With a win over the Rock Stars in Round 2 of the TOCs, Purple Lightning moved into the Championship Game to face our old rival and the division's 1st place team, the CV Giants. Much like we did with the Rock Stars, Purple Lightning split their regular season games with the CV Giants. Both games were very competitive and low scoring, which went to show that these 2 teams, battling for the league/division title, were very evenly matched on both sides of the ball. It would be a tough game to be sure, but no matter the outcome, Purple Lightning (and the CV Giants as well) worked very hard throughout the season and proved that they belonged and deserved to be at the top of the heap.
The official coin toss once again put the Purple Lightning offense on the field first as the visiting team. Play ball!
1st Inning
For the last time this season, Janessa came to the plate to lead Purple Lightning off. The Giants' pitcher came on strong, but Janessa battled back, but with the count full, the pitcher threw a perfect pitch to strike Janessa out. Allie was up next. She came out aggressive and swung on the ball. Getting a solid hit, Allie sent a grounder past the Giants' 2nd baseman out into right field for a triple. Tess came to the plate next. She also got a hit. The ball bounced toward the short stop. The short stop made the grab, but as she transitioned to the throw, she dropped the ball and Tess got on base as Allie crossed the plate, putting Purple Lightning on the board early in the game. Feeding off the early momentum, Kelsey came to the plate and also connected. The ball bounced toward the Giants' short stop again, but this time she was able to reel it in. She turned to make the throw to 1st, but it went over the 1st baseman's glove and Kelsey turned it into a double. With runners on 2nd and 3rd, Yazmine bunted the ball. Catching the Giants' defense off guard, Yazmine took off for 1st. The defense moved in for the ball, but Tess reached home and Kelsey made it to 3rd before they could get the throw off. Hylah was next. On the pitch, Yazmine stole 2nd. The Giants' pitcher, trying to turn things around was able to get Hylah to swing for the strikeout, but a walk on Gabby next loaded the bases - Hylah was brought in to pinch run. Caitlin came to the plate next. On a pass ball that bounced off the backstop, the steal was called in, but the CV Giants' defense was able to recover quickly and the steal was called off. With the count at 3 and 1, Caitlin got a big hit and took the ball for a ride to the outfield and brought in 2 runs. With 2 outs and runners on 1st and 2nd, Sara came to the plate. On the 1st pitch, the runners stole and put Purple Lightning back into scoring position. But the Giants' pitcher, managed to put 3 over the plate to get Sara out, putting an end to the inning with Purple Lightning up by 4.
Tess started Purple Lightning off at the rubber. Reacting to the 1st inning offensive rush, the CV Giants tried to answer. With the count at 1 and 1, the 1st batter hit a grounder through the infield toward short stop. Allie shuffled over and made the stop. She quickly came up with the ball and made the throw to Kelsey at 1st for the 1st out of the inning. Tess got up to full count on the 2nd batter, but lost control of her last pitch and the batter walked. A pass ball on the 3rd batter sent the runner to 2nd on a successful steal. With the count at 2 and 2, Tess got ready for the next pitch. The runner on 2nd took off on the next pitch. The batter swung and missed and was struck out as the runner reached 3rd. A walk on the next batter put Giants' runners on 1st and 3rd. With the door closing on the 1st inning, the next batter came to the plate to try to get the CV Giants on the board. A pass ball sent the runner on 1st to 2nd and put the CV Giants into scoring position. Then, with the count at 2 and 2, the batter swung hard and connected. The ball went down the 1st base line and Kelsey charged in. She picked up the ball, but dropped it coming up. She quickly recovered and ran back to 1st to tag the bag and close the inning, keeping the CV Giants scoreless in the 1st inning.
Purple Lightning 4 - CV Giants 0
2nd Inning
The CV Giants were now determined to stay in the game and their defense took the field for the 2nd time in the game. Erin was up to lead us off in the 2nd. The CV Giants sent Erin back to the dugout quickly as the pitcher put 3 over the plate and caught Erin swinging, striking her out and getting the 1st out of the inning. Maia was up next. Trying to build off of the earlier run, Maia came out swinging and connected. She sent the ball over the infield, but the Giants' short stop was able to make her move and get the jumping catch for the 2nd out. Alexis was up next. The CV Giants pitcher lost her rhythm a little and got up to full count on Alexis. But, not wanting to give Purple Lightning a chance, threw the next pitch right over the plate to get the strikeout on Alexis and shutting Purple Ligthning out of the 2nd inning.
