Game recap.

No NPF website story.  Here is the Glory website story.

Akron's Angela Tincher returned to the circle tonight, but her opponent this time was Desiree Serrano.

Desi continued the scoreless streak for the first inning, sending Akron down 1-2-3.

With one out, Nicole Barber started off what would become a perfect, but painful, night for her by being hit by the pitch. Shaking off the pain, she then stole second during Oli's at-bat. Oli could not advance her, but Amber Jackson did. She sent a one-hopper to left, and Barber was able to slide under the tag at the plate. Tincher then loaded the bases with 2 walks, before striking out Leah English to end the inning. The good guys were up 1-0 after 1.

Akron finally got on the non-working scoreboard in the 2nd. With one out, Susan Ogden stepped in. Akron has a down-loadable Media Guide on their website, which has some info on each player, plus a still photo and an action shot. The Ogden pic shows her high leg-kick while batting. A few of us in the stands were commenting on this, as it is very unusual in fast-pitch, and is typically used by power hitters in slow-pitch. What happened next was apparently our fault, since she became a power hitter herself in this at-bat, hitting a solo shot over center. Tie game in the middle of 2.

It's always a good sign when we immediately answer, which we did in the bottom of the 2nd. Callie Piper hit a solid grounder down the LF line for a single. Cambria Miranda came in to run. Jessica Moore sac-bunted Miranda to 2nd, and LaDonia Hughes moved her to third with a groundout to second. We were out of outs to advance the runner, so it was a good thing that Barber was up. Her grounder to the 5/6 hole put the Glory back on top, this time to stay. 2-1 after 2.

Desi got another 1-2-3 in the 3rd, though she did have to help herself with a nice snag of a hard line drive right back at her, off the bat of number 9 batter Kim Hamilton.

Jackson sent the first pitch of the inning over the non-functional scoreboard in RC. This was probably the farthest shot by the Glory all season (Philly's Trena Peel's RF shot is still the longest of the year). After Sara Larquier drew her second straight walk, the Racers conceded the game. Okay, not officially. They removed Tincher and put in Radara McHugh. We've scored about 1 run per inning off McHugh over 2 years, so it doesn't seem like the best move in terms of trying to win. (We also may see Tincher again on Monday, since she pitched only 2 innings plus 2 batters tonight.) Courtney Bures greeted McHugh with a single up the middle. But McHugh was able to get the next three batters out to strand two runners and keep it a 2-run game.

The 4th was not another 1-2-3 for Desi, as Dickson lead off with an infield single. Two outs later, leg-kicker Ogden stepped in. I confidently told my stand-mates that she wouldn't hit another HR, and I came within a few feet of having to eat those words. Her high and deep fly ball to left was caught by Moore on the warning track for the third out.

With one out in the bottom of the 4th, Barber singled, again, this time with a line shot to left field. McHugh then loaded the bases by walking Oli and hitting Jackson. Larquier was called out on a questionable third strike for the second out. McHugh was then saved by a great catch by right fielder Ogden on a sinking, slicing line drive off the bat of Bures, to keep the inning scoreless. Still up 3-1 after 4.

The Glory again flashed some leather in the top of the 5th. LaDonia Hughes made a nice diving catch of Jessica Toocheck's leadoff line drive to RC. Desi struck out Shannon Doepking looking, but walked Angelina Mexicano. But this was for Piper's benefit, so she could throw out Mexicano trying to steal, which she did with a nice throw to Bures covering for the third out.

Leading off the 5th for the Glory was English. After learning the strike zone during her first two at-bats (both Ks), she was able to draw a walk this time. Of course, this meant another pinch runner, as Callista Balko replaced her at first. Two outs later, while Hughes is at-bat, Balko breaks for second. For some reason, both 2B and SS covered, and 2B Wootson stepped in front of SS Mexicano, and in front of the bag, to take the throw. In doing so, she then had to reach behind her to tag Balko, which didn't happen in time. If the throw had gone through to Mexicano, Balko would have been out. But it didn't matter, as Hughes grounded out to end the inning. Still up 3-1 after 5.

