[Alsfastball] University of Ottawa Softball

[Al Doran]

From: "Scott Searle" <Scottsearle at rogers.com>
To: "Al Doran" <fastball at pmihrm.com>
Subject: University of Ottawa Softball
Date: Mon, 20 Sep 2004 00:36:35 -0400


Ottawa, ON

The University of Ottawa Gee Gees got off to a very solid start on the 
weekend in their quest to defend their championship. They went 4-0 in 
defeating the University of Toronto, The University of Guelph, Carleton, 
and York. The first game of the year was a big one for the team as they 
faced their archrivals from Uof T in a re-match of last years semi-final. 
As always, the game between these two teams was a great one. The Gee Gee's 
jumped to a quick start in the first as Danna Masters was back to her old 
tricks as reached base on a slap before stealing her way to third where she 
was driven in by Nicky Dunlop's fielders choice. They scored again in the 
second after a solid single from rookie Allison Hibbett drove in Jen 
Leoppard. The Gee Gee's offense was active again in the third as another 
rookie; Shannon Lundrigan hit a solid single and was driven in by Allison 
Hibbett. In Allison's first game as a Gee Gee she was 2-2, with 2 RBI's to 
add to solid defense all weekend. Welcome to the team kid. The bats went 
silent until the 6th inning where Sarah Thompson got a single only to be 
driven in on Nicole Dunlop's triple. Sarah is another rookie who had a 
fantastic start to her career as a Gee Gee. She drove in 5 runs to add to 
her .583 batting average over the weekend along with clutch defense at 
third base, filling in for Jessica Prot after she was hit by a pitch in the 
second game. Jessica Prot was also 3-3 against U of T, with 3 solid hits 
and her usual great defence. The team got great pitching from both Erica 
Chan and Ashley Sands. Erica was excellent as always, and Ashley had 3 
strong innings in her Gee Gee debut. The Varsity Blues from Toronto pushed 
one run across in the 2nd inning on back to back fielders' choice's and 
took advantage of several Gee Gee errors to score 3 runs in the visitors 
half of the 7th. A monster home run from Karlene Cooper that just kept 
rolling, capped the inning for the Blues but clutch pitching from Ashley 
kept them at bay as the game finished with a 5-4 victory for Ottawa. This 
is the 4th time in as many games between these two teams that has ended 
with a difference of one run. Look for a re-match at the League Finals in 
Ottawa October 24.

The second game for the Gee Gee's would not get any easier as they ran into 
The University of Guelph, last years silver medallists. Danna Masters and 
Sarah Thompson were again trouble at the top of the order when Danna again 
reached on a slap and Sarah drove her in with a double. A very solid game 
from Melissa Odie kept most of the team off balance until the fifth inning 
where Danna scored again, this time on a single from Nicky Dunlop. Lindsey 
Hutton got the ball in this game in her varsity debut and she was dazzling, 
taking a one hitter through 5 innings. Along with her teammate all summer, 
Sarah Thompson she kept all the Guelph hitters guessing as she mixed speeds 
and locations in an awesome display of her talent. Ashley Sands came in to 
close the game off for the last 6 outs and allowed only one hit as the game 
finished 2-1 in favour of the Gee Gee's.

The third game of the day was another big one as the team took on its 
cross-town rival for the first time in OIWFA history. Ashley Sands was back 
in the circle for the Garnet and Grey and she was awesome, scattering 2 
hits over 5 innings. Lindsey Hutton closed out the game in solid fashion, 
allowing only 2 hits in 3 innings. Both rookie pitchers were very 
impressive in their first day, allowing only 2 runners past second base in 
the two games they pitched. With these 3 pitchers, we will not need many 
runs. Allison Hibbett did another great job calling pitches from behind the 
plate. The Gee Gee offense was rolling in this game as they had 19 hits and 
6 runs. Erin Durant, yet another rookie was 3-3 in her debut with 2 RBI's 
and a stolen base. Kerry Ground once again proved why she is the batter 
everyone wants up with runners in scoring position when she drove in two 
runs with a single in the third. In her three year career with the team 
Kerry has gotten more clutch RBI's then some players get in a lifetime. Jen 
Leppard had a frustrating day at the plate looking for a pitch to hit, with 
3 walks. She made the best of it when she scored the teams first run in the 
second inning. Jen was again one of the teams leaders on the weekend with 
stellar defense anchoring a very strong defense in centerfield. Nicky 
Dunlop stayed hot this game, as she was only a double shy of hitting for 
the cycle. Pam Hrick had a very good outing with 2 hits and excellent 
defense up the middle. The final score of the game was 6-0 for the Gee Gees.

If the offense was the story on Saturday, it was defense and pitching on 
Sunday. Erica Chan and Jen Blakely were absolutely dominant as a pitcher 
catcher combination. Congratulations goes out to the pair for the first 
ever-perfect game in Gee Gee history!!! This is the third year this pair 
has worked together and they are something special to watch. Erica mixed 
speeds and was ahead of every count while relying on Jen Blakelys fantastic 
game calling ability to keep the York hitters off balance. Jen Blakely is 
one of the smartest catchers I have ever been around and is expected to 
work wonders with both new rookie catchers on the Gee Gee squad. As 
dominant as Erica was, she was helped out by phenomenal defense from her 
teammates. Lindsey McLaughlin made a fantastic diving catch in foul 
territory in the third inning and Danna Masters used her speed to rob 
another player of a hit in the 4th. Nicky Dunlop and Sarah Thompson made 
for a menacing left side of the infield as they were responsible for 
several jaw dropping plays that left opposing batters shaking their heads. 
The whole team stayed hot as the Gee Gee's exploded for 7 runs in 5 innings 
offensively before the game was stopped for the run rule. Veteran players 
Jen Blakely and Kerry Ground beat out 2 infield hits each in a great 
display of hustle and determination for the team's rookies. Shannon 
Lundrigan connected for a triple in the 4th that cashed in Nicky Dunlop who 
always seemed to be on base. Although Coach Gil Read has only been with the 
team a few weeks, his effect is already shining through on many of the 
team's batters. The game was stopped after 5 innings, in a great way to end 
the weekend for the Gee Gees.

An excellent weekend for the defending champions as they proved they could 
handle the transition with several key players having not returned and 8 
rookies. Hustle and hard work shone through in every game, which has become 
a trademark of Gee Gee teams. The team moves to Kingston next weekend in 
their first shot at the teams in the Western divisions. More information 
and directions to the diamonds can be found on the website at 
<http://www.eteamz.com/ottawaufastpitch>www.eteamz.com/ottawaufastpitch



Scott Searle

From: "Scott Searle" <Scottsearle at rogers.com>

  Als Fastball List
*Email: fastball at pmihrm.com
http://www.alsfastball.com/
http://www.ISCfastball.com/
NEWS: http://www.escribe.com/sports/alsfastball/
TEMP: http://www.fastpitchwest.com/alsfastball.htm