Unicorns. Pots of gold at the end of rainbows. A politician who consistently tells the truth. The West Potomac Wolverines beating the South County Stallions in softball. All four are things I thought I would never see. I will take the one out of four, and I have pretty low expectations on the first three (I'm still holding out hope for the unicorn, but not the honest politician).
The Wolverines blew open a tight, taut, tightrope of a game with a seven run sixth inning, and defeated the Stallions 11-2 in one of the most complete, well-played games I've seen in my five years watching the team. The game follows on the heels of last Friday's 13-0 loss to Lake Braddock, which was the (SAT word alert!) nadir for the program in that time span. From zeroes to heroes in six days.
The win over South County marks the team's first win over one of the two Evil Empire schools (Lake Braddock being the other) in many years. For years I believed if we were ever going to defeat one (or both!) of those two teams, it would be a 2-1 or 3-2 game. Instead it was a comfortable win, although the final score belies the on edge feeling for most of the game.
It was a complete victory. The fielding was flawless. The hitting was timely. The pitching was dominant. The base-running was aggressive. The parents were appropriately nervous through five innings.
Pitcher Jayne Orleans came out firing. In the bottom of the first, she struck out the first two hitters and got the third out on a comebacker to the mound. (Editor's Note: It's not a mound in softball, it's a pitcher's circle. Reporter: Sportswriter creative license.)
Olivia Manous led off the top of the second with an infield single up the middle. Not too many teams have the luxury of a clean-up hitter with speed to burn. Olivia moved to second on a ground out. With two outs, Maddie Miller enticed a walk, with Olivia taking third on the wild pitch. Jayne then smacked one deep to center. The ball hit off the sprinting outfielder's mitt, and the Wolverines led 2-0 after her double.
The Stallions struck back in the home half of the second, scoring a run on two singles, a wild pitch, and two fielder's choice plays. The damage could have been worse, as South County had runners on second and third with just one out, but Jayne induced two groundouts and allowed just one runner to score.
In the third, a Raven Williams single up the middle went for naught, but the Wolverines were hitting the ball, and bound to break through.
The game remained 2-1 until the top of the fifth. Jayne led off the inning with her second hit of the game, singling to right. Elizabeth Drotos came in to pinch run. She went to second on a passed ball, went to third on a throwing error by the third baseman, and scored on a wild pitch. The manufactured run put the team up 3-1.
South County answered back with a run in the home half of the fifth. With runners on first and second, a Stallion single to left was fielded by Harley Devine. The throw to the plate, the tag, and the out call. Except the umpire inexplicably signaled safe. After the game, when I checked with the catcher, she matter of factly said the runner was out.
(Editor's Note: "Factly" Is that even a word? Reporter: Probably not, but it should be. Editor: Just because it "should be" doesn't mean it should be. Reporter: Hey, if the language people can decide "literally" also means "figuratively," I can make up words that ought to be words. Editor: I see you are literally still bitter about literally no longer meaning anything.)
Factly or not factly, it was now 3-2, setting up the Wolverines for a gut punch loss to South County where we lose 4-3 in extra innings because of a blown call. (Admit it. Anyone with a daughter on the team for more than this season was thinking that.)
But instead of a gut punch by the Stallions, the Wolverines connected in the top of the sixth with a haymaker. It started harmlessly enough, but by the end of the inning, West Potomac had strung together seven runs on eight hits, and in the process threw the monkey off their backs. All of the hits were singles, but they were hits nonetheless. South County committed two errors in the inning, but it was the drip-drip-drip of eight singles that did the Stallions in more than their faulty glove work.
Raven started out with a single to right. Olivia followed up with a single to right. Annabelle Miller's single scored Raven. Caroline Bowman reached first on an error, earning an RBI in the process. Maddie's single to left drove in another run, and suddenly it was 6-2. Jayne followed with her third hit of the game, an RBI single. Megan Jackson reached on an error as a run scored. Grace scratched out an infield single, driving in another run.
The Wolverines sang their version of (Old guy radio alert!) the Beach Boys "I Get Around," changing to lyrics to 'Round, 'round, bat around, I bat around." Olivia got her second hit of the inning, singling to center to drive in the final two runs of the seven run stunner.
Handed a comfortable lead, Jayne did not fool with it. She retired the Stallions 1-2-3 in the sixth, which also happened to be the first inning of the game where she did not get an out on a comebacker.
West Potomac then tacked on one more run. Maddie ripped a double to left that bounced once and hit the fence. Jayne then smacked one off the wall in left center for back-to-back doubles and an 11-2 lead.
South County's fences are 220 feet from home, making it the biggest field in Conference Seven. Jayne's hit would have easily been a home run at any other park the Wolverines play in, and Maddie's would have had a pretty good chance to get out as well.
The Stallions only managed a single in the bottom half of the inning. When the last fly ball settled into Maddie's mitt in right, the Wolverines had knocked off the defending state champions in definitive fashion.
This is, as they say in sports, a statement win. Rainbows come after storms, and the Wolverines found their own pot of gold following the storm that was the sloppy loss to Lake Braddock. It's a long season, but there is no question that this victory is the best one of the season so far.
Wolverine Whispers: Because of the dramatic victory, Fairfax County kindly closed schools for today so the girls could celebrate last night, as the bus stopped for ice cream on the way back from the game. However, there's no rest for the weary (except that they could all sleep late today), as the Wolverines travel to West Springfield tonight for a 6:30 game. This one promises to be close.
Be sure to invite your friends, neighbors, people you know, and complete strangers to bring their cars to the Aldersgate Methodist church parking lot for the team car wash from 9am to 2pm tomorrow (Editor's note: Of course it's the parking lot! What, are they going to drive their cars into the sanctuary for the wash? Reporter: Sort of a car baptism, eh?). No better day than an 81 degree day for a car wash. The rules are that we can't set a price, so we rely on donations. Don't let your friends be cheap!
The fielding gem of the night came when Maddie dashed the hopes of a Stallion by taking away a single. Her throw to Raven at first just nipped the run, and the South County appeal was nixed. Maddie added seven putouts in right, as she and Grace Moery at 2nd base (three assists) saw the bulk of the glove action. Jayne added five assists, helping her own cause with solid glove work.
After starting the game with two strikeouts, Jayne only got one more for a total of three (for those of you who reaching for a calculator, you are welcome for the time I just saved you there, although I just took it back, and then some, by forcing you to read this lengthy sidebar.) She only walked one South County-ite, and scattered six hits for a dominant performance.
Jayne also went four for four with two of the team's three doubles, and four RBIs. Given that South County had six hits off her, Jayne personally rapped two-thirds the number of hits that she gave up.
Olivia had three hits and two RBIs. Raven and Maddie also had two hits. Overall, the team had 14 hits, including eight in the top of the sixth. Other RBIs were earned by Annabelle, Caroline, and Maddie.
On to the Spartans!
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