Kelsey replaced Tess at pitcher in the 2nd inning. Kelsey took a moment to warm up as she walked the 1st batter. Making their move, the CV Giants' runner stole 2nd on the 1st pitch on the next batter. Keeping her focus, Kelsey got the batter to swing for the strikeout. The 3rd batter came to the plate. On a pass ball, the runner on base made it to 3rd. With the count at 1 and 1, the batter took a swing and hit the ball through the infield toward 2nd base. Caitlin reached for the ball, but it got past her and the runner at 3rd took off for home. Erin made the stop in the outfield and threw the ball back in to Tess holding the runner to a single, but the runner reached home on the play, putting the CV Giants on the board. The next batter came to the plate. On the pitch, the runner on base stole 2nd. Building off of the last hit, the Giants' batter got a hit as well, hitting a grounder through the 3rd base side of the infield and past Sara in the outfield. Sara reached the ball and quickly threw it back in to hold the runner at 2nd, but another run scored on the play. Shaking the last 2 batters off, Kelsey dug in and got right back to work. The 5th batter came to the plate and Kelsey quickly sent her back to the dugout with the strikeout. A ball on the next batter sent the runner on 2nd to 3rd on a steal, putting the CV Giants back into scoring position, but, with the count full, Kelsey was able to get the batter to commit to the swing to get the batter out, moving the game into the 3rd inning.
Purple Lightning 4 - CV Giants 2
3rd Inning
Back at the top of the lineup in the 3rd, Janessa came to the plate to see if she could get Purple Lightning going again. It was back and forth with the pitcher for a while, when, at full count, the pitcher threw one down the middle, again getting the better of Janessa on her 2nd trip to the plate. Allie came up for her 2nd trip to the plate and, going 2 for 2, got a hit. Allie hit a short grounder toward the short stop that came to a halt in the infield. The short stop, waiting for the ball to reach her, had to get out of her set position to get to the ball quickly. She made the throw to 1st, but Allie beat the ball to the bag and got on base. Tess came up to the plate next and on a pass ball, Allie stole 2nd. On the next pitch, Tess took a swing and connected, but the ball went high into the air and the 2nd baseman was able to get to it to make the catch for the 2nd out. Kelsey was up for her 2nd trip to the plate. On the 1st pitch, Allie stole 3rd and got into scoring position, strike 1. The pitcher then threw a change up to get Kelsey to swing, strike 2. Then, after a couple of balls, the count was at 2 and 2 and the pitcher was able to get one past Kelsey, striking her out and retiring the side.
Tess was called back in to pitch the 3rd. A walk on the 1st batter put the CV Giants on base. The 2nd batter came to the plate next. On the pitch, the runner took off for 2nd. Hylah tried to throw her down, but Allie had to come off the base to make the catch and the runner made it to 2nd. Trying to close the distance, the next batter came out swinging and connected. The runner took off for 3rd as the ball rolled quickly down the 1st base line. Kelsey wheeled in to field the ball as the runner reached 3rd. Kelsey came up with the ball and got the tag on the runner heading to 1st, getting the 1st out of the inning. With the CV Giants in scoring position, the next batter came to the plate to try to bring the runner home. Tess split the 1st 2 pitches for 1 and 1. The batter hit one foul to bring the count to 1 and 2. A ball on the next pitch, brought it to 2 and 2. On the next pitch, the batter took a swing and miscalculated the pitch by a hair and grazed the ball for a foul tip, but Hylah caught the ball in the air for the out. The 4th Giants batter came to the plate and looked like she was going to repeat the previous batter's performance. But, on 2 and 2, she got a big hit and drove the ball way out into left field for a triple, bringing the runner home. Sara had to run back to get to the ball, but she quickly got the ball back in to 3rd to hold the runner in place. The 5th batter came to the plate. On the 1st pitch, a pass ball sent Hylah scrambling for the ball and the runner on 3rd made a break for it. Hylah tried to race the runner back to the plate, but didn't get there in time and the runner scored. The bases newly cleared, a walk on the batter put the CV Giants on 1st base. The batter walked over to 1st, touched the base, then proceeded to take her lead to 2nd. No call. Leaving the base early, should've resulted in the automatic out of the runner on 1st. Cindy (our team manager) was sent in to get a ruling. Neither the plate ump nor the base ump saw her step off base and, under protest, the runner was ruled safe. Game on. The 6th batter came to the plate. On the 1st pitch, which was ruled a strike, the runner on 1st stole 2nd. Swinging aggressively, the batter hit one into foul territory for the 2nd strike, then stayed alive on fouls. Out of the blue, she connected and sent a hard grounder through the middle of the Purple Lightning infield out into the grass, for a single, but the play gave the protested runner enough time to make it home, putting the Giants in the lead for the 1st time in the game (this may sound like sour grapes, but it pays off later. I promise). Getting back to work, Tess dug in to try to get Purple Lightning out of the inning. The next batter showed bunt and on the pitch the runner stole 2nd. The next pitch got past Hylah and the runner stole 3rd and threatened another score. With the count at 3 and 1, Tess battled back to get to full count. On the next pitch, Tess fired it in. The batter took a swing, but missed and Tess got the strikeout and closed down the 3rd inning.
