Game recap.

NPF website story (currently titled Force Nipped by Racers for some reason). 

The games up north are on internet pay-per-view. I wasn't able to watch tonight, so this is from the NPF play-by-play.

In a rematch from Sunday night, it was Taryne Mowatt vs Megan Gibson. We got started exceptionally early tonight, with Nicole Barber's 5th HR of the season, and the third of those 5 to start a game. (She's the only Glory player to hit leadoff HRs, I believe.) Jessica Moore, bumped up to the second position after batting alternate-leadoff in recent games, then doubled to right. She scored thanks to a through-the-wickets error by Emily Friedman on Sara Larquier's grounder. The last out of the inning was Larquier caught stealing, but something tells me that might have been a failed hit-and-run. Up 2-0 after our first at-bats.

The Force got those runs back in the 2nd, thanks to yet another HR from Trena Peel, her 8th on the season but 4th in the 5 games against us. Megan Gibson had walked earlier in the inning, so this was a 2-run shot to tie the game after 2.

Oli must have realized that Larquier was creeping up on her, so she blasted her 12th HR of the year to start the 4th. This gave us a 1-run lead, which barely held up in the bottom of the inning.

After another walk to Gibson, she reached third on a (very) wild pitch. I think she was then picked off third, though it says caught stealing, so it might have been a failed squeeze play. This run-saving play kept us up 1 after 4.

We tried to score in the 5th. Barber's second extra-base hit of the night was a double to left-center, which followed a single from Catalina Morris. But Morris was thrown out at the plate with 1 out. After a scoreless bottom half, it remained 3-2 us after 5.

The sixth was an inning of stolen bases. Amber Jackson singled and stole second. Cambria Miranda, rather than run for Leah English after she gets on base, pinch-hit for her and got on base herself. Her single scored Jackson, for a badly-needed insurance run. She then stole second as well, but was stranded there.

That run proved crucial in the bottom of the 6th. Sharonda McDonald started the inning by reaching on a rushed-throw error by Taryne Mowatt, allowing her to get to second with no outs. A flyout to center got her to third, which allowed her to score on a wild pitch. I find it funny that though she both reached and scored thanks to Mowatt, the run does not count as earned by Mowatt. We had a one-run lead going into the last inning.

The top of the 7th was scoreless, which meant "closer" Sarah Pauly had no margin for error. But what's a seventh inning without drama? Savannah Long, who has struggled so much against Glory pitching (zero for the first three games, benched in game 4) was walked to lead off the inning. Peel, likely trying to end the game with one swing, popped out to SS. Kristen Miller followed with another infield popup, but we weren't out of the woods yet. Number nine batter Friedman singled to prolong the inning, and putting the tie run on second for Claire Burnum. She killed us during our home series, and had singled to start tonight. But Pauly got her to pop up to end the game, preserving the win.

It looks like the law of averages is finally helping Mowatt. She had a 2.55 ERA entering Sunday, which shows that she had been pitching well, but had no wins against 4 losses. She's pitched very well the last 2 times out, and now has 2 wins to show for it. She allowed just 3 runs (2 earned) on a measly 3 hits and 2 walks, striking out 4. Her ERA has fallen too, and now stands at 2.08. Pauly pitched one scoreless inning, allowing 1 hit and 1 walk, to earn her first save of the year. Gibson gave up 4 runs (3 earned) on 8 hits and 1 walk, while striking out 7. She falls to 7-4 on the year, and we can take credit for half of her losses.

This win was huge. We need to win just 1 of the next 3 to leave Philly with a lead in the standings, though 2 or 3 more wins would be sweet.

End Notes: The people up in Philly have messed up the stats. They used our initials instead of first names in the stats they reported, so it created new people in the system. This is why Oli still shows as leading the league with 11 HRs instead of 12. Hopefully this gets fixed soon.

Also, it's kinda strange how the ERA leader board doesn't match the team stats values. Pauly's ERA was 1.64 entering tonight, but she's listed as 1.67 on the leader board. And it's not a result of tonight's mix-up in Philly, because it's true for Angela Tincher in second as well. The leader board shows her ERA as 1.74, but the Team Stats have her as 1.71. Something ain't right.