July 9 - Sparks: End of Season

Sadly, this was the last time we will all be together as a team - but we had fun!

Although the parents' team started off strong behind some good defense - especially from Taylor's Dad and Paige's Mom - and some excellent pitching/umpiring by Coach Jim, the Sparks won the game in the end, 63 - 18. (okay, maybe that wasn't the actual score...)

On to Teddy's for dinner... and my homework: a little about each player.

Abby: 'Rush' ... One of our two 'Canadian Sisters'... Queen of the Double ... pitcher, catcher, fielder, hitter ... voted an All-Star by her teammates ... clearly made WAY more talkative by ice cream, even if she can't find her mouth with it

Allie: 'Goody2Shoes' ... Queen of 'The Pose' ... speedy on the basepaths ... played all over (and will definitely pitch more next season!!) ... consistently excellent fielding.

Anna: 'Ghostie' ... The Quiet Competitor ... great catcher ... solid hitter... and made an amazing shoestring catch to make the final out in the playoffs vs the Mystics ... hits better than her Mom. :-) ... our reserve All-Star player, top 6 in votes received.

Carly: 'Egan' ... (where is Carly?) the other 'Canadian' ... big hitter ... Queen of 'SOFTBALL READY!' ... excellent catcher & 3rd base ... potential All-Star for 3rd season in a row (if she'd stop going on vacation!) ... responsible for 'Star Jump' instruction.

Emily: 'Dynamite' ... Queen of the Question ... always wanting to know the score, the number of outs, the square root of 11, and the meaning of life ... has a monster swing that softballs are afraid of ... slugged a single into the outfield in the parent/Spark game (See, Emily? You really CAN hit!) ... made multiple catches of pop ups at second base.

Jenna: 'JC' ... Queen of 'AH!' during the circle warmup ... selected to be an All-Star by the team ... excellent first base player ... one of our two lefties ... made numerous VERY intelligent plays in the infield, including running down & tagging two baserunners by herself ... best hit of the season was a TRIPLE against Madalyn down the 1st base line.

Jordan: 'Sparkle' ... Miss Bubbly Personality 2010 ... ready to play anywhere ... would prefer all pitchers to slow down ... great fielder ... even better at somehow convincing pitchers to walk her.

Katie: 'Smallz' ... Queen of the Walk ... pitchers couldn't figure out how to pitch to her ... improved her fielding all season long ... put in extra time on her hitting (I have the bruise on my shin to prove it) ... had a great single in the playoffs to keep a rally alive.

Kelly: 'Special K' ... Queen of the Untied Shoe ... takes after her Dad! ... our other lefty ... slugger at the plate ... base stealer and intelligent fielder ... elected to All-Star team by teammates

Nikki: 'Swizzle' ... Queen of the (loud!) Dugout Cheer ... consistent hitter ... stole so many bases she should be arrested ... great fielder & rocket arm ... excellent speech-giver ... not so great at drinking milkshakes ... wants a yellow jeep ... and to know if she can milk the cowdog.

Paige: 'Firecracker' ... my 'Fielding Frog' ... improved her fielding immensely ... great arm ... became more and more consistent as the season progressed ... a willing hitter ... led the team in hitting the ball hard...directly to a fielder ... next season we work on hitting where they're not!

Sophia: 'Chief' ... Queen of the 2-Pitch Warmup ... excellent wherever she played ... slugged her first double this season! ... consistently excellent pitching ... was 'the closer' in every important game ... named to the All-Star team by teammates.

Taylor: 'Blondie' ... Queen of Hitting Any Pitch (no matter where it was!) ... had an excellent season pitching, playing first and occasionally 3rd ... All-Star selection ... always a defensive batter - I'm pretty sure Taylor was our foul-ball leader this year! ... but when she hit it between the lines, almost always a single and rarely put out on any hit.

I'm sad that the season is over, Sparks - but I'm so happy that I got to be your coach this season!
Have a great summer, and I hope to see you all again next Spring!

- Coach Drew

July 7 - The All-Star Game

The Sparks were well-represented in the 2010 All Star Game by Abby, Taylor, Sophia, Jenna, and Kelly. We combined forces with 5 All Stars from the Mystics, and two from the Storm.

We didn't keep stats for this game - but behind excellent pitching from Sophia and Taylor (with help from the Mystics' Madalyn) our team won this game convincingly, 13-8.

