Villa traveled to Augusta yesterday and got back on the winning side with a convincing 4 inning 17-0 victory. Leading the offense was freshman pitcher Brooke Meier who was 4 for 4, 2 HR, 1 2B, 4 Runs Scored and 5 RBI. Following her with a perfect day at the plate was sophomore Anna Bosley going 3 for 3, 1 2B, and 4 Runs Scored and freshman outfielder Anna Eisner who was 2 for 2. Congratulations to 7th grade outfielder Lizzie Thomas who recorded her first varsity hit. :clap:

 

What makes this outing and win so impressive is that the team had to rally without starting freshman catcher Anna Wagner who was injured earlier in the week. Sophomore second baseman, Anna Bosley, stepped up and made her varsity debut behind the plate. Meier and Bosley worked and communicated well together showing true leadership, providing the connection necessary to give Meier the momentum for her 2nd perfect game of the season, throwing 9Ks on the day. Carol Dosker (Jr/3B) and Sarah Surace (Soph/RF) made outstanding defensive plays to record the final two outs and preserve the no-hitter, and ultimate perfect game.

 

With this win, the girls even up their record at 6 wins and 6 losses.

Awesome job!!

Nothing against this young lady, but Augusta has been outscored 87 - 9 in the 5 total games they've played. AND Augusta has a chance to make the 10th Region tournament since they drew St. Pat in the district tournament.:isurrender:

Nothing against this young lady, but Augusta has been outscored 87 - 9 in the 5 total games they've played. AND Augusta has a chance to make the 10th Region tournament since they drew St. Pat in the district tournament.:isurrender:

 

Thanks for your input.

However, to paraphrase a sports writer who has interviewed Miss Meier previously, a perfect game is a perfect game no matter how many innings or who the opponent is!

There is plenty of room for walks or errors during those innings.

To give you an overall picture, Meier has 103K's on the season in 67 innings pitched, and that includes games against extremely competitive opponents from the 9th Region.

Congrats Brooke

Awesome Brooke...Way to go...

Yes it does take a lot to throw a perfect game and no matter the team it is still a great accomplishment. I would like to see Villa schedule some more of those teams in the ninth that will push them to be better. Dixie and St. Henry provided some great competition and playing those teams will make you better with out question, regardless of the outcome. Playing teams that challenge you each time out makes you better. Highlands has put it on the line with some of the best teams in the state but I believe their goal is to challenge there kids to prepare them for late season playoffs.

Congrats to Brooke. Great job.

Yes it does take a lot to throw a perfect game and no matter the team it is still a great accomplishment. I would like to see Villa schedule some more of those teams in the ninth that will push them to be better. Dixie and St. Henry provided some great competition and playing those teams will make you better with out question, regardless of the outcome. Playing teams that challenge you each time out makes you better. Highlands has put it on the line with some of the best teams in the state but I believe their goal is to challenge there kids to prepare them for late season playoffs.

 

I'm in agreement with the "challenging" part of your argument, however with the age of most of the girls on the Villa roster, IMO, I think it would be too overwhelming for them to "beef-up" their schedule anymore than what it already is.

 

Who else should they play, that wouldn't be an "overwhelming" opponent?

 

Mar 29, 16 Robertson County away (W) 24 - 0 (3 innings)

Apr 2, 16 Calvary Christian home (L) 2 - 8

Apr 4, 16 Ludlow home (W) 9 - 5

Apr 6, 16 Bellevue away (W) 10 - 0 (5 innings)

Apr 13, 16 Ludlow at Various Sites (L) 2 - 9 9th Region All "A" Classic

Apr 18, 16 Heritage Academy away (W) 11 - 0 (5 innings)

Apr 19, 16 Lloyd Memorial away (L) 4 - 5 (8 innings)

Apr 23, 16 St. Patrick away (W) 13 - 0 (5 innings)

Apr 25, 16 Dixie Heights away (L) 0 - 10 (6 innings)