Purple Lightning 4 - CV Giants 5
4th Inning
Having lost the lead and trailing by 1 coming into the 4th inning, Purple Lightning needed to show the CV Giants that they were still in the fight. Yazmine came to the plate to lead us off. With the count at 1 and 1, Yazmine hit a hard grounder through the infield into the grass for a single. Hylah was up next and on the pitch, Yazmine stole 2nd. The catcher tried to throw her out, but the throw missed the mark and Yazmine was able to claim 3rd as the CV Giants' defense was still trying to get the ball back to the pitcher. Yazmine took off for home. The CV Giants' outfield tried to make the throw home, but with plenty of time, Yazmine crossed the plate, tying up the game. A walk on Hylah put a Purple Lightning runner on 1st. Gabby was up next. Making up for allowing the run, the pitcher put 3 over to get the strikeout on Gabby. A walk on Caitlin put runners on 1st and 2nd. Sara was up next. She worked herself up to a count of 2 and 1, then connected on a pitch that took a hard bounce and went over the pitcher's head. The 2nd baseman tried to grab it, but missed and when she came up ready to throw, the Purple Lightning runners had safely advanced and loaded the bases. Erin came to the plate next. The pitcher once again, found her rhythm and, with the count at 1 and 2, was able to get Erin to swing at a low pitch, getting the strikeout for the 2nd out of the inning. Maia was up next and after getting up to full count, the CV Giants pitcher threw a ball and Maia walked, bringing Hylah in to score and putting Purple Lightning back in the lead. A walk on Alexis brought Caitlin home and extended the lead by 2. Back at the top of the lineup, Janessa came to the plate. She fought hard through the count. 2 and 1. 2 and 2. She stayed alive on fouls until another ball came across, bringing Janessa to full count. Then Janessa got a hit. Unfortunately it popped up and the 1st baseman moved into position, catching the ball and getting the 3rd out.
Purple Lightning now up by 2 poitns, Kelsey came back to the rubber in the 4th inning. A walk on the 1st batter put the CV Giants on base. The next batter came to the plate and on a pass ball, the runner stole 2nd. Then the 2nd batter connected on a pitch and hit a fast grounder through the infield. Yazmine made her move on the ball as the runner on 2nd took of for 3rd. Yazmine was able to reel it in and toss it to Tess at 1st for the out as the other CV Giants runner made it to 3rd. The CV Giants, wanting to get their runner across the plate started to come out aggressively. The 3rd batter, came out swinging and hit a hard line drive straight back to Kelsey. The runner on 3rd took off for home, but when Kelsey brought up her glove, catching the ball on the fly and getting the batter out, she was caught off base. Not knowing that the runner hadn't tagged up on the fly ball, Kelsey quickly tossed the ball to Hylah at home to try to get the out, but the runner started to go back to 3rd base. Hylah threw the ball to Janessa to get the tag, but the runner was able to make it safely back on base before Janessa got the ball. Having missed the double play opportunity, Kelsey got back to business. She got the next batter to swing on 3 pitches to get the strikeout, closing out the 4th inning with Purple Lightning back on top.
