STRATFORD ENDURES RAIN, LOSS TO CY RIDGE

Soggy Affair Ends 10-6

On Tuesday the Spartans hosted the Cy Ridge Rams without the services of starting pitcher Keely Meeks. Callie Piercy gamely stepped up to take the ball, though she might have renegotiated her terms had she foreseen the presence of rain and the absence of offense. Ava Esparza produced the solitary hit and RBI for the Spartans in support.

The first inning saw both pitchers struggle under a persistent light rain that veered from sprinkle to drizzle and back to mist. Piercy struck out a Ram on a swinging fastball to the delight of the home crowd.

In the bottom of the first, Sophie Donnel was hit by a pitch and Darcy Broaddus walked, bringing up danger in the form of Esparza. Donnel, unwilling as she often is to wait for her teammates to drive her in, found her way home of her own accord during Esparza’s at-bat. By the time Esparza drove a hard grounder into left field, only Broaddus remained on base to score. After Meeks grounded out to shortstop, Piercy slapped a grounder hard off the chest of the second baseman, and Esparza came in to score. Mariah Estrada walked, and when Piercy and she came in on passed balls, the score was tied 5-5.

The Spartans made two defensive outs in the second inning, with Emma Adisa and Piercy fielding ground balls and retiring runners attempting to advance. However, the Rams made their five runs and took a 10-5 lead into the bottom half.

After Caroline Chamberlain smoked a line drive to third base with nothing to show for it, Dulce Soto walked and eventually scored the game’s final run.

MEMORIAL DOWNS STRATFORD 4-3

Mustangs Complete Comeback to Claim Rivalry Game

There was electricity and charcoal smoke in the air at Mustang Field as Stratford and Memorial engaged in the first of their two meetings of the 2023 season. The teams did not disappoint, as they battled for four innings as if a 51st senate seat was up for grabs. The Mustangs held serve on their home turf with a 4-3 win.

The Spartans began applying pressure from the first pitch, with Sophie Donnel and Darcy Broaddus earning walks in front of Ava Esparza. Esparza’s business is making teams pay in this situation, and she declined to make any exception here, shooting a grounder over the first base bag and legging out a two-run triple. From there she scored on Keely Meeks’s sacrifice fly to right field. Caroline Chamberlain tried to reboot the rally with a line drive single to right, but she got no farther than third base as the inning ended. The 3-0 Stratford lead would hold until the waning minutes of the ballgame.

The Spartans held Memorial scoreless on the strength of infield plays by Meeks, Emma Adisa, and Caroline Chamberlain. However, they could not add to their lead in the second inning.

In the bottom of the second, the Spartans got two outs, with Meeks running down a pop-up and Adisa locking down a ground ball to third for the second time in as many innings. But the Mustangs broke through with a run on a walk and a double into the left-center field gap. Further damage was avoided when Meeks tallied her first strikeout to end the inning.

The Spartans tried to get something going in the third, but hard-hit balls by Esparza and Meeks were handled by the Memorial infield,  and Stratford was back out to defend its 3-1 lead. The Mustangs continued to chip away, scoring two runs to tie the game in the third, and then taking the lead with what was a decisive run in the fourth. Dulce Soto made a great running catch in right field as the Spartans fought for the right to bat again. Alas, time ran out before they could, cementing the 4-3 Memorial victory.

Whether the smoker ever produced any meats is beyond the scope of this column.

The 4-3 Spartans seek to get back in winning form with games next week at home against Jersey Village and at Cy Fair. We shall report.