:dancingpa If a team ever deserved a nice four day break it is the Lady ‘Stangs varsity fast pitch team. They found another way to win among their bag of tricks on Wednesday beating previously undefeated St. Henry 1-0 in Erlanger.

“We have seen our players this week battle through some nagging things…Miller has a sore back, Schubert a sore ankle and not feeling well, Riedeman a sprained ankle, Enzweiler a strained wrist, Baynum a sore foot, and some other minor things and on a day we didn’t hit well we found a way to keep winning that’s awesome,” said Mel Webster.

Perhaps it is the grind of playing 17 games already (15-2 record) with not many games rained out, but on this day the offense was sputtering along with no score entering the seventh inning. Playing a relatively fresh St. Henry team (6-0) it was a great pitcher’s duel between St. Henry’s Maimie Salzer and Brossart’s Alicia Miller.

While Miller allowed only three hits over seven innings for her 14th win, Salzer scattered 7 for the Lady ‘Stangs striking out 8.

St. Henry’s lone real threat for the game was in the first when Jenn Hoff beat out an infield hit and got all the way to third with one out before Miller struck out Salzer and Cantrall the St. Henry three and four batters to end the inning.

Salzer dodged bullets in the second when Brossart left the bases loaded and in the fifth when she snagged a Jenna Bezold rocket to the mound with two on.

The game all came down to the top of the seventh inning. Paige Baynum led off with her second hit and was advanced to second by a nice clutch sacrifice by Emily Schubert. Lindsay Griffith followed with an infield hit. Up came the hero of Tuesday’s Scott game Jenna Bezold again but this time Salzer struck her out to make it two out and runners on second and third after Griffith stole second. It was now up to sophomore Molly Williams and she drilled a one hopper to third that bounced off the concrete-like infield over the thirdbaseman’s glove to drive home Baynum and make it 1-0. Griffith was waived home also and met the lady Crusader catcher Cantrall blocking the plate about 4 feet up the line. Griffith makes contact while the ball is rolling up the catchers arm and then she grabs it and applies the tag for the out.

“In my opinion he was totally wrong,” pointed out Webster “The catcher can’t block the plate without possession of the ball and she didn’t have the ball when the first hit. Since the catcher was so far up the line it took away all options for the runner. She can’t slide, can’t get access to the plate and if she lowers her shoulder she is ejected for unsportsmanlike conduct.”

Still the Lady ‘Stangs took a 1-0 lead into the bottom of the first and Miller, with the help of her defense, took it to the Lady Crusaders retiring Cantrall on a grounder to Krista Kennedy, coaxing Kirkwood to hop harmlessly to Bezold at first and then retiring Kremer on a nubber in front of the plate Griffith fielded and threw to Bezold for the final out.

A three game winning streak, 15-2 record and Northern Kentucky’s Top Ranking is a good way to go into a rest period.

The junior varsity team battled back from an 8-3 deficit to record a nice 13-8 win at St. Henry. More details on the JV Softball page.

:dancingpa If a team ever deserved a nice four day break it is the Lady ‘Stangs varsity fast pitch team. They found another way to win among their bag of tricks on Wednesday beating previously undefeated St. Henry 1-0 in Erlanger.

“We have seen our players this week battle through some nagging things…Miller has a sore back, Schubert a sore ankle and not feeling well, Riedeman a sprained ankle, Enzweiler a strained wrist, Baynum a sore foot, and some other minor things and on a day we didn’t hit well we found a way to keep winning that’s awesome,” said Mel Webster.

Perhaps it is the grind of playing 17 games already (15-2 record) with not many games rained out, but on this day the offense was sputtering along with no score entering the seventh inning. Playing a relatively fresh St. Henry team (6-0) it was a great pitcher’s duel between St. Henry’s Maimie Salzer and Brossart’s Alicia Miller.

While Miller allowed only three hits over seven innings for her 14th win, Salzer scattered 7 for the Lady ‘Stangs striking out 8.

St. Henry’s lone real threat for the game was in the first when Jenn Hoff beat out an infield hit and got all the way to third with one out before Miller struck out Salzer and Cantrall the St. Henry three and four batters to end the inning.

Salzer dodged bullets in the second when Brossart left the bases loaded and in the fifth when she snagged a Jenna Bezold rocket to the mound with two on.

The game all came down to the top of the seventh inning. Paige Baynum led off with her second hit and was advanced to second by a nice clutch sacrifice by Emily Schubert. Lindsay Griffith followed with an infield hit. Up came the hero of Tuesday’s Scott game Jenna Bezold again but this time Salzer struck her out to make it two out and runners on second and third after Griffith stole second. It was now up to sophomore Molly Williams and she drilled a one hopper to third that bounced off the concrete-like infield over the thirdbaseman’s glove to drive home Baynum and make it 1-0. Griffith was waived home also and met the lady Crusader catcher Cantrall blocking the plate about 4 feet up the line. Griffith makes contact while the ball is rolling up the catchers arm and then she grabs it and applies the tag for the out.

“In my opinion he was totally wrong,” pointed out Webster “The catcher can’t block the plate without possession of the ball and she didn’t have the ball when the first hit. Since the catcher was so far up the line it took away all options for the runner. She can’t slide, can’t get access to the plate and if she lowers her shoulder she is ejected for unsportsmanlike conduct.” Still the Lady ‘Stangs took a 1-0 lead into the bottom of the first and Miller, with the help of her defense, took it to the Lady Crusaders retiring Cantrall on a grounder to Krista Kennedy, coaxing Kirkwood to hop harmlessly to Bezold at first and then retiring Kremer on a nubber in front of the plate Griffith fielded and threw to Bezold for the final out.

A three game winning streak, 15-2 record and Northern Kentucky’s Top Ranking is a good way to go into a rest period.

The junior varsity team battled back from an 8-3 deficit to record a nice 13-8 win at St. Henry. More details on the JV Softball page.

 

Wasn't there so I can't comment on the play, but I will tell you Mel, a former umpire, cries about more calls than almost everyone in Northern Kentucky, and I believe his team gets hosed on some calls because of it later in the season. JMHO

Any umpire or official who does that should be fired. It's about the kids regardless of what coaches say or do.

Any umpire or official who does that should be fired. It's about the kids regardless of what coaches say or do.

 

I agree.:thumb: