Wolverines Nip Westfield 1-0 in Defensive Showdown

In what was one of the best displays of defense ever brought to a high school field, the West Potomac Wolverines clinched the win over the Westfield Bulldogs in a 1-0 victory. These girls showed up ready to play. West Po’s defense proved superior – not committing any errors all night. The pitching on both teams was superb – each pitcher issued just two free passes. The girls put the bat on the ball, with hardly any K’s going down in the scorebook. It took less time to complete this game, than it took for the bus to get to Westfield.

As lead-off batter, Nikki Minnis had the first hit of the evening, ripping a line drive down the third base line. Annabelle Miller got on base after getting nailed in the ankle by a pitch, putting Nikki in scoring position. Raven Williams then blasted a hit to right field, scoring Nikki. This would be the only run of the entire evening.

In the bottom of the first, West Po’s defense kicked into action and didn’t let up all night long. Maybe it was the 2 hour bus ride that got them fired them up. Maybe it was the incentive of Sweet Frog on the way home. Regardless, the West Po defense was tighter than a fat man in spandex. Jayne Orleans easily fielded the first out; Kate Gregory then made a nice double play, tagging the runner going to second and then flipping it to Raven at first.

The second and third innings zipped by, with both teams playing tough defense.

In the top of the 4th after two hard hit foul balls to right field, Raven confused the Westfield defense by pulling the next pitch hard to left center field, getting herself her second hit of the evening. Olivia Manous then laid down a bunt, which slipped by the pitcher, allowing both runners to advance safely. With runners on first and second and no outs, it seemed another West Po run might be imminent. No such luck, however; the Westfield defense stepped up and got the next three batters out, leaving two stranded.

In an effort to prove that West Po’s outfield defense is just as good as their infield defense, Maddie Miller made a nice diving catch in the bottom of the fourth, keeping the base runner at second, and securing the second out.  Jayne then fielded a ground ball, getting West Po out of the inning.

Things got exciting in the bottom of the 5^th. Jayne struck out the first batter with her change-up pitch – which is getting more and more accurate each day. That batter stood there looking, as that pretty pitch gently sailed right through the strike zone. The next batter (who was no small girl – they grow them big in Loudon County) blasted a ball to deep right field, getting herself a triple. With a Westfield runner on third, the crowd was getting nervous but West Po’s defense was not. Nothing could shake these girls tonight. Kate fielded a ground ball for the second out, then Jayne got her fourth strike out of the game. The West Po fans breathed a sigh of relief.

Westfield rallied again in the bottom of 6^th – to no avail. Raven easily fielded a ground ball for the first out of the inning. The next batter walked. With one runner on and one out, Westfield’s bench started making noise.  Raven shushed them by catching a foul ball up against the fence right near their dugout; Olivia then extinguished any remaining spark of hope they had by catching a fly ball hit deep to left field. Done and done.

The Wolverines made an attempt at a two-out rally in the top of the 7^th. Maddie hit a nice line drive up the middle. Nikki then hit a hard line drive to right field, putting Maddie in scoring position. But the Westfield defense secured the next out, getting themselves out of a sticky situation.

It was now the bottom of the 7^th, the score was 1-0, and the (not so small) Westfield girl who blasted it to the right field fence earlier in the game was up to bat. On the 1-1 count, she ripped a bullet line drive down the first base line. That ball came off the bat faster than a buttered bullet. Whether it was Raven’s cat-like reflexes or her pure survival instincts that kicked in, we’ll never know. In the split second it took for that ball to get there, Raven got her glove up and made the catch. It was an incredible display of defense (and reflex!).  

Kate then fielded a ground ball for the second out. West Po was only one out away from sealing the win. With a 3-0 count, Jayne battled back, putting 2 strikes over the plate. The count was now full, the fans were now breaking a light sweat, but the West Po defense was cool as a cucumber. The batter hit a grounder to Annabelle at third, who cleanly fielded it, and threw out the girl at first. BAM! That’s all she wrote. Not one defensive error all night long for West Po. Those girls brought it tonight, beating Westfield 1-0.

The West Po fans couldn’t have been prouder of their girls, and Coach Craig “The Big Manig” Maniglia made good on his word with a Sweet Frog pit-stop on the (much shorter) bus ride home.

Wolverine Whispers:  Raven went 2 for 3 this evening, adding several more RBIs to her portfolio. The defense proved they can handle anything they are served. Jayne’s pitching is spot-on.  This West Po team is no joke. The next game is Friday, April 4^th against Lake Braddock … on their turf.  Let’s make the trek across town (it’s far closer than Westfield) and fill those stands with blue!