Ladies and Gentlemen…Welcome to the BIG Show!
If I could direct your attention to the center softball field, you will see one of the greatest shows in town. You will be brought to the edge of your seat with the brilliant hitting. Goosebumps will show up on your arms as you watch the base running. You will lose your breath as you watch the pitching…. And even the fly balls are a reason for E. F. Hutton commercials. It is Game time…and the price of the tickets is just right.
It rained all day Friday and the tournament was uncertain. When we walked the field on Friday afternoon, things seemed bleak. The decision to play or to cancel would not be made until 8:00 that evening. So putting together some of the most intelligent minds in the district...we flipped a coin. Even though it remained cloudy and damp well into the evening, the decision was….Play Ball! ... and we didn't care that Osceola had prom on Saturday.
Mike got Jordan out of bed very early on Saturday morning…. Jordan had never seen his clock say AM. I wish I could have taken the picture of Mike and Jordan pulling the drag by hand… they looked like Spooner grads.. Clayton was there… Pete brought the bags of moisture absorbing top dressing… I had my shop vac to suck water out of the holes, but we didn't have to use it. The last year's tile job on the infield did the trick. The field was ready…even though the grass was somewhat slick. The busses started to arrive. The concession stands were fired up. Grantsburg's facilities looked good. Buddy and Sena arrived….so we started.
In high school athletics, you will have highs and lows. The number 1 lesson for all of us is…… Live through the lows and celebrate the highs…a lot (2 words) Don briefly mentioned that Ogilivie was 16-3 going into our game. And with that prompt, the Pirates pounded away until we won 16-3… a very appropriate score for the game. Even though the game was scheduled for 5 innings, the Pirates hammered away during their 4 times at bat and the umps called the game by the 10 run rule.
Ogilivie started the game with a single but failed to score as Elise fanned two batters. In the bottom of the 1st, the parade started. Nell and Susan hit back to back doubles and both scored runs. Ogilivie picked up its only run off Elise in the second inning using two hits of their own. Grantsburg continued to pound in the second inning. Whitney led off with her first hit of the night. Assisted by another Nell double and singles by Elise and Jamie, Grantsburg scored four more runs. Leading comfortably after three, Whitney came in to pitch the rest of the contest. When the dust finally settled (rain joke) and all of the hotdogs were sold, Grantsburg ended up with 16 runs on 17 hits and used only 1 walk to end the show. Nell had gone a perfect 4 for 4 and scored 4. Elise, Jamie, and Whitney had each added three hits. Katie W picked up two for the game with Megan and Susan getting one hit. Ogilvie scored three runs on 6 hits. Grantsburg looked impressive. In Ogilvie's second game, they went to the east field and trounced Cumberland by a score of 21-0. But I think their most vivid memory of the day will be Grantsburg hitting shots…and outfielders showing their numbers to the stands.
We knew the second game was going to be huge. Osceola had already beaten Luck twice and St. Croix once during this season. And as we would soon learn, Osceola had some solid players with a good set of gloves in the field. Osceola was the visiting team and batted first. Elise took charge and Osceola managed only three batters for the inning. And just like so many other games, Nell started the game with a hit. When Susan hit the ball on the sweet spot, the cheering started until the third baseman grabbed it and doubled Nell off first. In the top of the second Osceola again sent only 3 to the plate. Jamie started the bottom of the second with a hit, but she, too, was doubled off when Kerissa's line drive was stabbed. The scoring started when Megan doubled to the gap in right center and Whitney picked up her 4th hit of the day when she launched one over the left fielder's head. Whitney would also score following the error on Carrie's bunt.
Osceola again went quietly in the third with Jamie throwing out their only base runner. Grantsburg added its third run in the third following two more line drive outs and then a double by Jamie. When the third baseman threw it away, Jamie became the third run of the night.
In girl's fastpitch, the big inning is a big threat. Osceola took full advantage of three walks, one error, and one hit to score three runs and tie the game up. Even though Grantsburg threatened, we entered the 7th inning tied with a score of 3-3. Osceola's first batter grounded to solid Susan. The next batter singled and was sacrificed to second base. With two out, Elise struck out the very next batter and this allowed Grantsburg a chance to bat in the bottom of the 7th. Now if I were a betting man, I would have bet on Grantsburg. We had already won two games in the bottom of the last inning and our players think that it always works that way. Sooooo, Nell singles as the lead off batter. Susan walks in 4 pitches. Elise reaches on a fielder's choice to load the bases… and we start to put the equipment away… Then comes Jamie…. Jamie smiles a lot this year and she likes to bat. It doesn't matter where the pitch is…she will hit it. And……she did. Her walk off hit will be remembered for a long time and the Pirates increased their record to 13-1. This pretty much solidifies their #1 seeding in the regional tournament. Our first tournament games will be home and we will most likely play Webster in the first round. The sun was shining today in Muddville…. Luck called off their tournament, but they don't have the facilities that Grantsburg has available.
TWIS: Happy Mother's day! I am looking out my window this morning and I think I see an ark in the distance. Thanks to the fans that came and cheered on the team. It was a really big show. Thanks to all the people that helped prepare the fields. Thanks to Tony and Dawn for setting up concessions. Thanks to the umps who let us be the home team without flipping. Sarah got drilled in the leg in which she was just drilled. But, Shelby drilled Steve in the head to even the score.... The dugout needs an air freshener. The new date for the alumni game is Sunday night, May 25th at 6:00. Katie K was at a wedding but will be back for Monday. What does tile the infield really mean? And who owns the stupid ostrich? Katie W had the "sweet play of the game" as she made a spectacular catch on a fly down the line. Megan did her Karate Kid imitation as she caught her first fly ball. The launching of the pitching machine into the air will become a daily experience. The infield looked pretty solid today. Bill Stapp was in our dugout scouting for Northwood and Saudi Arabia….Elise threw a ball at him. I think he was wearing Gunnar's clothes... It was fun last week to see so many players stay after practice and practice more….Remember the Unity game on Monday is at 4:30…It was moved up because Unity has other stuff in the evening. Nice article in the Pioneer press…but not as good as the Sentinel. Thanks for the olive branch!gg I haven't started my pontoon, yet. And I have an... "Is it too late to still object picture" on the way.ggg I still like Katie W's catch in right field. It was a great day. I was so excited, I felt a drop of sweat fall off the tip of my nose... It still falls in slow motion.gg
I hope everyone has a wonderful day. The alumni game should be fun. Did we have four bases when They played? Will we need bandages? Will we need oxygen? Will we need wooden bats?
TYFB....(old one) The answer was You, not Yes!
