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June 27 - 28, State Qualifier

The Suburban League this year grouped all the 10's teams (A, B & C teams) in the same tournament for purposes of being slotted into the state tournament. This was done because in past years, and this year as well, some very, very good teams played a B schedule and they wanted to give them the opportunity to play in the A state championship tournament. Out of the 50 teams playing, we were given the #5 seed which was based on our record as well as a poll of coaches. Included in our regular season were victories over the #1 and #2 seeds in the tournament.

Our first game was against the Chaska team we beat 6-5 in the Rampage. Haley led off the game with a single and scored on Lauren's ground out. Emily led off the third with a single and scored on Katie Jo's single. The only other hit we got was a single by Kelly, but NOBODY took a called third strike. And with Lauren pitching a gem, we didn't need any more offense. Lauren hit the first batter of the game and she scored on a ground out. She gave up only one infield single and struck out 13 in 5 innings. Callan had a great game at catcher. She picked a runner off at first that had taken too big a lead, and she threw out the tying run in the 4th trying to steal second. We held on for a 2-1 win.

The next game was against the Blooming team we beat 7-0in the Mayfly championship game. They turned the tables on us with a 7-1 win. Molly and Lauren had our only hits and Callan drove in the lone run. After a strong start where Lauren struck out 8 of the first 9 batters, they started hitting very long hits. That happens sometimes.

The next, and unfortunately last, game of the double elimination tournament was against the Minnetonka Titans. We were comfortably ahead 8-2 after 2 innings. Lauren had 5 RBI on a triple and a single, Haley had 2 with a hit and Jessica had 1 with a single. Emily and Molly also had nice hits. But after the second, we couldn't score. One of their players injured her leg (at the time it seemed like a injury) and that seemed to inspire the Titans who stormed back to win 9-8.

June 23, Wayzata Gold

It's hard to believe, but this is the final league night of the season. And we saved our best for last (or second last, actually). The opening game was classic fastpitch softball, our first 1-0 game of the season. Lauren pitched the win and drove in the lone run with a single up the middle in the first that scored Jessica. The defense played well highlighted by a key double play to save a run. With runners on first and third, Wayzata hit a fly ball to center. Rosey caught it, took her time and fired a perfect throw to Ellie to get the runner at first who had strayed too far off the base. The runner on third had tagged and was just a few steps away from home when the out at first was recorded to end the inning (the run would have counted). The second game was not a great end to the regular season, an 11 - 2 loss. The carrot cake and ice cream after the game quickly erased any bad memories.

June 16, Shakopee Black

Shakopee Black came into the evening as one of two undefeated in league play teams in the A division (OMGAA, who we beat over the weekend, was the other). I was very impressed last time we played them because the kids recognized that we were just as good as they were. Now it has been proven. Lauren opened the game with 5 strikeouts in the first two shutout innings. We scored three in the second with Callan and Jessica leading the way with singles. Crissy and KJ worked bases loaded walks to go with Jess's RBI hit. Lauren, or rather the team, gave up one unearned run in the 3rd and again in the 4th, but Lauren kept Shakopee at bay recording 6 more strikeouts as we held on for the 3-2 win. In the nightcap Haley held them down in the first inning aided by a very nice double play. Ellie, at first, caught a sharp liner and quickly returned the ball to Haley. Alertly, Haley threw to Rosey at 3rd to nab the returning runner. The throw got away, but Rosey made a sprawling pickup and found the base. The game only lasted 3 innings due to time and darkness and we lost 6-4.

June 14 - 15, Eagan Down 'N' Dirty Tournament

The play in Eagan was up and down. We started with an up, avenging a double header loss to OMGAA earlier in the season. Jessica set the tone with her best pitching performance of the year. Her control was great (season high for any pitcher 72% strikes) and she was making adjustments to keep the ball low in the strike zone. We took an 8-0 lead through 3 1/2 innings with some good hitting. Lauren had three hit and Kelly and Rosey each had 2 hits. Haley had a triple and Katie Jo had a good hit. The defense set the tone early with Rosey catching a high fly to hight. Lauren caught a liner at SS and also threw out a batter to Caitlyn on a grounder. The defense faltered a bit in the 4th allowing OMGAA to score 4 unearned runs and again in the 5th for another unearned run, but Jessica held tough and we won 8-5.

