Recap

Chicken, Chicken, Chicken, WIN!

This one may be difficult to write…I have chicken on my mind.  It is difficult for me to think of anything else right now.  Oh yeah, we shut out Warwick at home tonight, now what about that chicken?

If you missed tonight’s game or more importantly, you missed out on Pete’s Chicken fundraiser…you really missed something special.  The smells, the perfectly BBQ-ed chicken instantly brought me back to my childhood & those fantastic summers with the recently discontinued Sertoma Chicken BBQ. My youthful day dreams quickly dissolved with a hop out of the chicken trailer.  If my knees weren’t enough of a reminder of my age, the concern of those that witnessed my rapid 8″ decent rushing to my aid like I was spraying blood from my carotid did. But mmmmmm….Chicken.

We also had a game tonight and what a game it was!  We shut out Warwick, 8-0, and our bats were hot, Hot, HOT! …for about 2 hours it kept my mind off the chicken 200 yds away.

It was tenuous most of the day.  Mother Nature was holding true to the calendar & with the April showers already causing (1) game last week to be rescheduled, we weren’t sure today would even happen until that 1st pitch!  With a quick change to the turf fields and our fantastic & supportive Athletic Director, Mr. Tim Hollenback’s, fast action to get the outfield fencing up, we were in business.  It was wet and it was cold, but our Blue Streaks kept us warm and toasty with their hot bats!

Our Lady Streaks looked like our Lady Streaks!  They started off with a BANG!  Ava Stern (P) sat 2 (technically 3, 1 batter thrown out running to 1st on a dropped 3rd strike) of Warwick’s first 4 batters in the top of the 1st, recording 2 of her 12 K’s.  Thats 12…with a 1 and a 2.  Ava Stern (P) was on FIRE!, allowing only 3 hits, 0 runs, and did I mention the 12 K’s?  Warwick had 24 ABs…Ava struck out 50% of them.  The rest of the defense came to play as well, 6 of 7 involved on defense in the field were perfect for a 1.000 FPCT!

In the bottom of the 1st Township did most of their damage with 5 runs.  Sara Hess (C) started the scoring fiesta off with a line drive single to LF scoring Bella Stern (2nd) who had walked 2 batters prior.  Next on the carrousel was May Castillo (SS) with a hard-hit ground ball single to LF, scoring Ashley Bryant (1st) who had also walked earlier.  Paige Hughes (3rd) then blasted a shot to CF that fell just short of, but bounced over the fence for a ground rule double scoring both Sara Hess (C) & May Castillo (SS).  Not quite ready for the inning to end, 8 spot hitter Natalie Brownell (DP), who went 3 for 3 at the plate today, also knocked one just shy of and through the fence for another ground rule double, scoring Paige Hughes (3rd).

It quieted down a bit until the bottom of the 4th when Ashley Bryant (1st) ripped a single through the infield and into RF, scoring speedy Sofia Panagopoulos (Pinch Runner) from 2nd base who was running for Natalie Brownell (DP) who had singled on a grounder to CF & advanced to 2nd on a Mya Zeigler (CF) sacrifice bunt.

In the 1st inning, Township baked the cake.

In the 4th, they iced it.

And in the bottom of the 5th May Castillo (SS) blew out the candles with a rocket over the CF wall for a 2 run HR!. also scoring Ava Stern (P) who had singled to lead-off the inning.

And that was all she wrote!  The Streaks returned to form, looking like they could have taken on the world! And did I mention there was chicken?  What a night!

Youth Night did not fare so well, unfortunately, and will be rescheduled for Monday, May 5th vs. Cedar Crest due to the weather, field, & game time change.  So, hold onto your used softball gear just a little bit longer to donate to the Manheim Township Youth Softball Program.

The Blue Streaks will be on the road Wednesday, April 9th as they continue into game #2 of 4 this week when they travel to J.P. McCaskey to take on the Red Tornados, looking to pull a Jim Cantore and quiet that storm.  Get your rest ladies.  1st pitch is @ 4:15pm.  See you all there!

 

 

Manheim Township High School Varsity Softball Diamond
115 Blue Streak Blvd Lancaster, PA 17601