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Other seasons: 2009 2010

6/11-12 West County 12U All-Stars - 2011 Tournament Champions ...

The West County All-Stars glistened under blue skies this weekend, earning a 4-0 record to win the Sonoma County Interleague 12U All-Star Girls Fast Pitch tournament in Windsor. Thirteen girls from Sebastopol, Bodega, Forestville, Graton, Guerneville, Occidental and Santa Rosa built a structure of exemplary team effort, with every player pushing the whole thing upward until the trophies came out and the sparkling-cider shower left them laughing, shrieking and sticky in the heat.

West County had more handy tools than places to use them, outscoring opponents 38-4 on the weekend. Peyton Bratton learned thirty minutes prior to Game One that she’d start at catcher all day Saturday, then proceeded to block just about everything and keep base runners at bay, laying down two perfect bunts when needed. Celina Kegerreis was nails at the plate, 6-for-6 on the weekend to complement stellar plays in the field, while Laney Klunis put on the punctuation run against Windsor, singling and stealing around to score. After spending Saturday sick in bed, Kaiya Ming ripped two shots on Sunday and donned the gear to pick off the game’s first runner with a laser to second, fielded niftily by Gillian Halpin, whose error-free work at shortstop negated any potential rallies before they could get started. Wanna see a tough 13-year-old? Find some video of Crystal Gevas sliding face-first at home over the catcher’s foot to dislodge the tag and score—despite a suffering sternum, she continued to employ the superhero routine all weekend. Cousin Madison Moug displayed similar Wonder Woman tendencies, shellacking a fastball for the weekend’s only home run on Saturday and later daring a stand-up double into a coulda-slid-but-why-risk-it triple.

Another one perfect at the plate, Sierra Fiddler shot three singles into the grass, walked and stole at will to score four runs in four appearances. Jessa Rodriguez brought a hot bat and a sticky glove, hitting .800 for the weekend and turning every fly ball in her territory into an out. Kelsi Roman put her speed on display by looting second base and covering every inch of left field, while Sarah Kadlec was unshakable on first all weekend, with a memorable game-ending, unassisted double play and three runs of her own. Strong-armed Victoria Torres held down the hot corner for the weekend, contributing five hits and crossing the plate each time. Happier in the pitching circle than just about anywhere else, Saja Spearman-Weaver struck out 23 and walked three in four complete games, including a no-hitter Saturday morning and a one-hit outing in the championship—she helped her cause along by adding five runs on seven hits. West County clocked in hitting .500 for the weekend with 45 hits over four games, while holding strong opponents to a .189 average allowing 14 hits. 15-0 vs. Windsor, 4-2 vs. Santa Rosa, 7-2 vs. Mark West, and 12-0 vs. Mark West in the final.

Despite this list of stellar individual performances, the real magic stemmed from the joy, confidence and pick-each-other-up enthusiasm that these girls and their families brought to the field. The rained-out practices of late May seem far, far behind us now. Such rare chemistry was a thing to behold, especially unusual for a team with a two-week lifespan—a brilliant, towering sandcastle that you have to walk away from at sunset. But it will remain, unforgettable.

Nice job, West County. Read more in The Sonoma West too!

- Jason Weaver, Coach

5/21 14U Pulse...

