(Continuation games are like reindeer games, except they are not celebrated in song.)
Tuesday night, the Wolverines were one out away from winning in a required five innings when thunder and lightning struck -- literally, not figuratively (see the previous story for the difference). Despite a refusal of the heavens to rain, the thunder and lightning show continued for long enough to require a return trip to the bucolic Rolling Road home of West Springfield.
"We actually practice continuation games. We will start a drill in practice, and in the middle, I will stop it. We then pick up the drill several days later right where we left off. We did this about ten times this season," said Coach Craig Maniglia. "Doing this gets the girls ready mentally and physically for just this situation where we stop play on a Tuesday and continue on a Saturday," Maniglia added in a couple of quotes I just totally made up. (Editor's Note: Uh, that completely contravenes all standards of journalism. Reporter's Note: This is a blog, who said anything about journalism?)
Jayne Orleans and Christina Dillard combined for a one hit shutout. If it weren't for a sole Spartan single in the seventh, it would have been a no-hitter (Editor: I think people understand that "one hit" is one more than none. Reporter: I just don't want to overestimate the intelligence of our readership.)
The victory is the Wolverines ninth shutout win of the season, and drives their record to an impressive 15-5 as they head into district conference tourney play. (Editor: Tourney? Reporter: It's insider speak for "tournament." Aren't you impressed with the lingo that I know? Editor: Whatevs.)
Before the game started, the PA system played the "Spartans, prepare for glory" line from the movie "300." Apparently, both "prepare" and "glory" have different definitions in West Springfield than they do in Alexandria section of Fairfax County.
Not much happened offensively in the game for the Wolverines until the third inning. After reaching on a fielder choice in the first, Grace Moery stole second but got no further. Meanwhile, Jayne mixed in a strikeout on a change-up in the first.
In the second inning, Torie Bolger and Nikki Minnis combined on an alert ("be alert, the world need more lerts!") play. With a runner on first, there was a mini popup that neither Jayne nor Torie could catch. The ball hit the ground and went right into Torie's bare hand. The runner had to stick close to first in case of a catch, so Torie easily gunned the ball to Nikki covering second for the force.
In the top of the third, the Wolverines followed the old adage, "when someone gives you a gift, open it."(Editor's note: Unless it's a Trojan horse. Reporter: That was before my time.) After an out, Kate Gregory reached on an error. Nikki thought that was cool, so she also reached on an error. Grace got the first Wolverine hit of the game to load the bases. Annabelle Miller followed the Wee Willie Keeler advice and "hit it where they ain't" -- just over the third baseman's head. Annabelle's hit doubled in two runs to put the team up 2-0.
In the bottom of the third, Torie alertly picked-off a runner who reached on a walk, and the PA system did not play the "Spartans, prepare for glory" line. ("Be alert! The world needs more lerts!") In the top of the fourth, Kate singled and stole second, but that was it for the inning.
In the bottom of the fourth, the Spartans had their first hit of the game taken right away from them by another alert Wolverine defensive play. The runner on first who walked with one out held close to first on a flare to center. The ball dropped in, but Grace alertly pegged the ball to Nikki for the force at second (be alert! The world needs more lerts!)
The Wolverines broke the game open in the visiting half of the fifth. Grace led off by strategically getting hit by a pitch. After a wild pitch, she moved to second, scoring on Annabelle's single to left center for her third RBI of the game. Raven Williams reached on a fielder's choice, and then scored the old-fashioned way -- moving up on a wild pitch, then alertly scoring from second on a dropped third strike (that's four alert plays so far, for those keeping track at home). (Be alert! The world needs more lerts!)
Jayne reached on an infield single, and then Torie moved her pinch-runner (Harley Divine) to second with a smashed single through short. Harley went to third on a passed ball and scored on a wild pitch to make it 5-0.
In the bottom of the fifth, the lightning started (again, literally, not figuratively). Wolverine parents rooted for three outs, but it was not to be. After a walk to the lead-off hitter, the Spartan took second on a sacrifice bunt down 5-0 (Editor: so, you disapprove of small ball in a 5-0 deficit? Reporter: yes.) Jayne struck out the next batter for the second out, but never got to pitch to the fourth hitter of inning, as the umps heard thunder. (So, the umps couldn't see the lightning but did hear the thunder -- insert your own blind ump joke here. Actually, just kidding -- to be fair to the umps, the lightning was off to the north, not in a direction either were looking.)
(Please wait four days to read the rest of this article.)
(I said, wait four days!)
Saturday dawned clear and bright. The game picked up where it left off -- Spartan on second, two outs, bottom of the fourth. Christina took over on the mound, striking out the last batter. A clever (and handsome) West Potomac parent, jokingly shouted "good inning girls!" as they jogged off the field. To the credit of all, parents from both teams laughed at my the handsome stranger's witty line.
Nikki stole a base after a walk in the sixth, but nothing else happened. Then, in the seventh, the Wolverines tacked on three more runs. Raven singled. Elizabeth Drotos pinch-ran, and beat the throw to second on a failed fielder's choice. She and Izzy Crawn both scored on Caroline Bowman's towering double to right center field, as the JV call-up smartly earned two RBI in an audition for next season. After a wild pitch, Kate earned an RBI on a groundout to close out the scoring.
West Springfield led off the bottom of the last inning with their one aforementioned hit, but it was for naught. After Annabelle erased the successful hitter at second on an assist to Kate, the third sacker finished things off by catching a line drive and alertly (be alert! the world needs more lerts!) throwing to first for the twin killing. (Note to squeamish readers: it's NOT literally a twin killing; it's a euphemism for a double play, only much more dramatic to the mind of a sportswriter who needs something better to do with their life.)
(Editor: You used that trite "be alert, the world needs more. . ." phrase five times! Reporter: It never gets old, does it? Editor: Actually, yes it did, part-way through the first use!)
Wolverine Whispers: Monday night, which is either tomorrow or tonight, depending on when you read this (or three days ago if you actually followed my explicit directions above to wait four days before reading the article), West Potomac hosts Woodson in the opening of what hopefully will be three conference playoff games.
A win Monday sends the Wolverines to South County for the semi-finals (assuming South County sneaks past Annandale in their first round game) and also clinches a spot in the regionals. The first game of regionals would be on Friday, May 30th, which means the Team Rep's husband won't have to spend a ton of money on an anniversary dinner. Because the team rep's husband doesn't have to wear a suit on a Friday night, he should slip the person who scheduled the game for that day a fiver in thanks. But he's too cheap.
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