WPCNR PRESS BOX. By Fastpitch Johnny.
BLONDES RULE THE WORLD: Amazing Amanda Scott (13-6) about to retire her 13th straight Thunder batter to end the Juggernaut come-from-behinder win against Texas Sunday night in Montclair. Scotty rose to the occasion. Kept her club in the game and they came back to win. Photo by WPCNR Sports.
Peaches James started for the Thunder and both she and Amanda Scott, Nauts starter had big problems with the plate umpire, Victor Martinez and his stingy inconsistent strike zone. Groans, moans, and oohhs and ahhs rang out behind the homeplate screen on every call as the game moved into the third frame.
In the third, after Amanda felt she was particulary squeezed on two pitches to Liz Bouck, she engaged the man behind the mask in a discussion of the strike zone and received a warning when she did so at the close of the disasterous at the time inning. Amazing Amanda was particularly irked because his not calling two obvious bunt swings by Bouck and two corner clippers on Claire Burnam cost Amanda 3 runs.
Messing with Amanda
Amanda was cruising in the third with one out, when the Texas Jack Rabbit, Liz Bouck beat out her second bunt on Spiderwoman Jaclyn Pasquerrella ( Naut third sacker) on an eyelash play at first.Then Lindsey Gardiner Baltimore-chopped a bloop to shortstop Lindsey Klein who shorthopped it, but did not have a play at first. Two on.
Kristen Zaleski then hit a ball sharply right to Lindsey who might have been distracted by Bouck running in front of her as she tried to make the play, thinking third base, but instead the ball hit off Klein’s glove for an error and scooted past her into shallow left. The fleet Bouck raced home to make it 1-0.
Ump, You’re Killing Me.
Scott took a deep breath and induced Ryan Realmuto the cleanup woman to foul to Amanda’s batterymate sister Courtney Scott. Two out. Only 1-0. Maybe we can get out of this. Clare Burnam was next up. And Amanda’s problems with the plate umpire flared up. With the count 1-1, Amanda shot in two very close pitches that were called balls on Burnam. At 3-1, Amanda had to come in with a pitch a little too good and Burnam rocketed it into the left center field alley — one hop to the running track to the Ringor sign below the scoreboard to bring home Gardner and Zaleski to make it 3-0. Amanda was steamed.
Scott then surrendered another double down the line to Ginger Jones-Powers but Thunder Manager Wayne Daigle held
As it turned out on this wonderful Naut night, Jones-Powers was the last Thunder to reach base. On her way over to the dugout, Amanda went over to the plate umpire Victor Martinez and fans saw the umpire point his finger in her face and point to the bench. Amanda was hot, and the ump had given her a warning.
With the elegant, remorseless Peaches James staked to a 3-run lead in the Thunder circle, Naut aficionados were grim. That was a lot of runs to overcome in this league.
In the Naut third the Juggernaut got one back as the plate umpire continued to squeeze Peaches James equally. Courtney Scott walked. Carri Leto lined a single to right Lauren Bauer singled to left to load the bases with no one out. But this is Peaches James.
She surrendered a long foul homerun to Lyndsey Klein, then struck her out swinging. But, Jackie Pasquerella with 2 strikes on her grounded slowly to first to score Jen Smith (running for Courtney Scott) with a run to make it 3-1. James fooled Kellie Wilkerson who popped to secondbase to end the bid.
In the fourth, Amanda righted herself and gave her team a chance to come back, starting to set down the Thunder one batter after another.
Peaches is Out of There and Is Not Happy.
In the last of the fourth, Peaches James walked Gina Oaks to start the inning. Incredibly, Thunder Manager Wayne Daigle, not liking what he saw, proceeded to the mound for the second time on the evening and removed Peaches James, bringing in Crista Williams, the Olympic champion to pitch and a new catcher, Selena Collins. Peaches James could not believe it. The fierce competitor was grim as she walked to Thunder bench, tight-lipped, seething.