Season's end arrived much to quickly Saturday morning for the Pulse. A magical season for the girls came to an end just the way it started. Since late February the Pulse had been working harder than anyone else, whether it was during scheduled practices, short notice "hey there is a field open" practices, or at our indoor warehouse in Santa Rosa when the rains wouldn't let up. The effort showed up on the field from day one and continued right through Saturday's final game. With a bit of sadness as they warmed up thinking that this was it, no more games after this one, quickly disappeared as the ump called play ball and the Pulse flipped the switch and got down to business. K's in the first for Taylor kept the string of not allowing a run in the first inning for the entire year. In the bottom of the first the Pulse would take advantage of lots of hittable pitches, Taylor singled and stole second, Maddi singled her in, Haley doubled, and Alison singled to bring 3 runs across early. A huge inning was stopped by a couple of pop up outs leaving the bases loaded. Taylor would K' the side for the rest of the game ending the game with 15 K's on the day. At the plate the Pulse didn't want the season to end as they kept hitting wanting to get another at bat. Erin singled twice on the day, Maren went with an outside fastball and took it to the gap in right for a double. Lindsay put down a sneaky bunt and legged out a double and singled later on in the game for her first multi hit game of the season. With the bases Taylor and Lindsay on the bases Haley in her final at bat did exactly what we had worked on the day before during our final practice, she went the other way to right for a triple. Katrina knocked in runs with a single, Hailey walked twice and singled, Lacy kept swinging and netted a season ending hit. Every player in the Pulse lineup got at least 1 hit. As the game came to an end, players, coaches and Pulse fans realized it was over. BBQ to follow at Ives park, a great time had by all. Another fantastic season filled with great plays, tense moments, and players making big time plays when it counted. Some crazy stats from simply the best team ever. The Pulse allowed 15 total runs in 2011 while scoring 112 of their own. Taylor K'd 172 in 82 innings only walking 5 on the season. 4 Pulse players hit above .400 on the season. The Pulse shut out 7 teams on the season and had 2 perfect games. Haley hit the longest ball ever, if you think you have seen a farther one, you are wrong. Only 74 outs were made other than K's and Lacy made 59 of them at first base. 15-1 on the season. Congrats to our 5 all stars, Katrina, Taylor, Maddi, Lacy, & Haley. Keep watching the headlines in the years to come as these supremely talented girls will put up some even more amazing stats. Thank you for allowing me to coach these awesome girls. --Ronn Christy, coach.

5/14 14U Pulse...

Down to the end of the season the second to last Saturday game of the year. Missing clean up hitter Katrina to volleyball made the task more difficult. Solid play in practice got Erin the start at third base to anchor the Pulse defense. A quick 1-2-3 first inning with Taylor striking out 2 and Lacy grabbing a roller up the line. Taylor starting the bottom of the first with a single to right and stole second. Maddi singled her in for the games first run. Haley walked, Alison singled, and Erin singled to knock in a run. The Pulse had a chance to break the game open early but good defense kept the score at 2-0 leaving the bags full. Same thing in the second 2 K's and a ground out to Maddi at second base. Pitches to hit throughout the game kept Pulse runners on the bags. Haley lined to short in the bottom of the second for an RBI. 3-0 after two innings. Pulse defense surrendered the first hit in the third after 2 strikeouts. Haley quickly erased that runner with a strike to second on a steal attempt and an Alison tag for the out. Finding the big hit with runners in scoring position didn't happen for the Pulse in the middle innings. Runners on second and third but none across the plate keeping the game close. In the infield, Lacy made the most of 2 chances on grounders and Taylor got into a groove K'ing 7 in a row. With the game still close the Pulse needed some insurance runs. Hailey singled and the combination of Maren and Erin's grounders got her in for a run. The Pulse would break loose in the bottom of the sixth with hits and runs against a new pitcher. Taylor grounded slowly to third and beat it out for a hit, Maddi doubled hard to deep left to score a run. Haley drilled one to center for an RBI double. Alison again singled her in. Defense would close it out in the top of the 7th, Maddi scooped a grounder and tossed to Lacy at first for an out and Taylor finished it with 2 more K's giving her 15 on the afternoon. We put out the call to anyone wanting more games as the season comes to an end. Mark West took the challenge so the Pulse will head up there for an extra game before Saturday's season finale. --Ronn Christy, coach.

5/7 14U Pulse...

First game of the day Saturday morning, the Pulse would start the day off right for west county. With 3 missing Pulse players, Gillian once again got the call up from 12U to play her third game with the Pulse. Linzey and Hillary rearranged their days to join the team as well as a sort of Wildcat reunion took place. Taylor would K the side in the first inning to bring the Pulse to the plate looking to take the lead early. Taylor would single to start the game and steal second. Maddi singled, Haley walked and Hillary would knock in one with a hard grounder. Bases loaded with one out saw a big chance for the Pulse to break the game open, but two good defensive plays limited the runs to just the 1. Good defense in the second for the home team as Hailey scooped a ball down the third base line and fired to Lacy for the first out. Taylor would K the last 2. New pitcher for the Pulse to face in the second inning, bottom of the order came up huge as Erin hit a short ball in front of home and beat it out, Linzey followed that up with a crisp single. Lacy hitting in the 10 spot put down a perfect bunt. Maddi singled in a run, and Linzey with some heads up base running took home on a ball by the catcher sliding under the tag. A K to the last hitter in the lineup brought the visitors back to the top of the order down only a few runs. Allison fielded a sharp grounder and threw to first, and Lacy grabbed a liner to first to close out the inning. Then it happened, for everyone who was there they got to see the longest ball ever hit. Haley would take a 1-2 fastball to DEEP left field, I mean deep left field. The absolute, no question, without a doubt, longest ball that anyone has ever seen for an easy home run. Hillary followed up on the next pitch with a long triple to right center. Allison singled up the middle, Gillian moved her around, and Lacy would knock her in. As the final innings approached the Pulse defense would see new players in spots see action. Erin backhanded a liner to third and threw to first for the out. Gillian held down second base in the late innings picking balls out of the infield for outs. Taylor would K the last batter to end the game. Another great team effort from everyone. Solid win against another talent filled opponent. Practice twice this week as the Pulse attempt to search out extra games to end the season. Next up Saturday 4pm at Analy. --Ronn Christy, coach.

5/5 14U Pulse...

A warm weather Wednesday evening game would test the Pulse. Focus on the night was to start focused and stay that way for the the full game. Batting first the Pulse would stay patient at the plate and gets the bats going early and often. A single by Maddi and another by Lacy put runners on for Katrina. She would deliver with a shot down the first base line to score a a pair of runs. Protecting the lead in the first is always our goal. Taylor and Hailey teamed up in the first against the top of the order to K the side. Second inning the Pulse would stay ahead in the count and swing the bats. Hailey and Alison netted singles giving Erin a chance to knock in some runs with her first of two hits on the day. Taylor lined one up the middle for an RBI and Katrina notched her second hit of the day. Lacy drove a ball to deep right center for what would have been an easy triple, but the dirt reached up and tripped her holding her to a single. Bottom of the second the K's continued as Taylor stepped up and struck out the side again for 6 in a row to start the game. As the middle innings started the Pulse focus remained high. Defense on a few balls put in play was solid, Alison grabbed a couple at SS and fired to the always stretching Lacy at first base. Maddi controlled second base grabbing an inning ending line drive. With Taylor and Maddi on the bases Haley took her time and crushed a ball to deep left for a triple. Katrina knocked her in with a grounder, Alison up really far in the batters box knocked in two with a single. As the final inning came on defense for the Pulse they would finish like they started. New players in the infield Erin and Lindsay held their own. A ground out to start the last and 2 K's to end it. Good energy and support throughout. Right back at it Saturday morning for an early one. --Ronn Christy, coach.

5/3 14U Pulse...

Ragle park for the last time of the season for the Pulse Tuesday night. A new opponent in the opposite dugout brought solid pitching to what would turn out to be a close game. A different energy in pregame for the Pulse a little bit off their game then worked its way on to the field Tuesday night. For first time on the year and the first time in over 30 games for most of them, allowed a run in the first. Tight on defense in the first and a lack of energy led to a lazy run coming across the plate. Like they always do the Pulse did respond in the bottom half of the inning Taylor singled, Maddi put down an absolutely perfect bunt and beat it out to put two runners on with no outs. A couple of base running errors not advancing on chances kept what should have been a big inning to a one run inning tying the score. For the next 3 innings the game went back and forth with zeros. For the Pulse at the plate, very few swings, lots of watching instead of swinging resulting in an unusually high number of K's. On defense the tightness remained for the entire game as normally routine balls seemed to allow runners on base. Lots of strikeouts for Taylor, 13 on the day, but limited pitches allowed hitters to continue to battle at the plate and put balls in play. In the final innings the score was still knotted at 1-1, a slow roller got through again and then a bad pitch to a good hitter landed a long way away for a 2 run homer. Down to their last inning, some energy that had been missing all evening returned, Lacy continued to see the ball well with a single and ran the bases smartly advancing on balls by the catcher. Haley would knock in Lacy with a well placed single in front of the plate and advance to second on the throw to home. Haley would score on a Alison ground out to get the Pulse to within one but that was as close as they would get as a K would close it out. 10-1 after 11 games isn't bad. The mark of a good team is how you respond to a bad performance and a loss. I know that on Thursday more than the normal Pulse energy will return and they will respond to the challenge. See you Thursday. --Ronn Christy, coach.

