Sunday, March 14, 2010 2:24 PM:
Sorry it's a late update but yesterday was a little crazy. We didn't have our best outing as we were 1-3 yesterday but you win some and you lose some. The first game was tough. Kiera pitched amazing and kept all the batters guessing but we just didn't have the bats again today. Dunn found her swing, hitting a homerun to put us on the board but unfortunately it was the only run we could manage.
The second game seemed to repeat the first. Good defense and little offense. We picked it up in the last inning to score one but couldn't get anymore. We were at least getting people on base but couldn't drive them home. It was a real pitcher duel for a while. I know I didn't want to give up a run and didn't until the 5th but Platteville's pitcher didn't even want to give up a hit. But the Lady monks will never let a pitcher no hit us!
The third game wasn't our best outing. Maddie did a great job pitching but they were just excellent hitters. They could get around on basically every pitch Maddie tried to throw. We had a few mistakes that cost us some runs on top of that, but we just weren't really into this game. I didn't get the vibe from the team. I don't know if it was because we were tired and it was the third game or what but there was very little intensity. The good thing was we got everyone into the game. Many saw their first collegiate at bats and Kirin got her first collegiate hit. Congrats girls. You did very well and proved why you play St. Joe's Softball.
The final game of the trip came and we were determined to win. Kayla Vannah started the game and did excellent. The other team had timed her and made some pretty good hits but she kept her composure the entire time. The defense was a little weak this game probably because it was the 4th game of the day. Out bats although did come alive when they were needed. It was a battle back and forth between the two games. They scored first, and then Liddy homered again to drive in two. The next inning they scored two and we knew we needed to battle. We tied it up and I went in to try and throw the batters off guard. We finally scored our 4th run to clinch the lead and kept it that was. I pitched two innings and Maddie went in the 7th to finish it off. It was a job well done all around.
After being on the field for close to 9 hours we were ready to crash. We all went back to the hotel to shower, eat, and pack up. Then it was up at 3 am for our flight back to Maine. We had a little issue with the time change but luckily everyone finally got up in time to make it to the airport which was a disaster. So many flights had been delayed or cancelled from yesterday that people were trying to get onto our flight to make it to their destination. It took two hours to get through the ticket line and another 45 mins to get through security. We made it to the plane just in time to board and then it was a rough ride to JFK. As soon as we landed we made a dash to our connecting flight home. Luckily they held the plane for us there.
Overall, the trip as a lot of fun and a great way to start the season. Getting outside and really facing some competition is what every team needs before entering their conference season. We'll have the next two days off, then it's practicing OUTSIDE for the rest of the week to prepare for our first game next Sunday against Albertus Magnus. I don't think in my four years here we've ever been outside on our field after Florida unless it was because we were shoveling snow! As a senior I couldn't ask for a better dream come true. NO SHOVELING!
Friday, March 12, 2010 9:24 PM:
I'd like to start by giving a big Thank You to the parents of this year's team. Dinner last night was delicious.
Today was a washout! We were supposed to play two games but when we woke up it was just cloudy. By the time we finished breakfast, a monsoon broke out. We watched as torrential downpours took place outside and we watched the weathermen talk about the 4 circles on the weather map that represented tornados. One touched down on the street over from us. After about an hour, Maria and I decided it was time to go back to bed. Liddy and Maddie soon joined us while Jill and Anna were down getting coffee and talking to Luis Tiant. We just meet all the cool people down here and coach has a knack for spotting all the celebs. Jill and Anna soon joined us in bed where we stayed for the next 5 hours. Blinds closed lights off, TV on, and no movement. It wasn't until the pizza man delivered to our room door that we got out of bed. I got to the point where I was so bored and unmotivated that I found the biggest metal spoon and tried to balance it on my nose. Yup it was one of those kinds of days. We went to the store to get Jill some serious meds for her cold. Then it was off to battle the Friday night dinner rush which didn't end all that well. Half of us got into TGI Fridays after an hour and a half of waiting while others fended for ourselves. Hence the late update for the blog tonight.
Tomorrow sounds like it could be quite the long day. We are trying to fit in 4 games in a row to finish off an exciting week. Keep you posted tomorrow.
