The game started with injured seniors Torie Bolger and Nikki Minnis in the field for their usual starting positions. After a ceremonial first pitch that did not count (to avoid risk of further injury), both came out of the game.
Thankfully, Grace didn't actually lose
her head on this second inning groundout.
It only looks that way.
The injuries forced Coach Craig "The Big Manig" to juggle his line-up. He moved first baseman Raven Williams to shortstop (Coach Matt Williams will probably move Ryan Zimmerman to short next time Ian Desmond is hurt), leftfielder Harley Devine played catcher (Jayson Werth will NOT be playing catcher -- he can barely play left), and designated hitter Olivia Manous went to leftfield. With Olivia in left, Megan Jackson in center, and Maddie Miller in right, it was an all Class of 2015 outfield (and an all underclassperson infield, with the exception of the pitcher!).
Olivia tracks down a flyball
The win was a nice bounce back from Friday's 7-1 loss to South County, and came prior to yesterday's 10-0 loss to Lake Braddock. The regular season is now done, and team finished 13-7 overall, and 8-3 in the conference.
Megan ready to rap a single. It's really the
only kind of rap needed at a softball game
Jayne had a perfect game through four innings, but a lead-off soft single in the fifth proved to be the first of just two Spartan base runners. West Springfield could have sent 300 Spartans to the plate (instead of 23) and they would have had a difficult time reaching base. Jayne walked a batter in the seventh, and struck out six.
The juggled defense was pretty seamless, committing no errors. Grace Moery had four putouts and three assists at second base, and Maddie had three putouts in right, as Jayne got three innings worth of outs by inducing the Spartans to hit to the right side. Along with her two innings worth of strikeouts, that meant the entire rest of the fielders were used in six other outs. Every healthy senior fielded at least one ball.
Annabelle fires for the final out in the 5th inning
The score remained 2-0 until the bottom of the sixth. In fact, while there were the occasional walk, Annabelle's hit in the bottom of the fifth was the first West Potomac hit since Jayne's in the first.
Jayne led off the home sixth with a single to right. Her personal pinchrunner, Elizabeth Drotos, took second on a wild pitch. Elizabeth went to third on Maddie's single. Megan brought Elizabeth in with a rocketed single to left. Harley doubled down the leftfield line for the final two runs.
Wolverine Whispers: I'm predicting that the first round of the conference tournament will be Monday night at West Potomac. If the Wolverines win, they'll more likely than not be playing at South County on Wednesday. HOWEVER, the preceding sentence is, like many things written by bloggers, purely speculative and I have ZERO information on whether it is true or not.
You should instead rely upon the email from Mrs. Team Rep that will be forthcoming as soon as she gets that information. Of course, given the nature of high school athletics, there is a 50% chance that will change before next week anyhow. So, assume it is true until it is updated. Do not assume this blog is true.
The fielding gem of the night was made by Raven Williams, starting her fourth different position in her varsity career (catcher, third, first, and now shortstop). She grabbed a slow chopper and fired to first to catch the fleet-footed Spartan by a step to end the sixth inning. Caroline Bowman also made a nice play, catching a VERY low throw from the pitcher for the first out of the seventh inning.
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