Purple Lightning 7 - CV Giants 5
5th Inning
Coming into the 5th with a 2 point lead and 3 innings to go, Allie came to the plate to try to extend the Purple Lightning lead. The CV Giants' pitcher wasn't going to make it easy and threw heat for the first 2 pitches for strikes. Then after throwing a ball and getting the count to 1 and 2, she threw a change up that got Allie to swing, striking her out. Tess was up next and she came out swinging aggressively. With the count at 2 and 2, Tess took a swing and hit the ball, sending it bouncing down the 3rd base line and getting it past the 3rd baseman for a single. A pass ball on Kelsey sent Tess to 2nd on a steal. Then, Kelsey got a piece of the ball and sent it through the infield toward the 2nd baseman. Tess made a move for 3rd when the 2nd baseman picked up the ball and when she turned to throw for the out on Kelsey at 1, Tess made it to 3rd safely. The ball beat Kelsey to 1st and she was called out. Yazmine came to the plate next. On the pitch, repeating her great 1st inning play, Yazmine went for the bunt. Once again, she caught the CV Giants off guard. She took off for 1st as Tess charged home. By the time the CV Giants reached the ball and were ready to make a play, Yazmine was safe at 1st and Tess crossed the plate. Hylah was up next. On a dropped ball, Yazmine stole 2nd. Then, on a pass ball, Yazmine made it to 3rd. With the count at 2 and 1, Hylah ripped a grounder past the short stop for a single, bringing Yazmine home. Gabby was up next. A pass ball on the 1st pitch sent Hylah on a steal to 2nd. On the next pitch, Gabby swung the bat and hit a grounder toward the CV Giants' 2nd baseman. Gabby tried to race toward 1st base, but was fighting through the pain of her injury to beat the ball to the bag. The 2nd baseman reeled in the ball and tossed it to the 1st baseman, getting the out on Gabby and closing the door on the 5th inning for Purple Lightning.
Kelsey was back in to pitch for the 5th inning. With the count at 2 and 0, the 1st batter hit a ball down the 3rd base line. Thinking it was rolling foul, Janessa let the ball get past her. It was ruled fair and the runner made it on base. With a runner on base, the CV Giants had to try to make something happen in this inning to keep pace with Purple Lightning. Stealing aggressively, the runner took 2nd on the 1st pitch. With the count full, the runner stole on the next pitch, reaching 3rd. Ball. The batter took her base and CV Giants runners were now on 1st and 3rd. The next batter came to the plate. On the pitch, the runner on 1st stole 2nd, putting the CV Giants in scoring position. With the count now at 2 and 2, the batter hit the ball down the 1st base line. Tess charged in to scoop it up and got ready for the tag on the runner coming to 1st. The runner on 3rd, seeing Tess tied up on the other side of the field took off and reached home as Tess tagged the runner out. After the tag, Tess threw the ball back to Kelsey, but lost control and the ball got away from her. Reacting quickly, the CV Giants' runner made her move and brought another run across the plate, reducing the Purple Lightning lead to 2 points. Trying to shake it off, Kelsey got back to the rubber and went back to work. She caught the batter swinging, striking her out for the 2nd out of the inning. The next batter wouldn't go down so easy though. With the count at 0 and 1, the batter hit the ball way out into the outfield. This time Sara was ready for it and got to the ball quickly. The threw the ball back to Allie at the cut to hold the runner to a single. Tess was called in to pitch to try to close out the inning. A couple of pass balls on the next batter allowed the runner on base to steal her way into scoring position. Then, with the count at 3 and 1, the batter hit a hard grounder through the infield for a single. With the runner taking off, Maia picked up the ball and threw it back into the infield. 1 run came across the plate before the ball reached home and brought the CV Giants closer by 1 point. The 7th batter came to the plate. On the pitch, the batter hit a grounder straight down the middle and the runner took off. Tess fielded the ball, but bobbled it. The runner rounded 2nd base as Tess got control of the ball. She turned to throw to 1st, but the runner reached the base safely. So, Tess turned and made the throw to Janessa at 3rd to try to get the out. The runner reached 3rd before the ball and the runner at 1st, seeing all the action on the other side of the field, seized her opportunity and stole 2nd, turning a single into a double. The CV Giants, riding the wave, started to pour it on. The 8th batter came to the plate. With the count at 1 and 2, a pitch got past Hylah and bounced off of the backstop. Hylah had to scramble to get to the ball and the runners made their move. Getting to the ball, Hylah turned to head for home. Tess charged in to cover the plate as the runner approached, running hard. At the last second, Hylah tossed Tess the ball and the runner went down to slide. While the ball was in the air, the runner tagged home and was safe, tying up the game. A walk on the batter put runners on 1st and 3rd. The 9th batter came to the plate. On the strike pitch, the runner on 1st stole 2nd. Strike 1. Tess fired another one in there. Strike 2. A pass ball on the next pitch and the runner on 3rd took off again. Hylah tried to scramble again, but the runner had the jump on her and crossed the plate with no resistance, taking the lead late in the 5th inning. Tess got back to work and threw heat on the 3rd pitch, getting the strikeout and closing out the 5th inning with Purple Lightning trailing by 1 point.
