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
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Sunday, June 27, 2010
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
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
Saturday, June 26, 2010
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
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
Sunday, June 20, 2010
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
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
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
Friday, June 18, 2010
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
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
Thursday, June 10, 2010
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
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
Sunday, June 6, 2010
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
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
Saturday, June 5, 2010
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
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
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