Aces
Undefeated in Rain-Shortened Memorial Weekend Tournament
The Aces were missing the three seniors on Saturday due to graduation,
but had new player Sarah Embry filling in for the weekend. Welcome Sarah to the team!
Cotton made it back for Sunday play. The Aces won both pool
games and the first two bracket games on Saturday, allowing only one
unearned run to score against them. After heavy rain on Sunday
morning delayed games by an hour and a half, the Aces played another
bracket game and came away on top 2-1. With only four teams left
in the winners bracket, the Aces went on to face the Louisiana Red
Sticks. After two full innings of play, the Aces were up
2-0. At the start of the 3rd inning, before the first pitch could
be thrown, the field had to be cleared due to lightning. Once it
was determined that another storm was coming through that would prevent
play from resuming on Monday, the tournament director declared the rest
of the tournament canceled. The 3 berths to AFA Nationals were
still to be awarded. However, the Aces already qualified in the
fall, so the berths will probably pass to the other teams remaining in
the winners bracket if they have not already qualified. Besides
the Aces and the Red Sticks, the other teams remaining were the New
Orleans Voo Doo and the Texas Rapid Fire.
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Pool Game
1 - vs Legends. Aces won 7-0.
Morgan pitched a no-hit
shut out to start the tournament, allowing only one baserunner with a
walk in the 1st, and striking out 5 of the 10 batters she faced. Lindsey walked to lead off the
first, and scored as Morgan reached
on a two-out error. Kesha reached
on an error in the 2nd, but was left stranded at 3B. Guest player
Sarah reached in the 3rd
on a missed fly ball to right, and Lindsey
drew another walk. Amber
singled up the middle to score both runners and advanced
to 2nd on the throw to the plate. Amber stole 3rd and scored on a
wild pitch. In the 4th, Kesha singled
with one out, then stole 2nd and 3rd on consecutive pitches. Kendall bunted to score Kesha on a suicide squeeze, and was
safe at 1st. Brytish hit
a triple to drive in Kendall,
and Brytish scored when the
3rd baseman failed to catch the throw from the outfield. An
attempt was made at the plate, but Brytish
got there before the catcher could find the ball.
Pool Game
2 - vs Texas Cobras. Aces won 4-0.
Rhiannon pitched
a one-hit shut out as the Aces beat the Cobras 4-0. The Cobras
had their only baserunners in the 4th and final inning when the leadoff
batter reached on an error. After a line drive out to 2nd, the
next batter got the Cobras only hit of the game with a single up the
middle which advanced the runner to 2nd. Rhiannon struck out the next
batter. During the next at bat, the lead runner stole 3rd, and
the throw got past the bag. However, Kesha covered the throw from left
field, and threw the runner out at the plate for the 3rd out.
With the game scoreless going into the bottom of the 2nd, Morgan led off with a walk and
advanced on a wild pitch. Rhiannon
singled and advanced Morgan
to 3rd. Kesha hit
a sac fly to center to score Morgan.
Kelsea then unloaded
with an out-of-the-park homerun over the center field fence to score Amber (running for Rhiannon). Kendall walked but was left
stranded. The Aces were up 3-0 at that point. The Aces
scored again in the 3rd when Lindsey led
off with a walk and advanced to 3rd as Amber
singled. Morgan hit
a sac fly to center to score Lindsey and
add to the Aces lead.
Bracket
Game 1 - vs Texas Thunder. Aces won 4-1.
Morgan pitched four
innings with seven strike outs and allowed only one hit in the first
inning. After Morgan struck
out the first two batters of the game, the next batter singled, but was
caught stealing by Megan behind
the plate. Offensively, the Aces had four hits in the game.
Amber singled in the
first but was out on a fielder's choice and the Aces left one
stranded. Brytish walked
in the 2nd, but was left stranded. The Aces put two runs on the
board in the 3rd when Sarah led
off with a walk, followed by a single from Lindsey. Amber walked to load the
bases. Sarah scored on
a wild pitch with Megan up to
bat, and the other runners advanced. Megan grounded out to score another
run, and one runner was left stranded. In the 4th, Kesha led off with a single and was
followed by another single by Brytish.