Everyone played very well - even of we did get a little wet! Better yet, you all performed an excellent version of Y M C A which was very entertaining.

Congratulations to the 2010 All-Star Game Champs - the American League! (Us - in red!)

Coach Drew

July 2: Stingers VS Sparks

Great game, Sparks. I'm so proud of all of you for making it to the Championship game, and for never giving up. Here are some of the outstanding stats for the game:

Taylor - TWO hits, a run scored, two stolen bases, a put-out at first, and two innings pitched - one of them a shutout

Kelly - three runs, SIX stolen bases, and an RBI

Jenna - two runs scored and a DOUBULE

Abby - in 4 at-bats, two singles, TWO doubles, two stolen bases, and 3 RBI

Jordan - her FIRST double and two RBI

Anna - one run scored, a DOUBLE, one stolen base and an RBI

Allie - THREE stolen bases

Nikki - one hit and THREE stolen bases

Sophia - TWO hits and three innings pitched, TWO of them shutouts, and NO walks

You had TEN hits against the Stingers, girls - FIVE of them were doubles!

I hope you are all as proud of ourselves as I am of you. It was a long season, and it takes a lot of work and concentration to get to the Championship. I think you've all improved this season, both in your individual skills, and as a team. I enjoyed coaching you all, and I hope you'll continue to love to play the game. I'm planning to coach again next year, and I'd love to have you back with me to make another run at the Championship. Even if we don't get to play together again, I hope you'll all continue to play and be active - no matter if it's basketball, or softball, or hockey or poms - keep finding things to do that are fun and that let you meet and play with other great kids.

I feel lucky to have gotten to play with all you great kids - all my Sparks. Have a great summer, and hopefully I'll see you next season!

- Coach Drew

June 29 - Sparks VS Mystics

That was a great game, girls! I'm just going to give everyone's stats:

Paige: 3 at bats, 3 runs scored

Kelly: 3 at bats, 1 hit, 2 runs scored

Taylor: 3 at bats, 2 hits, 2 runs scored, a stolen base, and an RBI, as well as a force out at third

Anna: 3 at bats, 1 hit, 1 run scored, 1 stolen base, 2 RBI, and an awesome catch at short for the last out

Jenna: 3 at bats, 1 run scored, an assist, and a force out at 3rd

Abby: 3 at bats, 1 run scored, a single, a double, 2 stolen bases, 4 RBI, and a force out at home

Jordan: 3 at bats, 1 run scored, and an assist

Carly: 3 at bats, 1 run scored, a single, a triple (!), a stolen base, 4 RBI, and a caught fly ball at 3rd

Allie: 3 at bats, 1 run scored, a stolen base, and 2 force outs at 3rd

Nikki: 3 at bats, 2 hits, 2 runs scored, 3 stolen bases, and an assist

Katie: 3 at bats, 1 run scored, a single, 1 stolen base, and 2 RBI

Sophia: 3 at bats, 1 hit, 1 stolen base, 2 RBI, and pitched a no-hitter in the 3rd inning

Emily: 3 at bats, 1 run scored, and a stolen base

EVERYone contributed to this win, girls - an absolutely SUPER job!

One more game, Sparks! Let's win it!

- Coach Drew

June 29 - Sparks VS Mystics

Okay, Sparks - I don't even have the book in front of me right now, so I don't have all the stats, but that was just an exciting game.

Carly hit a triple, Abby hit yet another double, Taylor had a potential extra-base hit...if she hadn't stopped at first... and Katie had a clean single - against their #1 pitcher.

Sophia pitched a shutout, Taylor, Jenna, and Abby all pitched well, too... the defense was crazy good. Pop ups were caught, force outs were made, runners were thrown out... and I have to mention Anna's amazing catch at shortstop to end the game. That was just, well, amazing!

I'll post again later, with all the stats from the game - I just wanted to take 5 minutes to tell you all how proud of you I am (yeah, again) for working so hard and playing so well, and for never giving up.

You're all awesome.

- Coach Drew

June 26 - Sparks VS Mystics (again)

Finally! We've been trying for that win all season! Great job, Sparks!

Lotsa lotsa defense in this one, girls!

Allie had two put outs

Sophia had two as well

Jenna had two put outs and two assists

Taylor made a force out at 3rd

Abby had a force out at 1st

Nikki caught a pop-up

Emily made two good throws to the pitcher from center field

We had only six hits in the game - but Jenna, Abby, Anna, and Nikki all had singles,
while Abby had another double and Sophia had her first one!

