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WPCNR PRESS BOX. By Fastpitch Johnny. August 4, 2004, UPDATED 2 P.M. E.D.T.: The crowd was there. The weather was there. Iyhia McMichael was there. But, it was Akron’s Brandi Stuart’s pair of 2-out hits driving in 3 runs that chased Naut Pitcher Gina Oaks, and zoomed the Racers past the Nauts for sole possession of second place in the National Pro Fastpitch league last night. Akron beat New York-New Jersey 9-1 before 450 fans at Montclair State University Softball Stadium. The Nauts (30-17) try and even the series Thursday afternoon with Akron at 4:05 P.M. with Amanda Scott in the circle.
GINA OAKS IN CIRCLE in Montclair last night as the Nauts began action against the Akron Racers. The Racers floored it early, plating 3 runs in the second, 2 of them on Brandi Stewart’s humpback fisting of a 3-2 riseball just inside the left field foul line with two on and two out to score 2 runs and get the Racers out in front, 3-0. Photo by
WPCNR SPORTS.
Naut Killer: Brandi Stuart, Akron Racers’ second sacker, came through twice with 2-on Wednesday night to take the first of three crucial tilts in the NPF. Meanwhile in the circle, Nikki Myers dominated the Juggernaut for the third time this season, going all the way, scattering 3-hits. Photo by WPCNR Sports.
After a quiet first, the Racers got things started in the second frame when Gina Oaks surrendered leadoff up the middle singles to Nicole Trimboli and Jenn Poore. After Trena Peel hit into a force handled by Shortstop Lyndsey Klein, moving Trimboli to third, Heather Wright blooped a single to center to to score Trimboli to make it 1-0, and move Peel to second.
Becky McMurtry hit a smash to third that Third Sacker Jaclyn Pasquerella snared halfway down the line and gunned McMurtry out at first, with Wright moving to second and Peel to third. Then Brandi Stewart stepped to the plate. Oaks was one out away from superb damage control.
Getting Just Enough
Stuart worked the count to 3-2. “I wasn’t expecting anything great you know. I had a lot of encouragement from my teammate, Trena Peel on third base, and all I was trying to do was put the ball in play and hope that somebody was going to score.”
Stuart said she hit an “inside riseball” from Oaks. She hit it off her fists, wristing it in a twisting bloop just down the left field line falling halfway down the foul line just about a foot fair. Peel scored, Wright scored, and Stewart was on second with a bases-clearing double and Naut Nemis Nikki Myers had a 3-0 lead.
“I was just trying to make contact, you know, ” Stuart said after the game. “When you have people on base and they’re motivating you to do well, you want to do it for them and not so much for yourself. You’re just trying to hit the ball.”
Oaks, who appeared to be getting her pitches up in the humid night fanned Shortstop Kristin Johnson to end the inning, but the damage had been done.
Stuart Serves Another.
Stuart broke open the game in the fourth, when with one gone, Racer rightfielder Trena Peel singled to right and then Cari Leto made the first of her two errors being handcuffed on grounder. Peel moved to second. Oaks walked McMurtry, loading the bases. And again Brandi delivered. Oaks served another riseball and Stuart solved it again catching it just enough to bloop it into straightaway left over the leaping Lyndsey Klein to make it 4-0.
“I think that was a riseball, too,” Stuart described the sequence. “I didn’t really get my hands out as much as I probably should have, but it dropped. I’ll take it.”
That reloaded the bases and knocked Oaks out of the circle. Amanda Scott came in and got Kristen Johnson to ground into a force at the plate, but Catcher Courtney Scott’s throw to first just failed to nip Johnson at first for what would have been an inning-ending double play. Then a grounder to Carri Leto took a high hop. Leto let it play her, hurried her throw waist high to first baser Kelli Wilkerson’s right and she could not handle it, allowing two runs to score, as the ball went to the first base railing in play. It was 6-0, Racers as a fine mist started to fall on the field.
The Racers added three more runs in the seventh on Jenn Poore’s 3-run homer over the leftfield fence.
The Juggernaut had a slim chance to get back in the game in the sixth inning when a single by Lauren Bauer and a walk to Carri Leto put runners on first and second. Lyndsey Klein singled to right to make it 6-1 with one out and Kellie Wilkerson and Gina Oaks coming up. Myers fanned Kellie and induced Oaks to line to centerfielder Antionette Armstrong who came in to make a fine running catch at her knees.
A Grind.
Brandi Stuart, the heroine of the game, formerly of Florida State University, commenting on the National Pro Fastpitch season said, “I definitely have enjoyed the season. I’m lucky to have good teammates here. It would be hard if we didn’t get along, but we really do so that makes it a lot of fun. It’s gone by really fast, and I can’t believe it’s almost over.”
Asked about the rigors of the schedule (5-6 games a week), whether this was the most softball games she’s played, she said “Definitely. Definitely. There’s not a lot of downtime or time to rest and recuperate. That’s the biggest adjustment to make. Luckily most of us are still young so it’s o.k., but it’s definitely a lot of games in a short amount of time and it’s trying on the body.”
Nikki Myers went all the way for the Racers for her 9th win of the year, third against the Nauts, walking two and fanning two, and inducing 12 groundball outs. The hardest hit was Lyndsey Klein’s double in the third. Myers who is long and tall and throws a very low pitch continued her dominance over the Juggernaut.
NATIONAL PRO FASTPITCH STANDINGS AUGUST 5, 2004
Wednesday Results
Akron 9, Juggernaut 1
California 6, New England 2
VENUS TAYLOR, Nauts leftfielder looking up into the rain Thursday night. The crowd stayed to the end, and waited an hour for autographs for Naut players who came out to greet their fans after a long postgame meeting. Photo by WPCNR Sports