4/30 14U Pulse...

Last Saturday in April brought temperatures up as the Pulse took the field at Analy against a familiar foe in the last battle of the season for the two teams. Big crowd in attendance saw the Pulse pitching and defense once again not allow any damage in the first. A lead off K got the first out, and then a hard grounder to Maddi at 2B, and a roller to Taylor in the circle both ended up in Lacy's mit at 1B for the second and third outs. Pitching and defense for both teams was fantastic in the first two meetings and that trend would continue. Pulse bats would be on the ball all day long keeping the pressure on the defense to make the outs. Taylor opened the game once again with a perfectly placed single to right center, Maddi followed with a hard line out to SS, Katrina hit a long shot to right that looked like it would fall but a nice play in right grabbed the out and fired to second for a double play. Taylor and Haley would settle into a nice flow as pitcher and catcher combined to figure out an odd strike zone to K the next 6 batters in the lineup over the next 2 innings. Lacy & Haley would hit the ball hard in there early inning trips to the plate, runners found their way to the bases but again nice plays on D kept the Pulse runners from crossing the plate. Middle innings saw the score remain at 0-0. The first base runner of the day for the opposition was quickly thrown out at second trying to steal a bag on a nice throw and catch by Haley and SS Katrina. The ladies appeared a bit frustrated as they continued to hit the ball and force the issue but just couldn't find a run. Maren on second with 2 outs, Taylor line drive single to center, Maren rounds third for home, slides around the tag, great throw from center, out was the call at the plate to keep the game at 0-0 going into the 6th. A quick K, and then a hit, and then a misplayed ball in the outfield and a wild throw allowed the first run of the game. Two more K's closed out the inning with the Pulse down 1-0. Responding as they always do, hard hit balls started to find holes. Lacy singled to right with 1 out, bringing Haley to the plate, she would crush a ball to left center scoring Lacy from first and ending up on second with a game tying double. Allison would follow on the next pitch with a line single up the middle scoring a running Haley from second, Allison's second hit of the day. Hailey notched her second hit of the day two batters later with 2 outs scoring the third run of the inning for the Pulse. 7th inning brought the 4-5-6 hitters up for Taylor to face. 3 K's later game over. 17 K's on the day. Happy 14th birthday Taylor. Full schedule next week with 3 games and practice. --Ronn Christy, coach.

4/26 14U Pulse...

Road trip on a Tuesday evening brought the Pulse to a field that they had never played on before. A rematch of one of the better games of the season against a very talented and deep opponent. With a solid full day of hitting practice the day before the Pulse would start at the plate as the visitor and the extra indoor swings showed right from the start. Taylor doubled to deep right center into some extremely high grass and stole third. Katrina would knock her in with a crisp single to right. Bats on the ball throughout the inning gave Hailey a shot with two outs to drive in another run, she would come up big with two strikes and drive a ball to left center for a run scoring double. A crooked number for the Pulse in the first got the game started. Still trying to find that perfect defense different players would move around in the infield and outfield. A rare lead off single up the middle got the Pulse on their toes. Quick hands on defense by Maddi at 2B got a runner at first. Taylor K'd 2 in the inning. Since strikes were being thrown, the Pulse kept swinging at them. Second inning saw Erin continue her assault at the plate with another single to start, Haley worked a full count walk to Taylor would double in a run and Lacy singled in a run as well. The Pulse would leave runners on base on a great throw and tag at second on a steal attempt. Good defense in the middle innings saw Alison gobble up two hot shots down the third base line and fire one runner out with a rocket throw to Lacy at first. The fear of the tree continues as SS Katrina fielded balls and tossed to first. Great back up by Maren crashing in from right allowed Haley and Lacy the chance to throw down to first for outs. A few hiccups on D let a few would be outs on to the bases but no runs would score. In the late innings Pulse hitters adjusted nicely to a new pitcher and kept hitting, Haley single, Erin got her second hit of the day leaving her 4 for her last 4, and Maddi again coming up big with 2 outs singled to center to get the Pulse another run. Bottom of the sixth found the girls in a tight spot bases loaded with 1 out, Taylor and Haley would team up to K the last 2 to end the threat. Bottom of the seventh Alison scooped a liner to third and threw to second to get the lead runner for the first out, Taylor would K the second hitter, and Lacy grabbed a roller to first to close it out. As the girls raided the cooler full of unexpected drinks brought by George the sun set on another great 7 inning game between two very talented teams. Practice Friday night, before returning to the field Saturday. --Ronn Christy, coach.