Star of the Game Honors were awarded to:

Jordan - 4 at bats, 2 runs scored, and a stolen base

Katie - our season walks leader, and always on base in position to score

Sophia - 4 at bats, two runs scored, a double, two RBI, and two strong innings on the mound

So the 'regular season' is now over, you've earned second place in the league, and it's time for the playoffs! And guess who we face first in the playoffs?

Right! The Mystics!

You all have the talent and skills and abilities to beat any team you face - you have beaten every team in the league at least once. (and yes, I'm proud of you!)

Now is the time to look back at what you've done so far, and use all those positive experiences to strengthen your belief in yourselves. You've all worked hard on your individual talents all season, and you've come together to play as a team.

Before each of the last two games, I've given you 'team goals' - something to all work to achieve together - and you've achieved what you've set out to do. Out team goals now are simple:

1) Continue to play together - talk to each other, keep each other 'softball ready,' cheer for each other

2) Stick to the basics - the 'fundamentals.' In the field, catch with two hands, make accurate throws, and get the ball back to the pitcher quickly. At home plate, watch the ball. Swing hard, run hard when you hit.

That's it!

I'm looking forward to the next game - you all keep impressing me; I can't wait to see what you do next!!

- Coach Drew

June 22 - Sparks VS Mystics

Sparks, you have been SO great defensively this week! You held the Stingers to 10, the Crush to 8, and now the Mystics to 4!

Defensive highlights -

Jordan's put out at first

Allie's assist

Carly's force out at 3rd

Jenna's two put outs at first

Abby's two put outs at first and a caught pop-up

Paige's assist...

...all combined for a great team effort!

Did I mention that no pitcher allowed more that one run in any inning? And that Taylor and Jenn each pitched shut out innings? Awesome!

Offensively, we were a little quiet - only Jenna, Taylor, and Abby had hits. I think I said this last time I wrote - there is not a pitcher in the league whose pitches you can't hit! I know some of you watch opposing pitchers warm up, and when they look like they're fast, you think it's going to be tough to hit. Have confidence! You've been hitting well against every team we've played - you wouldn't have won 9 games if you couldn't hit!

As an example, look at Jenna's triple in this game - she hit that ball off of the Mystics best - and fastest - pitcher! Believe you will hit the ball - stand in there, be aggressive, watch the ball, and swing with everything you have - it will happen!

Star of the Game honors were awarded to:

Jenna - 3 at bats, a double, a triple, two put outs in the field, and two innings pitched, allowing only one run

and, from the last game against the Stingers...

Anna - 4 at bats, one run scored, three hits, and three stolen bases

All right, on to our next game against...oh! Look! The Mystics again!

- Coach Drew

June 19: Sparks VS Crush

Nice game, Sparks. There was more to smile about after this one! Two shutout innings from Sophia and Abby set the tone for this game.

Defensively, everyone stepped up!

- Emily had an assist on a put out at first

- Anna had an assist and a put out at first

- Abby made two solo put outs

- Taylor made an out at first

- Katie had two assists

- Jenna made outs at third and first

Awesome!

There wasn't much hitting this game - we were walked 23 times - but we only struck out 3 times in the whole game, too. Even with all the balls, Taylor, Abby, Anna, and Nikki all managed to get hits!

Star of the Game honors went to:

Abby - strong hitting in two straight games, and a combined 3 hits, 3 RBI, and 4 defensive outs made in the field.

We are in our last week of the regular season, Sparks - only three games left on the schedule before the playoffs!

Tuesday we play the Mystics (if it doesn't rain), Wednesday, we play the Storm, and Friday, we play the Mystics again (if it doesn't rain, again!)

Keep swinging those bats, Sparks - there is not a pitcher in this league whose pitches you can't hit. Walk to the plate with confidence!

See you soon - Happy Father's Day to all of your Dads!

- Coach Drew

June 19: Sparks VS Stingers

This was a 'good news, bad news' game for us.

Before the game, I gave you a goal of holding the Stingers to no more than 10 runs. The 'good news' is, you achieved that goal! They average 14 or 15 runs each game, so holding them to 10 is a great accomplishment.

The 'bad news' was that I didn't challenge you to score more runs than they did! It was still a beautiful day for a game and you still played well. We had 8 hits in the game, but that doesn't count all the times you hit the ball! There were so many times that you had great hits, but the Stingers players happened to be standing right where you hit it!

Abby had a great hit yesterday, which I was SURE was good enough for a double... except that I forgot how much the grass in the outfield would slow the ball down, so she was tagged out at second. That one was my fault.

Sophia, Nikki, Paige, Abby, and Taylor all had hits. Anna had three hits, three stolen bases, and a scored run.

Fielding was good as well; Katie, Jordan, and Paige each had assists for outs. Abby made two put-outs at first, Jordan had a tag out at second, and Jenna tagged out a runner between second & third, and made two plays at first for outs as well.

Good play all around, Sparks - let's keep it up!

- Coach Drew

June 15: Sparks VS Mystics

Well THAT was a close game! They do have some pretty good pitching - but so do we!
Both Sophia and Abby pitched shutout innings. Taylor and Jenna pitched one-run innings. No pitcher gave up more than two runs - that's excellent! In fact - as a team, you only pitched TWO walks in the whole game!

We had only six hits in the game, but everyone was being aggressive with the bats. Even though they didn't hit to get on base, Katie, Emily, Carly, Sophia, and Nikki were all making solid contact with the ball.

You hit a few pop-ups, and all that means is that you're super close to driving the ball into the field. The Mystics hit their share of balls in the air also, the most memorable of which was Emily's caught fly ball at second base. Awesome play!

Also deserving mention, Katie stopped a long fly ball in center field and made a quick throw to second base, preventing a run from scoring. This is a good lesson, Sparks, and we keep talking about this - even if you don't make a catch, or a clean play on the ball, keeping the ball in front of you is the next best thing.

You all made some amazing plays in the field, making accurate throws to each other for force outs - remember: once you make that out, other runners will try to keep running! Once the out is made, get the ball back to the pitcher as quickly as you can.

Defensively, Jordan, Jenna, Abby, Kelly, Nikki, and Emily all made force outs, caught pop ups, or assisted on outs - the most heads-up play of the game, though, was Kelly's play of a ball in left field, throwing to Sophia at third, who smartly realized that she need to tag the runner to get her out.

Star of the Game honors were awarded to:

Allie - 3 at-bats, 2 hits, one run scored, one RBI, and 3 stolen bases

Honorable mentions:

Paige - 2 at-bats, 2 hits, one run scored, and a stolen base.

Great game Sparks! I'm so impres...

You thought I was gonna say it, didn't you?

HA! This time, I'll just say you're awesome!

- Coach Drew

June 9: Sparks VS Crush

Wow. Actually, WOW! What a game, Sparks! I think that's the best complete game you've played!

TWELVE hits

THREE doubles

FIFTEEN stolen bases

NINE runs batted in (RB RB RB I!)

EIGHTEEN runs

TWO shutout innings pitching (Taylor and Sophia)

TWO one-run innings pitching (Jenna and Abby)

SIX force-out plays in the infield

That's just amazing, girls. I am SO PROUD of how much you've improved this season!

Jenna pitched a one-hit inning, had two force plays at 1st and an assist on another.

Taylor had a shutout inning and two force plays at 1st.

Abby made a great tag out at 3rd on a throw from Kelly in left field, and had another force out on a throw from Jordan.

Katie had two assists - one for us, and one for the Crush, making a very good play in right field to get Paige out at first! (sorry, Paige!) Even though we made an out for the Crush, I love the fact that you girls are willing to help out another team, and still play hard!

Star of the Game honors were awarded to:

Taylor - 4 at bats, two hits, three runs scored, a stolen base, two put-outs at 1st, and a shutout inning pitching

AND

Kelly - 4 at bats, a double, four stolen bases, an RBI, force outs at 1st and 3rd, and an assist.

Special mention to:

Abby - 4 at bats, TWO doubles, two runs scored, two stolen bases, and two RBI

AND

Nikki - 4 at-bats, two hits, two runs scored, a stolen base, and two RBI

I am so proud of you all!

Coach Drew

June 5: Sparks VS Mystics

Rained out AGAIN! Are we ever going to play this team?

Well, it was a good news, bad news kind of night.

The bad news, of course, is that we are losing Esther for the rest of the season, because her family is moving away. Personally, I'm sad to see her go. She's a great person, and a pretty amazing player, especially considering that she's never played before! We will all miss Leftie!

The good news was that you all got a free shower. Okay, okay. that's not really the good news. The good news is, even though we didn't finish the game, you were again playing very well together.

