Ghosts and Goblins Not Enough to Stop Crushers

The Virginia Crushers ’99 Fastpitch Softball team travelled to Ashburn, Va for the 2009 Halloween Classic.  The Crushers went 5-0 for the weekend, claiming the 10U Championship, outscoring their opponents 29-2.In game 1 the Crushers took on the much anticipated Diamond State Swoop, the defending Delaware State Champions.  Erin Jones reached first on a walk and Leah Shipp drove her in with an RBI double for a 1-0 lead.

In the bottom half of the second, the Swoop threatened with a lead-off triple, but Leah was able to strike out the side in order to get out of the jam.  Sydney Fisher reached first in the third and Morgan Blot drove her home to give the Crushers a 2-0 lead.  The Swoop pulled back within one in the forth on a triple and rare Crusher error which led to a score.  The Crusher defense shored up and held the Swoop hitters the rest of the way to claim the 2-1 win.

As the rain came, the Crushers waited in vain to complete their scheduled games, but the day was finally called and the girls went home, ready to return on Sunday.  Early Sunday morning the Crushers completed their pool play against the Maryland Chill.  The Crushers exploded for 7 runs in the first inning.  Emily Weatherholtz and Sydney Fisher combined for a no-hitter as the Crushers won 9-0 to claim top seed.  Amanda Beane reached base 2 out of 3 times, with a run and an RBI and Diane Anders blasted another RBI producing triple.  Madison Hool also had 2 RBIs for the Crushers.

The Crushers then faced the Gainesville Cannons in their first elimination game.  Despite some early miscues in the first the defense returned to form for the remainder of the game and Leah and Emily combined for a no-hitter from the circle.  Offensively the Crushers scored 4 runs in the second with a 2 RBI single by Morgan Blot and hits by Emily and Diane Anders to pace the 6-0 win.  The Crushers then faced off against the SYA Xplosion in the semi-final game.  The Crushers again exploded in the first, scoring 7 runs with RBIS by Morgan Blot, Diane Anders, and Julia Sinnett.  Bailey Mastin recorded 2 singles for the Crushers during the 8-0 win.

For the championship the Crushers once again faced the Diamond State Swoop.  Erin Jones led off the 1st with a single and Morgan Blot reached on a walk before Leah Shipp drove them both home with a 2 RBI double.  Solid defense kept the Swoop off the bases through 3 innings.  In the home half of the third Julia Sinnett reached first on a fielder’s choice and Diane Anders reached on a single.  Bailey Mastin provided the key hit driving in runs 3 and 4.  The Swoop threatened in the fourth, after a Crusher error a double broke up the no-hitter.  Good work by the Crushers prevented the run from scoring but left runners on 2nd and 3rd.  A bloop hit over first base looked to be 2 runs, but Diane Anders made the diving catch, holding on to the ball after crashing into second baseman Erin Jones.  The Crushers went on to a 4-0 win.

For the weekend the Crushers amassed 25 hits, giving up only 3.  Serenity Stewart scored 2 runs and led the team in steals for the weekend.  After four tournaments the Crushers have compiled a 22-0-1 record heading into their final tournament of the fall season in Powhatten, Va the weekend of November 6th and 7th.