The second game, against the Minnetonka should have gone better offensively. Jessica, Katie Jo and Ellie had RBI singles in the 2nd to give us a 3-1 lead. Haley started the game but gave way to Jess in the 2nd with the score 4-3. Jess promptly picked right up from her previous game and struck out 6 of the first 7 she faced. We tied the score on a sacrifice line out by Haley with Emily alertly scoring. Minnetonka score the game winner on an error for a 5-4 loss.

The third pool game was against the 2-0 Rosemount team. Lauren jumped on them early, striking out the first 9 batter she faced. Their pitcher was equally as impressive through 4 innings allowing only one walk and recording 10 strike outs. In the bottom of the 4th their leadoff hitter walked and they played small ball, eventually loading the bases with one out. They hit a clean single to right and by the time that play was over, 2 or 3 errors later, they had a 4-0 lead. The next batter also singled - and scored after several errors. We did manage to start a comeback. Callan and Ellie had RBI single, Lauren had a hit a KJ had an RBI, but the games ended as a 5-3 loss.

The Sunday game against Mound was a disappointment. We got lots of runners and hits, but could not get the timely hit to drive in any runs. Katie Jo had two hits to lead the attack. Unfortunately we had 6 batters take called third strikes. Jessica pitched well but they strung together 3 very nice hits for 2 runs in the 1st. An error let in a couple of more runs in the 3rd and we lost 4-0.

June 9, Prior Lake Blue

It was Callan's birthday, but she couldn't save the day for us. The losing streak reached 10 games with losses of 10-2 and 15 - 3. The batting order was reverse alphabetical by a backwards last name (Jessica guessed it to win a DQ treat). As an incentive to not take called third strikes, anyone caught looking had to sing happy birthday to Callan. It turned out to be a whole chorus. Molly had a 2 RBI hit in the first game Caitlyn and an RBI hit in the second game to go with Lauren's 2 RBI's on two hits. Ellie, Jessica and Kelly also had nice hits. Jessica threw a runner out trying to steal second. One good defensive play was a long relay play getting the runner trying to make a home run. The play went from Emily to Caitlyn to Jessica to Molly for the tag at the plate.

June 6 - 8 , Bloomington Fastpitch Tournament

We were invited to this tournament based on our play at the Mayfly. The tournament organizers needed an additional team to fill out the brackets and since we had beaten two Bloomington teams and demonstrated that we were good sports and great kids, we were invited to participate without paying a registration fee. We are placed in the A division (all A teams, and many very high quality ones). Our play was up and down, having a couple of the best games of the year mixed in with some efforts that were reminiscent of the early stages of the season. That's what happens with a 10's team that is still learning how good it can be.

The first game was a night game, the first such experience for most of our players. The 8:30 P. M. start time was ideal for night owl Lauren (as opposed to the morning game in Sunday). By the end of the game, the lights were in full effect, and the kids responded to the bright lights with a great defensive game. Unfortunately we got a no hitter thrown at us, but Lauren nearly matched the effort. In the bottom of the 4th it was still 0-0 helped in part by Callan throwing out a runner at 3rd to Kelly on an attempted steal. But in the 4th our defense faltered just a little and pushed across two unearned runs which held up through the 5th for a 2-0 defeat.

Our second game was with Apple VAlley and that was a bit of a struggle. We did manage to swing the bats a bit better with Lauren delivering a 2 run double and Callan with an RBI single, but they managed to keep scoring a few runs every inning and took the game 11-3.

Having lost two games we got the privelege of facing the best team in the tournament, the Eagan Wildcats. They had beaten us 10-1 in Edina and had won their first two games 15-0 and 11-0. Lauren, for the second game in a row, pitched her best game of the year. Unfortunately defense lapses allowed 2 unearned runs i the first, a soft run in the 3rd and another unearned run in the 4th. Lauren had our only two hits in the 4-0 loss. The defense did come up with some good plays including Katie Jo catching a very high fly ball in right field. When I saw the Lakeville coach later he said "a 4-0 loss to Eagan? That's a win in my book!"
On Sunday morning we faced Lakeville again. As I mentioned, Lauren is a night owl and mornings are not her best time. She did manage a 2 run single for our only hit of the game (Ellie had an RBI on a ground out and Callan walked with the bases loaded). Still, Lakeville hit the ball hard and won 11-4. Sunday afternoon was a rematch with Apple Valley. We had a chance, taking a 5-4 lead into the 5th inning. We couldn't hold it and they won 6-5. Rosey had a nice hit to lead off the game, Lauren had a couple of hits and a couple of RBI's, but it was not quite enough. The defense played much better highlighted by Crissy catching two long fly balls in center field. Also Katie Jo caught a coupe of pop ups at SS, Jessica threw to Caitlyn to retire a batter on a bunt and Caitlyn to Jessica to Ellie made a nice play from CF to P to 2B to get a runner trying to advance. We had our best offensive output using a lineup that was scientifically determined (reverse alphabetical by first name)