Taylor once again pitched a shutout first inning, allowing no hits. Once we were up to bat, Carly, Jordan, and Katie all made solid contact with the ball, and Jenna hit her first double of the season, driving in Allie for an RBI, and the only run scored by either team in the first inning.

Jenna pitched well again in the second inning, walking only two, and allowing only two hits.
However... and this is the only issue we had in the game... we HAVE to limit our throws to two. We gave up a 'home run' on a ball that should have been a single, because we broke our 'rule.'

Even with that crazy play, you held the other team to 4 runs in two innings, and that is excellent. Esther made a very smart play in left field, throwing to Kelly at third, where Kelly tagged the runner for an out. We cannot forget Jordan's awesome catch of a fly ball in right field, either! Super plays!!

All in all, I am so proud of the way you are playing!

Coach Drew

June 4: Sparks VS Storm

Wow. Where do I begin? You were amazing tonight!

The two things I loved the most about the way you all played tonight -

1) you all paid attention when you were on the bases, and were ready to steal whenever you could

2) you all were - I'll say it again - amazing! - in the field. You fielded the ball cleanly, threw to your teammates with accuracy, and caught TWO fly balls!

Let's see, what else was great?

Taylor struck out 2 in the first inning, allowing only one run

Jenna struck out 1 in the second, and also allowed only one run thanks to two great defensive plays, one of which included Nikki throwing to from left field to Jenna, who tagged out a runner who was trying to make it to third. GREAT PLAY!

Taylor pitched another strong inning in the 3rd, with some help from Emily's awesome pop-up catch, and Paige's throw to Kelly at second for a force out.

Abby - who hadn't pitched all season - threw a NO HITTER in the 4th inning with one strikeout, and a little help from a great catch at shortstop by Esther.

All in all, the pitchers threw only 10 walks tonight - only two walks per inning is VERY good!

Offensively, we were sort of aggressive, but we do need to be swinging the bat with more confidence! We had 6 hits in the game - one each from Carly, Abby, Nikki, and Paige. Kelly had two hits, and 2 RBI.

Overall, Sparks, this was the best all-around game you've played!

Star of the Game honors were awarded to:

Emily - 3 at-bats, two runs scored, a stolen base, and a great catch in the infield. Also, she made some very positive contact with the ball tonight - even if they were foul balls.

I'm so proud to be your coach, Sparks - keep up the great work!!

Coach Drew

May 25: Sparks VS Storm

Well, maybe it's time to install some lights at Muir! We played until we almost couldn't see the ball!

This game wasn't very pretty, I have to admit. We walked 16 of the Storm's batters, and they walked 22 of ours. We had only 6 hits in the game, while the Storm had 7.

Nonetheless, you all hung on for the third win of a long weekend, and I'm proud of you!

That said, if you are a pitcher, be sure to spend some time practicing your motion & release each week. You don't have to practice for a long time, but the more often you throw, the more consistent you will become!

Hitters this game - Kelly, Carly, Abby, and Esther all had one hit, while Anna had two.

Star of the Game honors were awarded to:

Anna - 4 at-bats, 2 hits, 2 runs scored, and an RBI.

Enjoy the Memorial Day holiday, and I'll see you all Wednesday night for practice!

Coach Drew

May 24: Sparks VS Stingers

You did it! You beat the only undefeated team in the league! Awesome!!

Amazing plays in this game, Sparks!

- Sophia pitched a another shutout in the first inning...

- Allie caught a pop-fly in the second...

- Jenna had a throw to first for a put-out, and another solo put-out as well...

- Jenna pitched in her first game, and had two outs with the bases empty...
until we made a few fielding errors and allowed five runs.

Remember: "Two Throws" - once the ball is fielded, the first throw is to a base, to make the out, the second throw is back to the pitcher!

As a team, you had 9 hits against the Stingers; that's excellent!

Star of the Game honors were awarded to:

Carly - 3 at-bats, 2 singles, two runs scored, and an RBI

I'm very proud of the way you're playing! Keep up the great play!

Coach Drew

May 22: Sparks VS Crush

Another great game, Sparks!! You hit the ball very well, last night, but your fielding was even better!

Taylor got us started in the first inning, allowing the Crush only one run. Sophia (not 'Sophie'!) pitched a shutout second inning, and then you put your bats to work! In the second inning, Kelly, Carly, Jenna, and Sophia all hit singles, capped by Abby's third double in three games!