Thursday, March 11, 2010 4:07 PM:
Day 5 was a long day for us Monks. We were up at 6 am for breakfast and our first game started at 9 against Fredonia. It actually started early due to the rain that we headed our way. We really wanted to get it in. Tashy had a great game behind the plate! She kept the batters guessing with each pitch she called. She even kept myself, who was on the mound, guessing. Who calls a change up for the very first pitch of the game? She did and I said why not...luckily it worked. We were perfect through 3 and then in the 4th inning, with two outs, a Fredonia player hit a shot between centerfield and right. From my angle, Shufelt threw out the girl who was running to second, but the umpire apparently didn't agree. He said Liddy didn't have control of the ball, but we all thought she caught it, tagged her and held up the ball to show she had it. After that they had a shot down the third base line to score a run. They ended up scoring two in that inning and that's all they could score. Unfortunately we couldn't even score that. We lost 2-0. We just didn't have any offense today but hopefully it will be back on tomorrow.
We had a game in between us so we got a nice little lunch break and came back ready to play at 1 o'clock against WPI. They had just beat Fredonia in the last inning with a close call by the umpire, so we thought they'd be hot. And they were, it was a battle to the end. Our offense was a little better but it didn't show on the scoreboard. The only run that came in was Anna. She got on base with a great slap and then Leverone, the masher, hit a....blooper in front of the pitcher to score her. We held them with our great defense and stellar pitching performance from Maddie and won 1-0. Anna and Lev both played amazing in the outfield catching two balls that should have been homeruns. Luckily the wind was on our side at both moments and they were able to get to those balls. The wind was insane today and there was a tornado watch for Lee County.
Tonight we are off to dinner at the home that the Kimball, Willis, and Worcester families rented. Tacos, pasta salad, and homemade desserts! I heard something about cheesecake so I'm real excited.
PS, Terry Francona is staying in our hotel! Maddie took a picture with him which will be posted later tonight!
Wednesday, March 10, 2010 6:41 PM:
Last night dinner at the Olive Garden was a blast. Everyone looked all spiffed up and beautiful. See for yourself in the photos. We welcomed in some newbie's with the birthday cake ritual. Danielle Leavitt and Coach Kahler (who knew about this ritual from when she went to St. Joes), got the surprise of singing waitresses and chocolate cake. After eating we were all sooooo full. Some of us went to bed, some played UNO attack by the pool, and others went out with their families.
Day 4 was finally our day off! Sanibel and Captiva were GORGEOUS! I guess they are in the top ten beaches in the country. Got there early and left by 1:00 because we didn't want to fry in the sun. We got to see pretty much the whole island as we made a couple wrong turns, but who doesn't like to site see. We saw the biggest jellyfish I've ever seen in my life. They had to be bigger than a basketball. Jill, Maria, and I went for a 2 mile walk on the beach searching for shells and came back with our hands full. Many of the girls took part in a friendly game of Frisbee, and Kiera Walsh got buried in the sand. We stopped at the Nike outlet on the way back and then rushed back to finish off Olive Garden leftovers. Tonight will be a pretty low key night. We have to rest up for tomorrows games that hopefully won't get rained out. We're apparently looking at getting close to 4 inches of rain in the next two days. We'll see how things go. Keep your fingers crossed for us!
Tuesday, March 09, 2010 3:55 PM:
Last night we headed to Fort Myers beach in hopes to see the sunset and do some shopping. Unfortunately for us it was cloudy but we still had a good time. We all split into groups to do some shopping and eventually all met up and watched the most interesting artist ever. He was painting just with spray paint cans the most gorgeous sunset and planet pictures...I've uploaded them for you to see. Jill, Molly, and Heather each bought one for $20. Just looking at it doesn't say much but when you see how they are made, you know it's worth the money.
This morning was a very early wakeup call at 6:15. We quickly ate and headed off to games three and four. The first game was a decent game. We were kind of in a funk for a while but battled through it. Drew University was a tough team who wasn't ready to lose. But neither were we, they tied it up in to make it 2-2 late in the game and we couldn't come up with a hit to win in the bottom of the 7th. So into extra innings we went. We held them through the top of the inning and had to put our bats to work. In softball extra innings you start with a runner on second base which sometimes can hurt us but in this case it was in our favor. Kirin went in to pinch run for Dunn and the pitcher for Drew overthrew the catcher sending her to third. Jill Kimball was up to bat and she hit a bouncing grounder to the second baseman, who bobbled it for Kirin to score and win the game! Maddie pitched very well and battled her way through.