May 2, 16 St. Henry away (L) 2 - 16

May 3, 16 Dayton away (L) 1 - 5

May 5, 16 Augusta away (W) 17 - 0

May 7, 16 Beechwood home 1:00 PM

May 11, 16 Campbell County home 5:00 PM

May 12, 16 Calvary Christian home 5:30 PM

May 14, 16 Heritage Academy home 2:00 PM

May 14, 16 St. Patrick home 1:00 PM

May 16, 16 Augusta home 5:30 PM

May 17, 16 Gallatin County home 5:30 PM

May 18, 16 Cooper home 5:30 PM

May 20, 16 Dayton home 5:30 PM

May 20, 16 Holy Cross (Covington)

Thanks for your input. However' date=' to paraphrase a sports writer who has interviewed Miss Meier previously, a perfect game is a perfect game no matter how many innings or who the opponent is! There is plenty of room for walks or errors during those innings. To give you an overall picture, Meier has 103K's on the season in 67 innings pitched, and that includes games against extremely competitive opponents from the 9th Region.[/quote']

 

What was her line for the St Henry and Dixie games?

Ironically, the original and genuine intent of this thread was to highlight the positive nature in which Brooke Meier approached the field and mound for the first time in two years without best friend and batterymate Anna Wagner, who was injured this week and is sidelined for 10 days.

 

With no JV program and a very small roster, the Villa bench is not exactly overflowing with back-up catchers! When sophomore Anna Bosley stepped up to temporarily fill the role, and she and Meier connected for a perfect game in their first outing, it definitely seemed noteworthy.

 

However, I did not assume it would generate criticisms or questions with comments to defend Villa's strength of schedule or validate the abilities of Meier. Realistically, Meier's numbers and stats speak plenty on her behalf to legitimize the accolades received from several BGP's posters for this perfect game (your comments and support of Villa were greatly appreciated). She is a freshman in her 4th year as starting varsity pitcher for Villa. And just like every other HS pitcher in NKY, along with outstanding performances there are days when she struggles.

 

Now, for those of you curious about her line against specific competition:

IP R ER H SO

Dixie 6 10 5 8 2

St. Henry 4 16 10 14 4

Lloyd 8 5 2 6 10

 

Versus Dixie - Meier's pitching was consistent, not dominating but controlled - a few untimely fielding errors allowed runners extra-bases, ultimately scoring.

Versus St. Henry - the game was suspended in the 2nd inning due to weather with St. Henry leading 3-1; Meier was pitching strong in the first outing but when the game resumed the following Monday, hits seemed to be contagious for an extremely talented St. Henry team -- a vital lessons learned by the young Villa defense is that you cannot give an already powerful offense extra outs.

Versus Lloyd - Meier threw a very tactical game and left everything she had on the mound during the 8 inning loss; honestly, the game could have gone either way as both teams had chances to win in the final innings.

 

As far as Villa's strength of schedule --

Every year they have to play the following:

District seeding games against Dixie, St. Henry, Lloyd and Ludlow;

Conference Games (Home & Away) against Heritage, Calvary, Ludlow, Dayton, Bellevue, Cov Latin and Silver Grove (if they field a team);

Games scheduled because of established relationships with Athletic Departments including boys/girls soccer, basketball & baseball/softball are Maysville St. Pats, Robertson Co & Augusta (usually Home & Away).

 

From there the remaining opponents depend on team availability and scheduling limitations. This year Beechwood, Campbell Co, Cooper, Pendleton Co, Gallatin Co and Holy Cross are in the mix. Coach Meier has a great rapport with the majority of the high school coaches and strives to challenge the Villa girls by providing competition each season that pushes their skills.

 

As Lawnboy stated, the Villa roster is comprised of very young players, some of whom have never played fastpitch before. However, they also have some exceptional athletes with a true passion for the game. One has to respect how Coach Meier is able to find a balance between the varying skills and ages of his starting players (12-18 years old) and establish a team connection so that they are not only able to remain competitive but focus on individual victories.

 

On behalf of the small schools who may not dominate the Region or be included in Coaches Top 10 Polls -- they still have exceptional athletes reaching milestones worthy of complimentary postings, regardless of opinions on strength of schedule or competitiveness of opponents.

 

I am about to provide via separate thread a game update from Villa versus Beechwood, which was an exciting outing. I certainly hope that no one feels the need to challenge or question any of the accomplishments of these players on the field today.

 

Best of luck to all teams in the remaining weeks as you head into post-season.