Williams in relief fanned Germaine Fairchild, then walked Venus Taylor on a 3-2 pitch. During the
Play of the Night.
Erica Evans went back back back to the running track caught the ball over her head with two hands and fell to her back holding on to the ball. Gina Oaks tagged up and scored to make it 3-2. It was the play of the night so far and it looked as if it would stand up . Williams got Carri Leto on a grounder to third to end the inning.
Williams looked like the Williams that came within two errors of beating the
In the sixth Kellie Wilkerson was walked on 4 pitches to lead off the inning. (Oh, those bases on balls to lead off an inning.) Gina Oaks bunted for a base hit getting the ball past the mound, and Lyndsey Gardner could not field it in time to get her at first and the tying runs were aboard for Germaine Fairchild.
KEY PLAY IN THE 6TH STANZA: Germaine Fairchild flying to first as Claire Burnam touches third for the force on Kellie Wilkerson, then tries for the double play at first. The first baser, Jones-Powers does not handle the throw and Gina Oaks high tails it over to third. After Christa Williams fans Venus Taylor, Courtney Scott walks, setting up Carri Leto in the heroine’s spot. Photo by WPCNR Sports.
Williams got the dangerous Ms. G to ground to thirdbaser Claire Burnam who stepped on third for the first out retiring Wilkerson, then Burnam got greedy, trying to double up Fairchild at first and Ginger Jones-Powers let the ball get by at first base allowing Oaks to reach third, with Fairchild reaching second.
Williams fanned Venus Taylor on a 2-2 pitch for the second out, and Courtney Scott was the hitter. In a long at-bat, Williams worked Scott to 3-2, and walked her on a very close pitch. The bases were full for Carri Leto.
Lightning Strikes Again.
Friday, Carri Leto got two key 2-out hits to beat Akron. Could she do it again on the great Williams?
She quickly got behind 1-2, then with the third basemen in, Leto lashed at a low and outside pitch and drove it solidly over the head of Burnam and into the shortstop hole and it got beautifully down in the outfield grass. Once again 2-out Lightning delivered to send Gina Oaks home with the equalizer to make it 3-3, with Fairchild moving to third and the stands were loving it.
THE WHITE PLAINS EXPLOSION WAS AT THE GAME: Larry Giordano, left, Greg Zaccaria, Dom Sputo and Jo Bellantoni and the White Plains 14 and 12-Under teams were at the game. The Explosion’s shrill, never-let-up-softball cheers for the Nauts “Rip it Carri, Rip It.” when the Nauts were trying to rally were heard loud and clear on the YES Network telecast. Photo by WPCNR Sports.
Leto has gotten three huge hits for the Nauts with two out in the last two games, and this was no easy task for “Lightning.”
On the first pitch to centerfielder Lauren Bauer back at the top of the order Bauer hit a smash up the middle at the pitcher. Christa Williams deflected it with a desperate bending stab to the second baseman
The Thunder was unravelling now. Lyndsey Klein smashed a routine grounder to shortstop Amanda Buchholtz who simply butchered it and Courtney Scott scored to make it 5-3.
YOU DON’T MESS WITH AMANDA: Wrapping it up. Amanda Scott with 2 dead in the seventh is about to induce Liz Bouck to bunt to Jaclyn Pasquerrella at third who will gun the rabbit down for the final out. Photo by WPCNR Sports.
Amanda Scott finished strong in the seventh to notch win number 13. She only fanned two, but her rising to the occasion and retiring 13 in a row was money pitching.
The final out was most satisfying as The Texas Jack Rabbitt Liz Bouck laid one down again, challenging Spiderwoman (Jaclyn Pasquerrella at third) for a third time. This time Pasquerella threw a speeding bullet to Oaks at first. OUT! Game Over. The—a Nauts Win!
This was the second biggest win of the Nauts season and drew them within 2-1/2 games of the Thunder. The other win was the 27-inning victory over
What They Were Saying.