The second game started off great. We were finally awake and out of our funk but it didn't last unfortunately. We scored 2 in the first inning and held them into the 6th but their bats came alive. Kiera kept them guessing the whole game but then they caught up to her. They scored five in that inning and we just couldn't make up for it in the next inning. Kayla Vannah made her collegiate debut in the 6th inning and instantly made her first collegiate strikeout. Congrats Vannah!
Unfortunately the day didn't end as well as we hoped but you win some and you lose some. Tonight is our Olive Garden team dinner! We are currently getting all dressed up and heading out soon. Tomorrow's our day off and we head to the beach in Sanibel!
Monday, March 08, 2010 5:07 PM:
Today was the PERFECT start to the season. Two and ZERO! In my four years here we have never done that. I am so proud of the team.
The first game started off kind of shaky but things turned around quickly. Kiera pitched a great game. Our defense was definitely on along with our offense. Ellen Neff went 3-4 as the team cheered "8 is great and better behind the plate". We rallied off their number one pitcher who had 148 strikeouts last year. I guess that doesn't stop us! My favorite cheer of the day was Dunn's cheer for Call. "Call me so I can hit a dousy for ya..Shorty want a ball, she'll hit it to the wall. Shorty want a ball, she'll hit it to the wall, her name is Katelyn Call!" Jill and I both said we're going to miss listening to her loud high pitched voice always cheering the team on.
Quickly we were onto the next game. We thought for sure this one would be a tough one as Wartburg was nationally ranked last year. I was sure nervous to step on the mound and face 6 batters who were .300 average hitters. But our defense and offense were once again dead on. Liddy hit a two run BOMB over the fence to put us on the board. It was in the same exact spot she hit her grand slam against RPI two years ago. The other team then scored two but we didn't once get down on ourselves. We just quickly put up two more runs. Leverone played left field for us and covered more ground than any fielder I've ever seen. She definitely saved my butt a couple of times.
After two great wins we headed back to the hotel and laid out by the pool. We want to come back to Maine as dark as can be. We watched Cyn throw Coach Ash into the pool clothes and all. Quite the site especially after Molly fell asleep and locked her out of their room. Ash had to come here soaking wet to hang out and grab some clothes. Tonight my room is making pasta dinner for us as our hotel room has its own kitchenette. Then it's off to the beach to watch the sunset with the team!
Games three and four tomorrow starting with Maddie on the mound! Hopefully I'll be writing about to more exciting wins tomorrow!
Sunday, March 07, 2010 11:17 AM:
We just met Bob Ryan! Columnist for the Boston Globe who interviews all the Red Sox Players and frequently appears on NESN. And he's on our flight to Fort Myers...wonder where he's going? ;-) It's a small world after all.
Sunday, March 07, 2010 10:03 AM:
It's day one of the journey and the team is already EXHAUSTED! Gotta love the wakeup call from Liddy this morning at 2:50 just before the 3 am alarm went off..." Christopher (whisper), Christopher (a little louder), CHRISTOPHER!!! Do you want anything from Dunkin Donuts...Labbe and I didn't sleep so we're heading there before the bus." Who gets in your face at this time and yells! I thought for sure I slept through the alarm. After being delivered my coffee and boarding the bus, we were off to the airport where things went fairly smoothly! But don't worry, Lids got her payback. She said she was staying awake for the first half of the trip so she could stay up for 24 hours because she had worked her internship yesterday. 5am struck and she was out, making her goal a success. Too bad for her it didn't last long for I instantly saw the opportunity for payback. I'm sure this will be an ongoing battle for the next week, since we're roommates. We're in the airport in New York now awaiting the end of our four hour layover looking forward to the 80 degree weather, clay infield, and sunshine. Half of us are passed out on the floor, and the other have are either doing work or getting antsy. We'll be arriving in Florida around 3 ish, checking into the hotel, and then it's off to practice, dinner and the grocery store to get the necessities for lunches this week. Pray for sun and some big wins for us!