4/19 14U Pulse...

The second half of the Pulse season kicked off on Tuesday night at Ragle park. One day after a good indoor hitting practice at the Pulse indoor facility the ladies would take the field missing a key bat and the first baseman Lacy. Changes to the infield defense saw different players at 3B, SS, 2B & Alison stepped up to play 1B for the first time ever. Pitching and defense once again led the Pulse attack. Alison was tested at 1B in the very first inning as a couple of dropped 3rd strikes were fired to first for outs and a high pop up on the line was caught for the third out. Taylor started the Pulse off right with a solid single up the middle, a fantastic bunt by new number two hitter Maddi moved her to second. She would be stranded at third as the oppositions pitching was solid. The rearranged Pulse defense held its own making almost every play throughout the game. Haley held it down behind the plate for the entire game letting nothing by her and squeezing the strikes. The Pulse batters would find ways on base throughout most of the night but just not be able to put anything together. Maren and Erin would combine to go 3-4 at the plate giving the lineup a lift. On defense SS Katrina picked a slow roller to short and fired to first for the out just barely to close out an inning. Second baseman Hailey fielded everything hit to her including taking a hard shot off of her shin, staying with it, and tossing to first for the out. With scored tied at 0-0 in the bottom of the 4th Katrina and Lindsay got hit by pitches both on the foot and worked their way to second and third with no outs. Again though a good opportunity for runs didn't happen as the opposition once again stepped up to keep the score at 0-0 after 4 innings. In the bottom of the 5th, lead off hitter Taylor would single and steal second with 2 outs. Maddi got it done at the plate and with 2 strikes hit a flare to right field, Taylor was running on the pitch and never slowed down to home, a fantastic throw from right to a catcher perfectly blocking the plate forced Taylor to go head first around the catcher. Super close play, SAFE at home, smart base running on the play put Maddi on second. 1-0 after 5 innings. In the end the 1 run was all the Pulse would need to close it out. A full 7 inning game in 1 hour 10 minutes. Both pitchers pitched terrific, no walks in the game from either pitcher. Taylor would K 15 in the game including the final 3 in the 7th to end it. Second half of the season off to a good start against a good team. A bit of a break for the Pulse, with a chance to catch up on some missed practices before heading out on the road for two next week, stay tuned. --Ronn Christy, coach.

4/14 14U Pulse...

Midway point of the season for the Pulse came Thursday night at Analy. The 8th grade volleyball tournament in West county kept #3 hitter Tree out of the lineup and the infield. An on time game start brought the Pulse to the field first, less than stellar defense in the first inning would allow an unusual early inning base runner. Taylor and Haley combined once again to K the 3 & 4 hitters to close out the inning, once again not allowing a run in the first inning. Taylor would kick off the bottom of the first with a double to right just inside the foul line, Alison worked a walk and Haley would knock in a run with a hard shot to SS almost beating it out. Good team defense by the opposition closed out the Pulse attack with only the 1 run in the first. A quick top of the second saw 2 K's and a nice play from Erin picking a ball at third and throwing to first for the out. Lindsay would lead off the next inning with a single right over first base but get doubled off first on a hit and run attempt when Hailey lined hard right back to the pitcher. A couple more K's and and a pop up out closed the top of the third for the Pulse. Bats came alive as Maren worked a nice 8 pitch at bat walk, Taylor singled on a bloop to center and Alison singled. Haley crushed a ball to deep left for a 2 run double. Pulse bats continued to make contact throughout the night but not solid contact, lots of easy grounders and rollers. Patience at the plate was not a strong point for the girls on the evening keeping the game close. A lack of balls in play this year may have contributed to the some very uncharacteristic errors at many infield positions. As good teams do though, they stuck together and made the plays when they had to. Erin came in to relieve Haley behind the plate for an inning and squeezed a couple of K's. As the game wore on a full 7 inning game was reached. In the last inning Taylor would K the first batter, and the last with runners on to end the game with 12 K's, O walks. First half of the season over, second half starts next week. A much deserved weekend off for most of the Pulse with Taylor, Haley &b Maddi with work to do tournament style this weekend. Back to work Monday at practice, and a Tuesday game stay tuned. --Ronn Christy, coach.