June 2, Shakopee Black

We were matched up against an undefeated (11-0) team. Although we lost both games, something that happened in the first game may help define our season the rest of the way. It was in the 4th inning and we were trailing 2-1 (one of their runs scoring on a defensive mental lapse on a play we had not practiced defending). Suddenly it was like a light went on in everyone's head. "We are just as good as these guys!" The players were really excited about that. And it's true. In a few more weeks, if we keep improving like we have been, there should be nobody to fear.

The defensive highlight of the first game was Kelly at 3B charging a grounder, and after checking to see if the runner was coming home, she calmly flipped it to Callan how tagged out the runner at the plate. Rosey drifted back to catch a pop up from her SS position. Jessica cleanly fielded her only try and she recorded K's for the other 9 outs. Lauren laced a double to right center and Jessica drove her in. Callan also had a hard hit single. We lost that game 4-1 after some thunder seemed to make the strike zone shrink.

In the second game, Haley and Ellie learned that you can't always throw strikes in a game even when the warm up period is good. The game ended 13-2. Ellie laid down a perfect sacrifice bunt in the first, and Emily eventually scored our first run. Haley accounted for the other run with a line drive home run way past the right and center fielders. She was safe with a great slide on a very close play at the plate (after almost falling down rounding first).

May 30 - June 1, Royal Rampage

The pool play segment of the tournament was an accomplishment that may never be repeated. The official scores for the three games totaled 43 - 2! The level of competition was not high, but we excelled in every detail of the game. The tone was set with the first pitch of the tournament when Haley cracked a line drive home run. After Kelly kept the inning alive on a dropped third strike to load the , Rosey had her first hit of the year, clearing the bases. Haley walked the first batter she face, then struck out the next 3 on 11 pitches. The game with Wayzata White was headed for a lopsided score but the lightning came and the games was postponed to Saturday evening.

The Minnetonka Rebels were the next victim. Molly, Lauren, Jessica, Callan & Ellie reached base every time up. Lauren and Haley each had a single and a double. Lauren had an amazing 7 RBI's. Jessica struck out the first 6 batters she faced and the game concluded at 19-2. The highlight of the game defensively was the right-left-ready position done in unison by everybody on the field. The Game against Chaska Purple was much the same, a crisp 15-0 affair. Haley again set the tone with a lead off triple. Rosey had two hits. Lauren had 6 strike outs in her two innings of work and Ellie added three more in her only inning for a combined no hitter. The rain delayed game from Friday was to be completed on Saturday evening, but shortly before game time a tornado warning was issued and all the teams found shelter in the school. By mutual agreement we decided to not complete that game.

The bracket play competition was expected to be much tougher, and indeed it was. The first game, against Chaska Black, was a well played game all around. Haley again led off with a hit and came home on Lauren's ground out. Chaska scored one each in the first and second to take the lead, but we struck for four in the third, the key hit being Lauren's two run single. An RBI single by Haley in the fourth was an insurance run that it turns out we needed. With the bases loaded in the bottom of the fourth, and with time having expired, Jessica gave up a bases clearing double to make the score 6-5. She got the next batter looking, her 8 K, to end the game. Crislyn and Haley reached base every time up.

Our first experience against an out of state team, Hudson, started well. Haley led off the game with the hardest hit ball of the tournament, a liner caught by their sore handed second baseman. Callan's 2 RBI double in the second gave us a 2-1 lead that we held through three. Hudson erupted for 6 in the 4th on lots of good hitting off Lauren. Callan had an RBI single and Katie Jo had an RBI triple, but it was not enough in the 9-4 loss. Caitlyn laid down a great bunt for a hit.