Manager and Owner Paul Plemenos, hanging out with about 200 fans outside the stadium after the game, said, “It was unbelievable. Unbelievable. The girls played great, never say die. We’re peaking, as I told you, we’re peaking going into this. We are really looking great.”
Asked about what he told Carri Leto going into the key at bat, Plemenos commented, “I said make her throw strikes to you. She’s been missing the strike zone. You’ve got a small strike zone. Make her come into you with one you can drive, hopefully pull one. But she struck it between Burnam and Buchholtz in the 5-6 hole.”
Lightning Smiles.
WPCNR talked with 2-Out Lightning (Carri Leto), and asked her to take us through the big tying at-bat: “I was in the hole 1 and 2, so I just needed to battle. The strike zone was a little erratic tonight, so any pitch that was close I had to swing at it. I got a good one and it worked.”
Lightning Leto. Photo, Courtesy New York/New Jersey Juggernaut.
Leto said she took a low and outside pitch to the opposite field. “When I first came in, I wanted to wait until she (Williams) threw a strike because she was more wild tonight than she usually is.”
Asked if this tying hit was one of the more memorable hits of her career, she smiled (and she has the whitest teeth in sports, ladies and gentlemen): “It’s pretty good. It was in front of a big crowd tonight. They’ve been so loyal. We have the same fans come out for every game. They say things “when you got that hit, I couldn’t scream I was so excited.” That feels great because they’ve been supporting us all year, so getting the big hit in one of the final home games felt really good.”
Centerfielder (No. 24) Lauren Bauer who had two hits tonight, including the game winner up the middle, attributed her hits to the live batting practice the team has been getting from new BP pitcher, Bill before the game:
“I love it. He will just pitch and pitch and pitch and you don’t have to worry about his arm or anything. That was great. We pitch to ourselves, but I feel guilty when our regular pitchers pitch batting practice. They need to save their arms for the game, so this was great. No guilt. No guilt batting practice!”
WPCNR asked Amazing Amanda Scott what happened out there between her and the home plate umpire. Scott told it like she pitches, straight at you:
AMAZING AMANDA SCOTT, signing autographs for young fans after the game. Photo by WPCNR Sports.
“After the fateful third, I think we settled in because I don’t think they got many hits after that, we played great defense, and we just kept plugging away. We settled in with the umpire. He was squeezing real tight there for both teams. I was starting making better pitches and we made great plays.”
Asked about her little discussion in front of the dugout with the plate umpire, Scott smiled, taking time out from autographs, and said, “I just went up and tried to ask him, you know, if he could establish a consistent strike zone. That team (The Thunder) is a very good offensive team, and he missed some big pitches in a big moment. So I just asked him to get consistent here.”
WPCNR asked The Great Scott about her thoughts on the season, and Scott glowed, “It’s been great. This is a great market to play in. I’ve really had a great time.The fans are amazing. This franchise is wonderful. The girls I’ve met outstanding athletes. It’s been a great ride so far. I think if we keep playing like we are now, we’re peaking at the right time.We’ve gotten some big wins against the top two teams right now, and if we can pull off the number one seed that would be great. I think we’re playing great ball right at the right time.”
The ride continues Monday night at Montclair State University Softball Stadium when the Nauts make up a suspended game with the Thunder at
W
L
PCT
GB
HOME
AWAY
Texas Thunder
34
15
0.694
–
17-5
17-10
Akron Racers
33
17
0.660
1.5
18-8
15-9
NY/NJ Juggernaut
32
18
0.640
2.5
20-7
12-11
New England Riptide
21
30
0.412
14.0
11-12
10-18
Arizona Heat
16
34
0.320
18.5
9-18
7-16
California Sunbirds
14
36
0.280
20.5
9-16
5-20
SUNDAY RESULTS
NY-NJ Juggernaut 5, Texas 3
Akron 4, California 3
New England 5, Arizona 1
