On May 19, Covenant got its first major test of the young campaign, as First Assembly touted their new claims from Grace Chapel Black in the dispersal draft, among them pitcher Geri Truog, the best female pitcher the league has to offer. But Covenant passed the test with flying colors, coming from behind in game one to win 11-9 with Jeff Newell's 3-run home run being the turning point of the game. Covenant then went on to win game two by the score of 14-6.
With First Assembly behind them, all attention turned to the showdown from yesterday between Covenant and reigning league champion Lebanon B, who put a 30-game win streak dating back to the beginning of last season on the line. The game was moved from First Assembly Field to Wheatland Field due to a conflict with First Assembly practice. In game one, Covenant only trailed once, but that came before they even came to bat. Thankfully, Lebanon B scored only one measly run. Covenant would end Lebanon B's winning streak by winning game one by the score of 10-7. Game two was a slugfest, with Covenant winning by the score of 12-9, holding off a late rally by Lebanon B, who now has a two-game losing streak.
The above photo is yours truly in action during the opening doubleheader against Neshannock Alliance at First Assembly Field. Now, all game podcasts can be found on Soundcloud! Just log onto www.soundcloud.com and query Covenant Sharon softball and you can access all the podcasts as the season goes along!
Now that I have given team insights on the young campaign (Covenant is now 6-0 to start the season), I shall give some individual insights after six games. Jordan "Puppy" Davis has played in one game as a catcher, but he has not yet had an at-bat. Regular catcher Julie Norris is mired in an early season slump and she is still pressing on. If the rules had been changed before the season began to allow girls in the league to use a girls' bat, then her numbers would not be what they are. Keep in mind during last season's tournament that Norris had a .333 batting average with two RBIs. There is no question that the stars of this squad are Jeff Newell, Tay Robinson, Matt Durisko, Dan Vanderslice, and Gray MacKenzie. Key contributions have come from Ryan Zippie, Randel Veccia and Sean Zippie. Eric Bombeck, David Dalessandro and Bob Mariotti have been the trio of workhorses on the mound for Covenant, sparking the squad to its six wins while along the way, showing no signs of stopping their momentum. This team has bought into their head coach Jim Bombeck's system emphasizing speed. This is one reason why this team is dubbed "TS4" because it's the fourth consecutive year that the team has been dubbed "Team Speed".
The next doubleheader on June 2 will see Covenant take to the road for the first time in the young campaign as they travel to White Chapel Field to take on a New Wilmington team that finished sixth in the league standings last year and lost to New Life in the losers bracket quarterfinals in the 2015 tournament. If the weather permits, then before the week is out, I will take a drive to White Chapel Field to scout out the field for myself. This is the first of a stretch of six out of the next seven matchups will be on the road. They will square off against rival St. John's at C.O.G. on June 7 before returning to First Assembly Field on June 9 to play last season's league doormats, Grace Chapel Burgundy. They return to White Chapel Field on June 14 to play New Life (this is the doubleheader that I am slated to miss due to a volunteer commitment at historic Oakmont Country Club for the U.S. Open golf tournament). I will return for a June 21 doubleheader at Lackawannock Park against Bethany. On June 23, Covenant travels to Jefferson Township Field to play Grace Chapel Blue. Wheatland Field will be the site for the June 30 doubleheader against Lebanon C.
Those are the Covenant Sharon softball team insights after six games. Until next time, farewell and fair balls.
No comments:
Post a Comment