May 28 vs. Minnetonka Magic

We keep learning things little by little, though it is more fun to learn in a sweep than in a couple of losses. Very good defense, pretty good base running and some timely hitting led to the two victories.

In the first game, Lauren and their Jessica (who threw a perfect game at us last fall) locked up in a classic pitchers' duel. We scored two in the first. After Haley and Jessica walked and stole bases, Lauren hit an infield single coring both runs on running. They chipped away and scored single runs in the 2nd and 3rd. The run in the 3rd scored on a bases loaded hit batsman, which actually turned out to work in our favor. The batter Lauren hit was their pitcher, and she could not continue in the game after being hit in the knee. We scored 3 in the 5th. The go ahead run scored as Emily tagged and advanced after a pop out by Haley. Lauren completed her 5 inning win mowing down the last 7 hitters on 5 K's (11 for the game), one tap to the pitcher and a foul pop to Callan as catcher to end the game at 5-2. KJ and Callan each threw out a batter after a dropped third strike.

The second game featured a bit more offense. Again, our first two batters of the game reached base and scored. After Katie Jo got hit by a pitch, Molly laid down a very nice bunt. The strong armed catcher overthrew first, then the right fielder overthrew second as Molly hustled there. Molly never broke stride and crossed the plate before the ball could be sent home. Our team scoring rules state that if a batter doesn't slow down and pressures the defense into making bad throws, she gets credit for all the bases she earns. So, it's a two foot home run for Molly. Minnetonka battled back to tie the game in the 1st. One of the runners that scored reached on a dropped third strike, and that enabled Jessica to record 4 strikeouts in the first, a rare feat. Haley drove in a run with a single in the second and we broke the game open in the third. Kelly and Ellie had RBI singles and Haley lined a double to the gap in left center to clear the bases (unfortunately we already had four runs, so only one counted). Minnetonka scored 2 in the bottom of the third and could have gotten more except for some great defense. Haley as catcher, caught a pop up just in front of home plate. Then Kelly at 3B snared a liner down the line with a back handed grab for the third out. Callan drove in two in the 4th with a single, but we couldn't get one extra run to put the game away and we led 10-5 as darkness kept on coming. Following Jessica's rare 4 strikeout inning in the 1st, she recorded an even more rare 5 strikeout inning to end the game. Four of the 5 K's were dropped with two runners reaching and the other two being retired from Haley to Molly, including the last out of the game with the tying run in the on deck circle. Jessica finished the 4 inning game with 12 K's. The final was a 10-7 win.

May 22 vs. OMGAA Storm Crimson

They play outstanding defense and solid fundamental softball. That is a tough combination to beat and we were unable to overcome that. But it gives us some motivation to accomplish the things that OMGAA can do so we can compete with the best A teams in the state.

Even before the first game we got off to a rough start. Everybody was late (Caitlyn by just a few minutes) making the pre game routine a hurried affair. Then KJ got beaned with a wild warm up pitch.

In the first game, their right fielder made the play of the year. Lauren laced a line drive to deep right center. Their right fielder ran over and back and reached backhanded for the ball. The ball bounced off her glove but she kept on running and caught it. That was out best hit ball until Callan laced a triple down the left field line. Ellie came into the game and got her first pitching action of the year and threw lots of strikes, but they hit them hard. Haley started the 12-5 loss.

There was one wild adventure between games. The only restroom was way on the other side of the large park. When the team got there it was locked. There were some nearby woods that a few players used out of necessity. They came running out screaming "Bears!". The gang of four will remain nameless.

The second game was going quite well until the bottom of the third. Lauren drove in Emily with a single in the 1st, Haley drove in Molly with a 2 out single in the second and Callan drove in Lauren with a line drive double to left center in the third (Callan also had a sharp single). Lauren pitched two strong innings, but one one scored on a ground out after a dropped third strike (she had a rare 4 strikeout inning). But in the bottom of the third OMGAA took us to school. They bunted and bunted and we couldn't quite get them out. They realized that they couldn't hit Lauren, so that is how they dealt with it and did it very well. The pushed across 5 runs without hitting a ball more than 30 feet (2 soft taps in addition to 4 bunts). That is small ball softball at its best, and we can learn how to do that. They held on for a 6-3 win.

Hardware in our first tournament!