Jenna (not 'Jen'!) pitched her first inning this season, and allowed only two runs. There were some excellent defensive plays, especially Nikki's throw from shortstop to Taylor at first for an out. The next inning, Paige made a great play from right field, throwing to Allie at second base for another out.

Your fielding has improved SO much - I'm really proud of you all!

Star of the Game honors awarded to:

- Jenna, with 3 at-bats, 2 hits, 3 runs scored, and 2 RBI, as well as two innings pitched, allowing only 5 runs.

Last, special thanks to Katie's Mom for arranging the picnic,to Carly's Dad for running the grill, and to all the Sparks parents for chipping in food, tables, and desserts. It was a great night for a picnic - and a Sparks win!

See you all Monday - please arrive by 5:30 for warm-ups!

- Coach Drew

May 14: Sparks VS Stingers

Well, we almost got this one! 14-12 is pretty darn close! You all hit the ball so well tonight - twelve hits!!

Abby had three hits (and two RBI), Nikki, Carly, and Kelly each had two hits, and Sophia, Esther, and Taylor had one each. Esther's single was her first hit of the season, while Taylor knocked out her first double! Great job!!

I'll tell you this; if the Stingers hadn't played such excellent defense, we would have scored lots more. What's important, though, is that you're being aggressive when you're batting - willing to take a chance. That's a really good thing.

Star of the Game honors awarded to:

Nikki - 4 at-bats, 2 hits, 2 runs scored, and 4 stolen bases

Esther - 3 at-bats, her first hit, a run scored, and a stolen base, and an excellent infield play, throwing out a runner at first.

Honorable mention to Katie, who got on base every time she was up - all walks - but also stole a base, scored a run, and made two nice defensive plays to get two runners out at first base in the same inning.

In other news...

If Paige seemed a little distracted, it might be because she spent the afternoon hanging out with her new best friend Lee Dewyze. At least he had his limo drop her off at the game.

Congratulations to Taylor, Allie, and Paige, who all made the Pom Squad! (I expect you three to be leading the cheers for the team from now on!)

Special thanks to Carly for NOT bringing her half-naked brothers to the game tonight.

You girls rock! ssssssssSSSSSSSSSSSPARKS...KABOOM!

Oh, wait - I almost forgot: I will take votes on blog colors each week. Leave your vote in the 'comments' box at the end of each post! See you Sunday!!

- Coach Drew

May 12: Sparks VS Storm

Two wins in a row! Tonight was a dramatic, come-from-behind win! Great play tonight, team!

I'm glad we were able to get the game in before the rain started to pour. We only played three innings, but plenty of good stuff still happened! Sophia pitched well again to get us started, allowing only six batters in the first inning, and had two strikeouts. Taylor finished off her inning allowing only seven, and had three strikeouts of her own.

Emily made a nice play at second base, throwing out a runner at first, Katie made a nice throw from right field on a hard-hit ball, to almost get another runner out.

Everyone is starting to be more aggressive at the plate, which is paying off... even though Abby almost hit a car in the parking lot...

You're all looking good on the basepaths, too - the more attention you pay to where the ball is, the more often you'll score!

Star of the Game honors awarded to:

Kelly H (for last game) - 3 at-bats, two singles, 4 RBI, scored two runs, and caught a pop-up in the infield.

Abby B - in the last two games has 5 at-bats, two singles, two doubles, and 7 RBI!

I'm so proud of all the Sparks - great job!! Looking forward to Friday night's game under the lights!!

PS - I know Allie, Paige and Taylor had pom tryouts tonight - I hope you all made it!

- Coach Drew

May 8th: Sparks VS Crush

Wow! What a great win, girls! I'm so impressed and proud of you all! Here are some game highlights:

Abby and Kelly each had 4 RBIs - Abby hit a monster shot into right center for a stand-up double, scoring three runs!

Jenna made a great catch in foul territory by first base (and seemed really surprised that she caught it!) She also had a great infield play, tagging out the runner before she made it to first base!

Sophia and Taylor each pitched very well - Taylor pitched the first shutout inning of the season!

Kelly and Carly had excellent infield catches, and Carly - the birthday girl - turned our first double-play of the year, throwing to Abby at second after her catch for the second out!

The most important things (aside from staying warm!) were that you had fun and played as a team! Way to go, Sparks! I'm proud of you!

- Coach Drew