Purple Lightning 9 - CV Giants 10
6th Inning
Now it was Purple Lightning's turn to try to come from behind. Caitlin was up 1st in the 6th inning. Getting ahead in the count early, Caitlin took a walk and got on base. Sara was up next and got ahead in the count early herself. This time the pitcher battled back and got to full count. On the next pitch, Sara went for it. She took her swing, but just barely missed it, going back to the dugout with the 1st out of the side. Erin was up next. On a pass ball, Caitlin stole 2nd. Then the pitcher caught Erin swinging, striking Erin out for the 2nd out of the inning. Sensing the end of the game approaching, the CV Giants' defense were, so far, successfully shutting Purple Lightning out of the 6th inning. With Caitlin on 3rd threatening the score, Maia came to the plate. Maia came out swinging and hit a grounder down the 1st base line. Maia took off for 1st, but it was purely academic as the 1st baseman scooped up the ball and got the tag on Maia, closing out the 6th inning for Purple Lightning and preserving their 1 point lead.
Kelsey was brought in to pitch in the 6th. Tess took over at catcher. It would be a battle of wills from here on out. The Purple Lightning defense needed to tighten the screws and make a strong defensive stand to stay in this game and the CV Giants knew that adding points to their lead would likely put the game out of reach for Purple Lightning. The 1st batter came to the plate. With the count at 1 and 1, the batter hit a high ball over the infield into right field. Caitlin moved herself into position to make the catch. She reached out her glove and it almost looked like she was closing her eyes and willing the ball into her glove. Sure enough, Caitlin made the catch to get the 1st out of the inning. The 2nd batter got up to 1 and 1 also when she hit the ball. This time it was a fast grounder through the infield into the grass. Erin made the stop on the ball and threw it to 1, but the runner was safe. Kelsey got the ball back and turned on the heat on the next batter. Catching her swinging, Kelsey struck her out for the 2nd out of the inning. The 4th CV Giants batter came to the plate. On the first pitch, the runner stole 2nd. Ball. 2 more balls brought the count to 3 and 0. On the next pitch, the runner stole 3rd. Ball. Batter made it on base. The next batter came to the plate and on the 1st pitch, the runner on 1st stole 2nd, getting the CV Giants ready to score again. Kelsey lost her rhythm a little and the count was now 3 and 0, but she dug deep and sqeezed off a couple of strikes to bring it to full count. On the next pitch, the batter seemed to be counting on a ball since she didn't swing, but Kelsey popped her bubble by putting the perfect pitch over the plate and getting the strikeout. Shutting out the CV Giants in the 6th as well.
Purple Lightning 9 - CV Giants 10
7th Inning
This is it, the championship inning. Trailing by 1 in the game, it was do or die for Purple Lightning as they needed to put points on the board to stay alive. All the CV Giants had to do now to secure the victory was to prevent any runs. Alexis was up first. With the count at 2 and 2, the pitcher was able to get Alexis to swing to strike her out. Janessa was up next. The CV Giants' pitcher, with 2 outs away from winning the championship started to focus. 1st pitch came through, no swing, strike. The 2nd pitch came through and Janessa took a swing and missed, strike 2. The 3rd pitch came in and, Janessa didn't swing, thinking the pitch was inside, but the umpire called it a strike. Strike 3. The pitcher sent Janessa back to the dugout with 1 out to go. Allie was up next. Feeling the excitement, the CV Giants pitcher started to lose her pitch and threw 2 balls in a row on Allie to get the count to 2 and 0. The pitcher got ready for the next pitch. She stepped forward and brought her arm around for the pitch. She released the ball toward the catcher. Allie, knowing that this was her last chance to help her team tie the game took a hard and fast swing at the pitch. She connected and sent the ball flying toward 3rd base. The 3rd baseman took a couple of steps to get in the path of the ball and as the ball went over, she jumped up, reached her hand above her head and snatched the ball out of the air for the 3rd out, winning the game by 1 point and locking up the victory for the CV Giants.
Now, I promised a payoff from that earlier call. Well, here it is. The CV Giants won the game by 1 point. Had the protested runner been called out like she should've been, the game would have been tied at this point. But, likely, had that happened, it would've been a totally different game. Who knows if the result of the game would've changed and if Purple Lightning would've actually won. Either way, it was a very exciting game against a very evenly matched and game oponent. Both sides fought hard and the game went back and forth and was competitive. What more can you ask for? Purple Lightning ends the season with the 2nd place TOC trophy. Great job girls!
(end of my soapbox)
Final Score
Purple Lightning 9 - CV Giants 10
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