For starters.....congratulations to the Pirates for knocking off the second place team. We are now poised to paint the conference trophy purple. With 2 wins tonight, we will at least win a share of the title.
PROM: Premature Rigormortis of the Mind. Softball usually has to endure unusual things such as garage sales, class trips, Proms, and sometimes even opponents. We have survived Prom, but our baserunning showed the weekend preparation of nails, hair things, flowers, dancing, staying up late, fevers over 100 and general lack of concentration. Now I understand that most of the readers weren't at the game so you will have to take my word on this. I hope our health and baserunning skills improve.
Shell Lake supplied us with 14 benches in the dugout just so players could lie down. We had 1 player in the hospital and 3 players that were too sick to talk. There was definitely a unique silence as we struggled through the game. Now for some baserunning tips.... Try not to run into the shortstop as she is fielding the ball. When you round a base and look, don't look for guys or the ball might hit you. The purpose of sliding pads and long pants is so that you can slide. Running fast to the next base is always better than jogging and then looking stunned when the throw beats you there. Don't trip over the first baseman because there are two bases.. although her foot happened to be cleverly placed on top of both bases.... When you round third, head for the plate and not the foul pole. You can't advance after a foul ball. Don't tuck your hood in the front of your jacket because it covers your eyes. Don is giving you signs to bunt or steal...not where you will find the rest of the prom punch.....and then we won. Go figure.
Game 1 highlights: Grantsburg was the visiting team for the first game. With very little effort they were able to create 3 quick outs. Shell Lake took the lead in the bottom of the first after collecting 2 walks and a Pirate error. Callie then buckled down and struck out the next 3 batters. The alarm clock was starting to ring. It wasn't until the third inning that Grantsburg shut off the snooze alarm. Katie started with a walk. Liz and Callie also walked to load the bases. Callie picked up her first hit of the night and knocked in 2 runs. Susan and Jamie would also pick up hits and the Pirates took a 4-1 lead. In the 4th inning, more walks would assist the Pirates. Becky, Liz, Kelcy, Callie, and Elise would all walk and soon 5 runs crossed the plate on zero hits. Did Shell Lake also have their Prom? The end of the scoring was in the 5th inning. Katie singled again. Liz used her agility to get hit by a pitch. After Kelcy, Callie, and Elise all walked again, the game would finish 12-1. It was a 5 inning no hitter for Callie. She would pick up 8 strikeouts while walking 4. Callie picked up 4 RBI's for the night and Jamie added 3. Kelcy and Elise each walked 3 times.
Game 2 highlights: Grantsburg was the home team for game 2. Elise was the pitcher and ended the first inning quickly while striking out 2 Lakers. In this game, the Pirates got it going faster. Liz walked to start the game. After Callie's single and Elise's sacrifice, Shell Lake made some mistakes and gave the Pirates 3 runs. The Pirates came out shaky in the second inning. After 2 walks, 2 Hit by pitches, and 2 errors the Lakers had taken the lead 4-3. Wow, I hate 5 inning games. The Pirates didn't answer the challenge until the bottom of the third. Susan started the inning with the best hit of the night as she doubled down the line. Jamie bunted her on to the next base. Becky would single and Liz would add a 2 RBI single to center. The Pirates ended the inning with a 6-4 advantage. Elise dispatched the Lakers for the next 3 innings and the game had ended. The Pirates had struck out 6 batters and had allowed 3 hits. There were also 4 walks. Liz went 2 for 2 with 2 RBI's. Callie also went 2 for 2. Susan and Becky had the other hits.
TWIS: Tomorrow is MaY day. Did you know that research shows that people "go to the green" during the MaY day celebration. Here is what you need to do to celebrate. Call up a good friend that was always there but perhaps you have lost contact. Just say Hi. Hi Deb AJ....new reader. The list of readers is now up to 4. Steve, Deb, Steve's mom, and Steve's mom. Liz got in a hotbox. We think she did it just for fun. Shell Lake has a gravity ball. The night was windy. Becky was sick. Kelcy was sick. Jamie was sick. Our baserunning was sick. Hopefully, they will all get better. The kids in biology are identifying bird calls. Over by third base we keep hearing.... get,get,get,get,get,get,get,.... We think it is a Hairy breasted back scratcher. We are done with the muscles and into the nerves. The Shell Lake pitcher was not able to play. She had a sore back and the doctor told her to rest it. Otherwise, she is a very good player. Shell Lake was undefeated in conference play until our game. We set a record with 5 Sacrifices in 4 innings. We finally got some bunts fair. We stopped at macs again. We had 10 players, 4 coaches and 1 bus driver. Not a good deal for them. I felt guilty....(see it is possible) The loyal fans showed. Congratulations Queen Susan. It was fun to see the Fab Five (Michigan) up front. Everybody remind Don to fax the stats to the seating meeting or we will be seated last. Our Saturday tournament will be great competition. No pics this time, because the disk must have attended Prom and didn't work properly. Please don't forget to celebrate MaY day. In some respects, I celebrate it each and every day....
RAR
IWWF (I am already over half way there..)