The Edina Mayfly tournament was three days, each with its own personality. The Friday game against Edina White was Haley's first game of pitching. A great start to a hopefully long career - 3 innings, 1 hit allowed with 8 strike outs ( including the last 4 she faced) in a 12-2 win. The hitting shoes were also on with Haley, Jessica, Lauren and Ellie each collecting doubles and Katie Jo had a triple. Haley, Rosey and Crislyn each scored twice. No defensive highlights as Haley didn't allow Edina to put the ball in play much.

The Saturday games didn't feature much defense either, but not for the lack of opportunity. The games didn't feature much offense, either. In the first game, the Eagan Wildcats dominated, striking out 11 of us in four innings. The offensive highlight was Callan's double to drive in Jessica with the only run in an 10-1 loss. The later game against Mankato Orange was not much better. Caitlyn scored our only run being waved home on an illegal pitch. Caitlyn, Emily and Callan had our only hits.

But what a difference a day makes. Sunday started with a solid game against Edina Black. After we scored 5 against their second string pitcher (having seen our Saturday scores, they thought they could beat us with their second best) we started with great defense. Lauren grabbed a sinking liner to short, then Caitlyn grabbed a liner to second before Jessica struck out the next batter. In the second,Haley lined a triple to right center as part of a 3 run inning before they brought in their #1 pitcher to try to save the game. But Jessica proved too tough, allowing just two hits in four innings. Plus we kept hitting highlighted by Haley's solo home run (she also had a single in her other at bat) and Lauren's two run triple. The game nearly ended with a triple play. With the bases loaded and Edina threatening to make a comeback, the batter hit a short pop to Molly at first. Molly caught the ball and beat the runner back to the bag for the second out. The runner at third was oblivious and Molly threw across the diamond, but the throw not only got away, it rolled into the dugout allowing two runs to score. No Matter. Jessica struck out the last batter in the 11 - 5 victory.

The next game, against Bloomington II, was the best game of fastpitch we have been involved in. Lauren struck out the first 6 batters she faced (she had 12 for the game). Emily doubled in the first and Molly singled in the second, but we couldn't score. Bloomington picked up a run in the 3rd on a bunt single, a couple of stolen bases and a groundout. In the top of the 4th, Katie Jo as catcher foiled another bunt attempt by throwing out the batter. In the bottom of the 4th Lauren singled down the 3rd base line to drive in Emily. After a scoreless top of the 5th, Katie Jo walked and was on 2nd with two outs. Crislyn lined a single over the shortstop. After some indecision, KJ sprinted around third and beat the throw home for a 2-1 win.

In the championship game, Lauren again filled the circle. She allowed one harmless hit in 5 innings while striking out 11 in a shutout win, 7-0. Katie Jo threw out the first batter of the game from third and Caitlyn made a couple of nice unassisted plays at first on grounders. On offense Lauren had a 2 run triple, Callan had a double, Kelly hit an RBI single.

May 12 vs. Eden Prairie Fire

Great way to start the season. A sweep over Eden Prairie!. There were a number of good things in the first game including the fact that nobody struck out! Way to put the ball in play. We only got two hits, a triple by Katie Jo and a single by Lauren, but Caitlyn, Molly, Jessica, Emily, Kelly, Katie Jo, Crislyn and Rosey each reached base both times up. And in an unusual play, Haley hit a sacrifice fly with Crislyn scoring on the play. KJ led the way with 4 RBI's and Lauren had 2. Jessica gave up only two hits and had 4 strikeouts in a 3 inning complete game as part of our 10-5 win. The defense played well with Haley catching a liner to end an inning. The best play didn't start off too well. Caitlyn (as catcher) fielded a bunt but threw high to first. Molly in right was backing up the play very nicely, got the ball and fired a strike to Haley to get the runner trying to get to second.

The second game was a much crisper affair. Lauren threw a no hitter over 4 innings and issued only 2 walks. She also had 12 strikeouts, including the last three batters of the game on 9 pitches. Ellie and Crislyn had base hits and Haley, Caitlyn, Jessica, Katie Jo, Crislyn and Rosey reached every time they batted. There wasn't much chance to play defense with all the strikeouts, but Haley in right fielded a grounder and threw to Caitlyn at first for the out. Callan also recovered a dropped third strike and threw to Caitlyn for an out. The final was a 4-2 win.