoring another run for BLUR. Destiny came to the plate next. Trying to put an end to the inning, the CHILI PEPPER pitcher started turning on the heat. She strung 3 pitches together that caught Destiny by surprise as she held her bat hoping for a ball that never came. The pitcher sent Destiny back to the BLUR dugout with the 2nd out. Jessica was up next. Getting behind in the count against Jessica, the CHILI PEPPER pitcher fought her way back to full count. Her next pitch went wide and Jessica got on base with a walk. Nikki was up next. Again, it was a back and forth battle with Nikki as the pitcher worked up to full count again. This time, the next pitch was dead on and squeaked past Nikki's bat, striking her out and limiting the BLUR offense to 2 runs in the inning.

CHILI PEPPERS 7 – BLUR 2

6th Inning
With time running out in the game and darkness falling over the ball fields, this would be the last inning of the game. The CHILI PEPPER girls had BLUR's number all night long. This would be BLUR's last shot at a comeback. Lexie was brought in to pitch the final inning of the evening. Having cooled off over the last 2 innings, Lexie struggled to find her pitch. With the exception of 1 swing for a strike, Lexie couldn't find the mark on the 1st 2 batters and they both got on base. With CHILI PEPPER runners on 1st and 2nd, the next batter came out swinging. She missed the 1st one for a strike. Then, the batter fouled out the next pitch for strike 2. The next pitch hit the ground, bringing up ball 1 and a passed ball evened up the count as the runners stole their way into scoring position. On the next pitch, the batter got a hit and sent the ball deep into the BLUR right field. As the BLUR defense scrambled for the ball and threw it back to the infield, the batter reached 2nd and 2 CHILI PEPPER runners scored. On the 1st pitch on the next batter, the ball hit the ground and rolled away from Hylah and gave the runner time to reach 3rd and pressure BLUR with the threat of another run. Lexie fought back to full count on the batter. On her last pitch, the ball was low and the batter walked. The next CHILI PEPPER batter came to the plate. After 1 ball and 1 strike, the batter took a swing on the next pitch and got one past Katelyn's outstretched glove for a single and brought 1 more run home, giving the CHILI PEPPERS a double-digit score. Lexie got it together on the next batter. She strung 2 strikes together and got ahead in the count. The batter took a swing on the next pitch but sent it into foul territory. After a couple of balls, the batter took a swing yet again and continued to stay alive with foul balls. Finally, Lexie was able to get the batter to swing and Lexie was able to get the batter out of there. After taking a ball, the next batter took a swing on the next pitch, sending it again at Katelyn playing 2nd base. Running to make the catch on the fly, Katelyn turned her glove over at the last second and the ball hit and bounced out. The batter scored a single on the play and brought 1 more CHILI PEPPER run across home plate. The next CHILI PEPPER batter threw out a bunt on the 1st pitch. The ball popped up and hit the runner as she was trying to get to 1st. Strike 1. She attempted the bunt again on Lexie's next pitch. This time, she left it out as the ball sailed over. Strike 2. Lexie's next pitch was ruled a ball, but she got the batter swinging again. Unfortunately, the batter stayed alive by continuing to make contact and fouling the ball out. Slowly, but surely, the count filled up. On the next pitch, the batter hit the ball and sent a grounder down the 1st base line. Natalie scooped it up and stepped on 1st base to get the 2nd out of the inning, but 1 more CHILI PEPPER made it home to bring the CHILI PEPPER score to 12. The next batter came to the plate. Lexie missed her target on the 1st 2 pitches and got behind in the count, but she found the strike zone again and got the batter to miss and foul it out on the next 2 pitches to even up the count. The batter took a swing on the next pitch and, once again, it was a foul tip. Keeping her eye on the ball, Hylah snatched the foul ball out of the air to get the 3rd and final out on the CHILI PEPPERS for this game.

Trailing by 10, the game seemed out of reach, but the BLUR offense was game to get back at it. Janessa was up 1st in the inning. After a ball on the 1st pitch, Janessa got a hit. The ball rolled through the CHILI PEPPER infield on its way to the right field grass. The CHILI PEPPER 2nd baseman got in front of the ball and picked it up. Turning for the throw, the 2nd baseman flipped the ball to 1st and got the 1st out. Rachel was next. The pitcher lost control of her 1st pitch and Rachel was awarded 1st base as she got hit by the ball. Katelyn came to the plate next. The pitcher's 1st pitch on Katelyn got past the catcher for a ball and Rachel easily stole 2nd. The CHILI PEPPER pitcher found her target on the next pitch as Katelyn held her bat and the count was at 1 and 1. Katelyn took a swing on the next pitch and missed for strike 2. The next pitch came through and Katelyn held her bat as the pitch looked like it was going wide. Unfortunately, it stayed in and the umpire ruled it a strike and Katelyn was sent back to the BLUR dugout with the 2nd out of the inning and BLUR's chances to get back in the game were quickly slipping away. Jahlan came to the plate and, being the last chance batter, decided to come out swinging. She took a swing on the 1st pitch and put the ball in play. She took off for 1st as the ball rolled up the middle of the infield. The pitcher strolled in to pick up the ball. With plenty of time, the pitcher connected with her 1st baseman, beating Jahlan to 1st for the out. With the BLUR offense denied in the 6th, the game was called and the CHILI PEPPERS handed BLUR their biggest loss of the season.

Final Score
CHILI PEPPERS 12 – BLUR 2

Game Ball
With BLUR only able to put 2 points on the board in the game, there was very little BLUR offense on display. However, the BLUR defense had a great showing as they held the very tough CHILI PEPPERS for the better part of the game. The one thing that stood out all game was the fact that Olivia, when she was out in the outfield, showed such impressive leadership and situational awareness when she took control of the outfield by calling for defensive adjustments, completely on her own. For every situation, she moved the BLUR defenders into the correct positions without any input from her coaches and it didn't go unnoticed. So, for showing great leadership qualities and game awareness, as well as getting the 1 hit that brought a run home for BLUR, Olivia was awarded the game ball. Great work Olivia!

Saturday - April 24, 9am vs. FIREBALLS

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!