4/12 14U Pulse...

All 10 Pulse players were once again in attendance even with a big volleyball tournament going on at the same time. Pulse players chose softball as their sport of choice for the evening. Road trip brought the Pulse to the plate in the top of the inning. For the first time ever the Pulse did not score in the first inning. Solid infield defense knocked down the top 3 in order bringing the home team into the dugout cheering. On defense the always steady defense had a momentary blip as two a routine grounder found its way through and the sun blinded Katrina from a hot shot at SS which she took off of the face like it was nothing. A single run would cross the plate as Taylor K'd the last 2 of the inning. Pulse bats would tie the score in the next half inning as Haley would single on the first pitch she saw, Lacy singled and Maddi with 2 outs knocked in a run. Defense would settle down for the rest of the game for the most part as pitching dominated the opposing hitters. With the score knotted at 1-1 in the top of the 3rd, leadoff hitter Taylor on an 0-2 pitch would hit the longest home run ball ever seen scoring as the ball reached the cutoff to give the Pulse the lead for good. Alison and Katrina continued to hit, Katrina has yet to strike out on the season. Haley came to the plate and blasted a pitch to left that went all the way to the track sending runs across the plate. The bases would be left loaded for the second straight inning leaving runs on the bags. Taylor would strikeout 10 in a row during the middle of the game. In the 6th inning Lindsay got into the hitting act with a roller through a hole. Maren tough at the plate took a fastball off of the helmet and went to first like a champ. Hailey knocked in a couple with a double to left, followed by a Maddi double. Bottom of the 7th as the cold wind came in Taylor and Haley combined to K the side to end it. Another full 7 inning game against a solid team. Taylor would end up with 19 K's, O walks, and 3 hits. Quick turnaround and a return to the home field on Thursday night. --Ronn Christy, coach.

4/9 14U Pulse...

Second road trip of the year for the Pulse. All 10 players in attendance for this one. Taylor would start the game at her leadoff spot with a triple to right and score on an Allison base hit. Katrina moved runners around with a single. Runners would be stranded on all the bases as a two lazy fly balls were caught and a moment of confusion on the bases closed out the inning. Pulse pitching would strike out the top of order in the bottom of the first. The bottom of the order would get into the action and start swinging as Hailey ripped a single, Lindsey notched her first hit of the the season and Maddi continued her hot bat knocking in a couple of runs. In the bottom of the second after the first batter of the inning K'd, the second strike of the at bat would be a costly one as an injury would force Haley out of the game. A badly bruised hand brought Erin behind the plate for the first time of the season. With only a few warm ups Erin controlled the inning, squeezing the 3rd strike for the second out of the inning, and snatching a foul pop down the 3rd base line to end the inning. The Pulse bats would open up a bit in the 3rd inning. Catcher Erin cracked a single to right, Maren rolled a ball to third and beat it out. New third baseman Lindsay charged a slow roller to third and fired to first for the out. Maren would come in to cover the SS position for an inning as well. In the top of the fourth with new pitcher Maren warming up behind the dugout, Taylor stepped to the plate and homered to left center, Allison doubled on the next pitch, and Katrina doubled one pitch later, Lacy knocked in 2 with a single. As Erin continued her solid play behind the plate, Maren would enter the game to face the top of the order with a perfect game on the line. Maren stepped up, threw strikes, and got a grounder to Hailey at third who tossed to first for the out, a two strike grounder back to herself for the second out, and finally a hot shot to Katrina at SS who threw to first to close out the inning and the 2nd perfect game of the season for the Pulse. New week, games Tuesday and Thursday stayed tuned. --Ronn Christy, coach.

