The Wolverines got to be both on Saturday at the Spring Break Tournament. They followed their worst game of the season with their best game of the season. A non-competitive 12-4 loss to the Oakton Cougars was followed immediately by a dominant 11-0 shellacking of the Robinson Rams, suggesting that Wolverines have far more problems with predator mascots than with grass-eating mascots.
Kate's back -- at least in the field.
The highlight for the game came when the Wolverines took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning. Nikki Minnis, in a replay of the start of Friday's night's game against West Springfield, reached second after the first baseman couldn't handle the throw on a routine grounder. Nikki later scored on a wild pitch, and the rout wasn't on.
Eliza holds her swing.
The Cougars pounced in the bottom of the third, scoring seven runs to put the game out of reach at 10-1. Oakton cobbled together five singles, a base on balls, three errrors, and a wild pitch to dispirit the West Potomac squad. After six runs in and just one out, Christina Dillard retired two out of three in relief, but the damage was done.
Christina provided some needed relief.
West Potomac tried to rally in the top of the fourth, scoring three runs before the rally fizzled. Maddie Miller led off with an infield single, scoring later on a wild pitch. Annabelle Miller followed her sister's hit with a hard single up the middle. Raven Williams reached on a fielding error, followed by a mental error by the third baseman. Jayne Orleans lined a shot up the middle that ticked off the pitcher's mitt and still had enough power to reach centerfield, driving in two runs.
Raven slides in -- safe!
After that, West Potomac only had one more baserunner for the entire game, when Eliza Treadway singled up the middle. Meanwhile, the Cougars tagged on two more runs, aided by two more Wolverine errors.
Before we turn the page on that game, West Potomac gave up five walks (four of whom scored), and committed four errors (all of which resulted in Cougar runs).
The second game saw an entirely different Wolverine team show up and play ball. While it took a few innings for the offense to get going, once they did it was the most damage with the bats the team has done this season.
The Robinson coach witlessly fueled the Wolverine rally by taking verbal cheap shots at the Wolverine pitcher and catcher. Once word spread of his trash talk, the angry West Potomac hitters stood up for their aggrieved teammates and battered the Ram pitcher in the third inning.
The game started slowly, as the Wolverines had two runners reach base but fail to score in each of the first two innings. Annabelle's infield single in the first went for naught, as she died on second after Raven was hit by a pitch. Then, in the second, Torie Bolger's walk and Olivia Manous's infield single also went for naught.
Speed kills: Olivia legs out an infield single.
Meanwhile, Jayne was cruising, showing a command that wasn't there in the first game. She retired the side in the first on six pitches, gave up a single to start the second, but then got three quick outs. The third inning featured a little more excitement, but a potential problem was erased by Nikki's cat-like reflexes at short. Annabelle knocked down a hard liner, and it spun to Nikki. She fired to first, getting the runner by a half step.
Anatomy of a play: the ball slams off Annabelle's mitt
Nikki adjusts to the ball.
The runner on second takes off.
Nikki scoops.
Out or safe? Blue made Robinson blue.
Maddie got the hit parade started in the bottom of the third with a looping double to right. Annabelle drove her big sister in for the first run of the with a harshly smacked double to left center. The Wolverines went back-to-back-to-back doubles when Raven hit one to the same spot Annabelle had just hit hers. After Jayne drove in the third run of the game with a single, the Rams pulled their pitcher. Torie popped a single to center. Megan Jackson slammed the fourth Wolverine double of inning, earning two RBI. Olivia's groundout to second brought in Megan with the sixth run of the inning.
Maddie gets the hit parade started with a double
The big inning featured no errors by Robinson, and no walks. It was all hitting, pounded out six in a row, including four doubles. It was the most complete hitting inning of the season to date.
Annabelle steams into second after her
RBI double opened up the scoring.
No, this is not the same play, just the next pitch.
Raven deposited it in the same place Annabelle did.
The top of the fourth was highlighted by a wild play in which the runner on second was cut down at home on a single to center. The ball traveled an unusual route, going from Olivia in center to Annabelle at third to Harley Devine behind the plate.
Torie's single falls between three Rams.
Megan hurts Coach Maniglia's hand while celebrating
her two run double (took third on the throw)
West Potomac then tacked on three more runs. Annabelle walked, Raven got an infield single, and both scored on Jayne's RBI single (one of the runners came home on an error). Eliza, running for Jayne, scored on an error by the first baseman.
Christina Dillard came in for a one-two-three inning, capped by a strikeout in the fifth. The game ended on the mercy rule when West Potomac had four straight singles to lift the score to 11-0. Katie Hinkel hit a single over the shortstop's head to left, then Nikki singled between short and 3rd. Maddie lined a single to left so hard that Katie had to stop at third. Annabelle's single and two RBIs was the last play of the game.
The sloppy fielding of the first game disappeared in the second -- West Potomac did not commit an error. The pitching was sharper too -- no walks and just four scattered singles were allowed.
There was no word on what, if any, additional trash talking the Robinson coach did.
Wolverine Whispers: The team has a 7-2 record, with two more games on Monday before a well-earned Spring Break rest. The schedule for Monday:
12:00
WP vs Annandale @WP
2:00
Osborne vs Annandale @ WP
4:00
WP vs Osborne @ WP While it is a workday, Coach Craig is hopeful for a big crowd during the lunch hour to cheer on the team. And, 4pm is close enough to the end of the day, you can always claim an important meeting in Alexandria!
On the day, Annabelle and Jayne led the damage at the plate. On the day, Annabelle had four hits and three RBIs, Jayne had three hits and four RBIs. Also contributing significantly at the plate were Maddie (three hits, one RBI), and Megan (2 RBI). Raven had a single and a double, but also reached on an error, and was hit by a pitch.
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