Ill Tidings Befall Tigers

On Tuesday the JV Spartans traveled to face Spring Woods. The Tigers took the field shining brightly, but almost immediately the Spartans’ rocky form began to slide across their luminous face. Pitched-ball magnet Emerson Hiler led off the game by being hit by a fastball for the first of two times. After Isla Hildebrand walked, Shelby Thibodeaux dropped a single into right centerfield, scoring Hiler and edging Spring Woods into Stratford’s penumbra. Allie Richardson, Cacey Valencia, and Dulce Soto accepted free passes, during which pitching chaos led to Hildebrand and Richardson scoring. Sophia Lozada rounded out the inning with a drive to right field, bringing in Valencia to tally the fifth run.

Hiler was strong in the first. The leadoff batter reached first on a bunt single and scored the Tigers’ only run in the inning before she shut it down with a pair of strikeouts.

In the second inning, the Spring Woods atmosphere darkened as the shadow cast by Stratford grew bigger. Hiler absorbed another pitch to the ribs and Hildebrand and Thibodeaux reached on a walk and a hit-by-pitch, during which Hiler scored. A single by Allie Richardson and back-to-back triples by Leila Vazquez and Cacey Valencia brought in four more runs and moved the Tigers into totality and darkness.

Hiler and the Spartans’ defense limited Spring Woods again in the second, allowing some traffic but giving up only one more run.

In the third and final inning, Stratford added runs by Laura De La Rosa, Anna Burgman, Kate Sanantonio, and Kenna Wong on hits by Burgman, Bella Sulma, Riley Naman, and Mackenzie York.

Stratford closed out the Tigers in the third, with help from a pickoff throw from Wong to Wookie Grunenberg at third, securing a 14-3 victory.

Cy Ridge Hitless in Helpless Outing

The Spartans played a practically perfect three-inning game on Friday, scoring 5 runs in each inning without recording a single out, and facing the minimum 9 Cy Ridge batters, allowing only one to reach base and then promptly picking her off first.

Kenna Wong and Kate Sanantonio opened the game with back-to-back triples, followed up by Shelby Thibodeaux reaching on a hit-by-pitch and Anna Burgman blasting the inning’s third triple. Wookie Grunenberg, Laura De La Rosa, Isla Hildebrand, and Emerson Hiler were issued free passes to complete the 5-run frame. Hiler reached base by being hit by a pitch for the fifth time in her last seven plate appearances. (One wonders whether it has crossed her mind that she is uniquely positioned to exact revenge.)

In the second inning, Mackenzie York led off and reached on a defensive error, whereupon Wong lined a single back at the pitcher, who responded by hitting Sanantonio and Thibodeaux and walking Burgman. Grunenberg and De La Rosa then delivered the big hits with a pair of singles, driving in the final 3 runs.

In the third and final inning, Hildebrand set the table with a walk, followed by a triple in the left centerfield gap by Keely Meeks. Sophia Lozada then hit a ground ball to left for a single – check that – Lozada never broke stride and motored to second base for a Jose Altuve-style double. Leila Vazquez reached on an error, and Allie Richardson singled her in. Thibodeaux was then hit by a pitch for the third time in as many innings. Cacey Valencia was also hit by a pitch, and Grunenberg settled for a game-ending walk.

The 12-1-1 JV Spartans finish their season next week with games against Memorial and Jersey Village.