4/5 14U Pulse...

Game number 4 for the Pulse proved to be the biggest test of the season. Windy conditions and a really talented team in the other dugout. Once again the Pulse would set the tone early with a quick first inning, defense at the corners was solid as 3B Hailey charged a bunt and fired to first for an out, Maddi nabbed a liner in the hole and Taylor K'd the last. An intentional walk to Taylor started the game, but terrific defense from the opposition canceled that with a nice double play to clear the bases, the first of two legit double plays on the day. Katrina returned to the lineup at her clean up spot after a game away with volleyball singled to start the second. Maddi continued to swing a solid bat with two strikes singled to center. Runners were once again stranded as good defense and pitching closed out the inning. That trend would continue on both sides as the Pulse pitching and defense kept any runners from the bases through 5 innings. It appeared to all who were watching that the team who broke through first would come out on top. 0-0 was the score going into the bottom of the fifth. Challenged as a group to start the bottom of the fifth to get the first run. Maddi would work a walk, Lacy would single. With 2 outs Lindsay walked to load the bases with 2 outs. Maren returning to the lineup after missing the last 2 games had an epic 9 pitch at bat walking on a 3-2 pitch low to force in the first run. Next pitch bases loaded 2 out Taylor would double to center to knock in another 2 runs. We wanted 1 run we got 3. Defense once again from the corners closed out the sixth as Hailey continued to throw runner out from third base to the stretching Lacy at first. Hits and runners on base in the bottom of the sixth for the Pulse but no runs. Top of the seventh game on the line, a 3-2 walk to the first batter of the inning, a ground out by and a hit by the lead off hitter in the lineup would put runners on the bases with the 2 and 3 hitters up with a chance to win it. Taylor and Haley would team up once again when asked to finish it with back to back K's to end the game with the score 3-1. Great game, a full 7 inning game in an hour and 10 minutes. Taylor would K 13 on the day, and the Pulse lineup netted 11 hits. Practice Thursday and Friday before heading back out on the road Saturday. --Ronn Christy, coach.

4/2 14U Pulse...

Quick turnaround for the Pulse with Game 2 on Friday night and game 3 saturday at noon. Clean up hitter Katrina had a volleyball tournament and would join Maren in missing saturday's game. Call up Gillian would stay with the team for her second game. The first road game of the season got the girls away from Analy for a day. Up first for the first time of the year gave the Pulse a chance to score first. The hot hitting from the previous night had yet to burn off as patience and pitch selection paved the way for hits and runs in the first. Allison grabbed her first of 2 hits on the day in the first and was driven in along with Taylor on Haley's line drive to center. Tough defense ended a big Pulse threat in the first stranding runners on all the bases. A speedy lead off hitter put a ball 2 feet in front of home on a 2 strike count and beat it out to start the inning against the Pulse defense. Once again 2 K's and a Maddi to Lacy put out at first ended the inning with no harm done. Aggressive base running and good catcher play got the Pulse at home twice in early innings. Pitching and defense kept the game in control for the Pulse. Lindsay ranged to her left and caught a high fly ball to left for a key out. Allison continued to play well at SS making the most of her chance. Lacy grabbed 2 liners down the first base line for outs, and smartly tagged runners on slow grounders not allowing runners from third to advance home. Erin dove in right field to stop a hot shot threw the hole past Maddi's glove holding the runner to a single. Taylor continued to throw strikes to average 2 K's an inning through 3 games. Bats would open up in the last 2 innings. Maddi smashed her first hit of the season and would get her second in the same inning. Hailey E. ripped the first pitch of her third at bat of the game to deep left for a stand up triple. Gillian in her last at bat before returning to her 12U squad knocked in 2 with a single to right field. Infield defense would get the first 2 outs of the last inning and Taylor would freeze the games final hitter with a screwball for the last out at the plate. Great start to the season, 3-0. Stay tuned as a new week is upon us, game 4 tuesday at Analy.

4/1 14U Pulse...