Kendall hit to the 2nd
baseman for a double play but Kesha advanced
to 3rd. Sarah walked as
Kesha scored on a wild
pitch. Lindsey followed
with another walk. Sarah advanced
to 3rd and later scored on another wild pitch by the Thunder's 3rd
pitcher of the game. The Thunder had their only other baserunners
in the bottom of the 4th
when the Aces allowed the lead-off runner to reach on an error and
score on another error.
Bracket
Game 2 - vs Texas Panthers. Aces won 4-0.
The final game of the day went to 6 innings. Rhiannon pitched a no-hitter and
struck out five with one walk. The Aces put two runs on the board
in the 1st inning as Lindsey reached
on an error to start the game, followed by a walk to Amber. Megan singled to load the
bases. Rhiannon drove
in the first run with a sac fly. Amber
scored when the catcher threw to 3rd but missed the
target. Rhiannon walked
the lead off batter in the 2nd, but when the runner advanced on a sac
bunt and rounded 2nd, Amber quickly
threw to Sarah to catch the
runner. Lindsey started
off the 3rd reaching on another error. Lindsey stole 2nd and
advanced to 3rd on a sac bunt by Amber.
Megan hit a sac fly to
center to score Lindsey.
Rhiannon reached on an
error, but was left stranded. The Aces added another run in the
4th when Kendall singled with
one out. Morgan doubled
with two outs and Kendall scored
from 1st. The Panthers had a baserunner reach on an error in the
5th, and another reach on an error in the 6th.
Bracket
Game 3 - vs Houston Wave. Aces won 2-1.
After both sides were 3-up-3-down in the first inning, Morgan helped herself by leading
off the top of the 2nd with a double to the fence. Kelsea advanced pinch runner Jessica Cotton to 3rd with a sac
bunt, and was safe at first due to obstruction by the first baseman who
missed the ball. Cotton was
able to score on the error. Brytish
followed with a single and moved Kelsea to 2nd. Kesha grounded out to move the
runners to 2nd and 3rd. Kelsea scored
on a wild pitch to put the Aces up 2-0. One runner was left
stranded. The Wave led off with a single in the bottom of the
inning, and the runner advanced on a sac bunt, but Morgan caught a hard hit line drive
back to the pitcher for the 2nd out, and a ground out back to the
pitcher ended the threat. Morgan
walked one in the 3rd, but one runner was left
stranded. Kelsea singled
in the 4th, but was left stranded. The Wave led off the bottom of
the 4th with a single, and another runner reached on an error after Morgan struck out one. Amber made a great catch over her
had to hold the runners, then Brytish
dove and caught a line drive in center field for the 3rd
out that would have cost two runs. Great defense girls! Lindsey hit a single in the 5th but
was left stranded. The Wave threatened again in the bottom of the
5th when Morgan walked the
lead off batter, and the next batter followed with a single. Rhiannon came in to relieve Morgan. On a grounder to 3rd,
the lead runner was forced out at 3rd by Kelsea. The next batter bunted
to advance the runners to 2nd and 3rd. A wild pitch allowed one
run to score, but a ground out preserved the Aces lead. In the
bottom of the 6th, Rhiannon walked
one with two outs, but struck out the final batter looking to end the
game.
Bracket
Game 4 - vs Louisiana Red Stick 007's. Aces winning 2-0 when game
called due to weather.
Rhiannon pitched with
the Aces as home team. The first batter bunted and appeared to be
thrown out at first, but blue didn't see it that way. The next
batter flied out to Kesha in
left, and one popped up to Amber at
2nd. The runner stole 2nd and advanced to 3rd on a wild pitch,
but was left stranded on a fly out to Cotton
in center field. The Aces were 3-up-3-down in the
bottom of the 1st. The Red Sticks grounded out to Lindsey at short for the 1st out,
then Rhiannon struck out
one. Cotton caught
another fly ball in center field for the final out. Rhiannon led off the bottom of the
2nd with a double to the fence. Kelsea
drove home pinch runner Brytish
with a triple to the fence. Cotton followed up with a sacrifice
fly to center field to allow Kelsea to
score and put the Aces up 2-0. Kendall
singled with two outs, but was left stranded. Rhiannon didn't even get to throw
the first pitch in the 3rd inning when the field was cleared due to
lightning.
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