Game recap.

NPF website story. 

Last night's drama was apparently just a warmup for tonight.

Tonight's game was a matchup between the two aces: Sarah Pauly for us, Cheuh Ming Hui for Chinese Taipei. (Ming Hui was the one who shut us out for 5 innings in the first game, and she held the Force to just 1 run and two hits in 8 innings on 6/27).

Pauly started the game by setting a new Glory record for consecutive strikeouts, with 3 swinging in the first, followed by 2 looking in the second. After a single to center, she induced a ground out to end the inning.

Pauly's 6th and final K started off the 3rd, but then things got dicey. The number 9 hit a fly ball between and in front of LaDonia Hughes in center and Nicole Barber in right. Although the ball was tailing back toward right, Hughes attempted a diving catch, but came up empty. Barber held the runner at first. This was quickly followed by a 2-hop single to left, and a sacrifice bunt attempt that was so good it became a hit. So the bases were loaded with one out, and the number 3 batter at the plate. A foul fly was lifted toward the third base dugout, but it seemed like forever before Sara Larquier started running. But she used a burst of speed to get to the ball for the second out. A popup in very shallow left field was caught by Amber Jackson at SS for the final out of the inning.

The top of the 4th inning demonstrated how this can be a game of inches, as a line drive drive hit the top of the fence in left-center and stayed in the park. It bounced far enough away from left field Catalina Morris to allow the runner to take second with one out. Fortunately, the runner failed to note the number of outs, and took of running on the next batter's fly to right. An easy catch and throw to second for the double play ended the inning.

The 5th inning is where our constant playing with fire burned us. With two outs, the leadoff batter lines a shot right over Pauly into center for a single. She stole second on the very next pitch, beating a pretty good throw from Callie Piper. The next batter then drives her in with a double to left, getting to second just ahead of the throw. A wild pitch moved the runner to third, but the next pitch was lined to Morris in left to end the inning. Pauly settled down nicely for the next two innings, allowing just a two-out single in the seventh, but that single run looked like it might be enough for Chinese Taipei to win.

Barber got things off to a promising start in the first, beating out a very well placed bunt. But the next 9 batters went down in order. After two outs in the 4th, Oli used her often-hidden speed to beat out an infield single, beating the throw from 2B from the outfield grass. But the next 7 Glory batters were retired, leaving us scoreless into the 7th. (The final out of the 6th was Cambria Miranda, pinch-hitting for Larquier. She hit a soft liner to second, and Larquier re-entered to play third.)

Monday night, Ming Hui held the Glory scoreless thru 5 on just 2 hits. She was removed for the 6th inning, and we promptly scored two runs. Lesson learned, it would seem, as again tonight she held us scoreless on 2 hits, but she was still in the game in the bottom of the 7th. We were down 1-0, and I was more nervous than I am for my own games.

We had the heart of the order up, with number 3 batter Courtney Bures leading off. But she grounded out to first for the 1st out. Oli lined a single to center, and Jessica Moore came in to run. The question of whether to steal was likely raised as the coaches huddled before Morris batted. She stayed put, and was nearly doubled off on a great catch and roll by the 2B on a liner from Morris. One on, two outs, Callie Piper up. She's continued to hit well, entering the game batting .303. She was 0-2, and therefore due, but she grounded to short. But for some reason the SS seemed to be considering throwing to second, and maybe took her eye off the ball for a split second to check the runner. She bobbled it, and never got control of the ball in time to throw out Callie. With two outs, the catcher batting, and a pinch runner heading toward second, the play is at first all the way, but that mental lapse contributed to an error that kept the inning alive.

We now had Jessicas at first and second (Dignon and Moore), with Amber Jackson stepping in. Last year, Jackson shined in these moments, but she has struggled this season. But she worked the count to 3-2, then took a close pitch for ball 4, to load the bases. Bianca Cruz, the DP, was due up, but Callista Balko came in to pinch-hit. She too worked the count, this time to 2-2. The next pitch at first looked like it was foul-tipped back to the fence, and there was momentary confusion, as Balko stayed at the plate. But the ump motioned her to first, saying that the pitch hit her. After the Chinese Taipei coach questioned the call, a 3-ump conference was held, but the call stood. This drove in the tie run, and left the bases loaded for my UVa girl Larquier.

Sara seems to be a bit of a streaky hitter, and after starting the year off well, has been in a bit of a slump. But she had watched Amber and Callista, so she too worked the count. On a 2-2 pitch, she hit a high chopper to SS, who's thinking "where do I throw?" Balko has great speed for a catcher, so second base was not the best idea. But Larquier had shown that burst of speed catching that foul ball right in front of their dugout back in the third. Uh-oh, better hurry to get her at first. Oops, another error as the SS is again unable to cleanly field the ball. Everyone's safe, and Dignon scores the winning run to end the game. My UVa girl may not have picked up an RBI, but she won the game for us. Way to go, Sara!

Wow, that was just way too stressful. It's tough to win on just 3 hits. I much prefer our 10-0 wins.

Pauly pitched well for the first 2 innings and the last 2 innings, but the in-between was not up to her usual high standard. She gave up 8 hits, way above her typical 5+ per 7 innings. But she worked out of jams well enough to allow just 1 run. She struck out 6, though all of those were in the first 7 outs of the game. Her 6th complete game is her league-leading 7th win on the season, against just 1 loss.

End Notes: The players were back to their "throw things at the fans," coming into the stands around the second inning.

At one point (between innings), the game was halted so Paul could publicly thanks our stats guy Steve, as he heads down to Miami to join the Dolphins. Paul rhetorically asked why Steve would want to hang around a bunch of big sweaty guys, instead of a group of beautiful women. When Paul finished, those very women showered Steve with Silly String. The game was further delayed as they cleaned the playing field of Silly String.

Another race between Moore and her dog Nala tonight, this time won by Nala. But no extra shenanigans tonight, as Callie Piper expertly scopped up Nala after she crossed the plate.

There was much discussion in the stands as to whether or not the pitch actually hit Balko, which tied the game. The way it deflected back to the fence looked more like a foul tip, plus Balko not running to first when she was hit, made us wonder if the pitch had in fact hit her. My sources tell me that it did indeed. It hit her back leg as she turned to swing, and deflected back to the fence. Although she did stop her swing, she was thinking that the umpire might call it a swing, which would mean the HBP would not be called. That would have been strike three and out three, and a Glory loss, so this was a huge call, and the correct call.

And an end note I forgot to mention last night. After Catalina Morris made a great catch while running into the fence to end the 5th, Fergie's Glamorous was played during much of the break. This was Cat's song last year, so I don't think it was a coincidence that Jarrod played it at this point. Perhaps he thinks, as I do, that it's a much better song than whatever she's using this year. I hope she switches back at some point.