Game 2 for the Pulse Friday night at Analy. Missing Maren for the weekend would see the Pulse bring up a 2010 teammate as Gillian would rejoin the crew for two games. Game 2 for the girls was the total package, pitching, catching, defense, and hitting were all on display. A quick 1,2, 3 first with 2 K's and a Maddi put out got the Pulse to the plate. The girls would bat around in the first inning. Taylor singled on the games first pitch back up the middle, Katrina, and Lacy followed with hits. Allison notched her first hit of the young season with a single to right, call up Gillian netted a hit as well. As the game moved on the Pulse would continue the pressure. Making the most of the few defensive chances saw Allison make a nice grab and fired to first beating the runner to a stretching Lacy by a millisecond for the out. Katrina circled under a long foul ball to right to close out an inning. Taylor in the circle continued to not let anyone get ahead. Haley and Hailey got into the hitting act in the later innings both knocking in runs with extra base hits. Lindsay continues to confuse pitchers with a tough strike zone working her way on base any way that she can. As the sun began to drop in right field, the always noisy Pulse fans began to get a little quiet as they saw that something special was happening. In the final inning Maddi would grab a hot shot in the hole for the first out. Taylor and Haley would team up on back to back K's looking to end the game. In the end it was a very special day, one of the rarest things in sports took place, A Perfect Game. The Pulse did not allow a hit, run, walk, or an error allowing no one to reach base on the night. Good start to the weekend, with a road game Saturday.

3/29 14U Pulse vs. Santa Rosa...

As weather held off games on opening weekend, the Pulse would take the field Tuesday night kicking off the 2011 West County softball season against a very good Santa Rosa team. Even for the most grizzled veterans first game jitters were creeping in. The task on Tuesday night was to protect the home field and as the home team the Pulse would take the field first. Familiar faces would return to the same spots as the 2010 season with Lacy at 1B, Maddi at 2B, and Tri at SS with Haley and Tay handling the pitching and catching duties once again. Getting off to a good start is a key for any team, and a quick 1,2, 3 inning is the best way to get it going. 10 total pitches, all strikes, 1 foul ball, inning over. Taylor would get the hitting started for the Pulse in the bottom of the first with a single on the games very first pitch, tough Santa Rosa pitching netted the first 2 outs at the plate and deep shot to right field by clean up hitter Katrina found the glove of a deep playing right fielder for the final out of the first stranding Taylor at third. Another quick defensive half inning in the top of the second as Maddi flashed the leather snagging a liner to her left for an out and SS Katrina would pick a ball up off of her shoe tops for an out, and a K to close out the second. Lacy and Maren would get their first of 2 hits each in the second inning but get stranded on the bags as Santa Rosa's pitching and defense stiffened up. Another quick top of the 3rd saw 2 strikeouts and another stellar play by Maddi in the second base hole. The Pulse would knock the zero off of the scorecard in the bottom of the third as Taylor would single, loot second and then score on a clutch 2 out 2 strike hit down the right field line by catcher Haley. The top of the fourth started great with 2 strikeouts and then the only real hiccup of the game for the Pulse. Some miscommunication between Taylor, Haley, and Lacy as to who should take a foul pop up saw the ball hit the ground and gave the top of the Santa Rosa lineup another chance.

A chance that they would make the most of scoring 3 runs to take a 3-1 lead going into the bottom of the fourth. Unphased by the score Katrina started the inning with a single, Lacy another hit, and Maren's second hit of the day would score a run, quick thinking by Lindsey heading home scored just under the tag to tie the score at 3 after 4. Top of the fifth was back to normal as the Pulse kept the pressure on with 2 more K's and another Maddi to Lacy out at one. Taylor would fly down the line to start the 5th inning beating out a grounder right at the first baseman and then steal second base to start the rally. Late game patience at the plate and great pitch selection gave the Pulse plenty of base runners. Taylor would score the go ahead run on Katrina third hard hit ball of the day. As runs crossed the plate the sun continued to drop in right field and the man in blue would signal the end of a good first game of the year for the Pulse.

A good test for the ladies against an extremely talented team from Santa Rosa. A good win to start the season, lots to work on for sure. Indoor practice Thursday, home game vs. Windsor on Saturday. --Ronn Christy, coach

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