The top of 6th started well, as Desi struck out Hamilton to bring up leadoff batter Veronica Wootson. Wootson is a Florida State alum, and she has heard her school's fight song after every at-bat since the very first one of this series back on Friday night. That's because after that initial walk, she has been 0-for-the-series. That changed on the very first pitch, as she homered off the cages beyond the left field fence. After mobbing her at the plate, her Akron teammates did their best tomahawk-chop as they hummed/sung the fight song on the way back to the dugout. Was this enough to get them back in the game?

The hitting continued with the next batter, as Dickson lined a shot that Larquier knocked down but could not gather in time to throw out the speedy Dickson. But Desi induced a perfectly located grounder from Butler, right up the middle so Jackson could grab it, step on second, and throw to first for the inning-ending double-play.

Once again, the Glory answered in the home half. Barber started the inning with her third single of the night, this time a great bunt, just for variety's sake. After an Oli strikeout, Jackson was at the plate. Barber sneaked into second while no one was looking. McHugh had the ball and was standing at the very edge of the circle, paying no attention to Barber because she thought she was in the circle. After realizing what had happened, McHugh stayed put, and pointing to her feet, claiming she was in the circle. The umps disagreed, and let the play stand. Although it looked like the game would continue, as McHugh looked in to Butler for the sign, no pitch was forthcoming. Butler jogged out to the circle and chatted with McHugh for a while. Then the ump joined them, and it seemed like the Bermuda circle, not allowing anyone to leave. Eventually the Akron coach dared to enter as well. Finally the circle got bored with its prey and let them leave. When the pitching resumed, Jackson matched Barber with her third hit, a grounder back up the middle. Barber stopped at third, a move she would soon regret.

With each pitch, the runners take a lead, heading toward the next base. From third, this means running toward a hitter, but without a glove for protection. Nicole Barber learned just how hard Larquier can hit a ball, when Sara's screaming liner came directly at Barber. Fortunately, she had time to turn away from the ball, but it still hit her square in the back, causing her to crumple to her knees in pain. Remember, she had earlier been hit by a pitch in this game. (She was able to turn away from that one as well, and it appeared to hit her in a more padded area, shall we say.) She had also been hit in the back by a pitch a few weeks ago, and later had to leave the game because of it. After a couple of minutes, she was able to stand up, and remained in the game.

The batter in this type of situation naturally feels very bad about hitting her teammate, so it would be interesting to see if this affected the rest of her at-bat. She ended up with a bloop single into left to allow Barber the satisfaction of scoring. Four pitches later, Bures walked to load the bases, and that was the end of the night for McHugh. Jamee Juarez came in to induce a run-scoring fielder's choice from Balko, then a bases-loading walk to Piper, before shutting the door with a strikeout of pinch-hitter Jessica Dignon. The two runs in the inning now put us up 5-2 after 6.

But what would a 7th inning be without some drama? With a three run lead, Akron needed base runners. A leadoff bloop single and a one-out walk brought the tying run to the plate, twice. But Desi sent Doepking down swinging for out number 2. Mexicano worked the count full, then took the next pitch and started heading down to first. But the ump had other ideas, and called strike three to end the game.

Both Jackson and Barber get lots of credit for the runs in this game. Each had 3 hits and scored 2 runs, with Jackson knocking in 2 and Barber 1. Jackson's HR was her 4th of the year.

Desi pitched well, allowing 2 runs on 5 hits and 2 walks, while striking out 7. Her 8th complete game moves back into a tie with Pauly for the team lead in wins with 11, against 6 losses. Tincher gave up 3 runs on 4 hits and 3 walks, striking out just one batter in 2 innings work. McHugh gave up 2 runs in 3.1 innings, and Juarez was charged with no runs in 0.2 innings. Tincher took the loss, her third against us, and falls to 12-8 on the season.