now. It was so great to come back home
to CA after 12 weeks on the road. I
think it's funny that the first few days
home all I wanted to do was clean.
The first day home I emptied out the
entire refrigerator and pulled out every
piece inside so I could clean it. I also
went through each room and started
getting rid of stuff we don't use and
began reorganizing.
Being away and living without so
much stuff made me realize how much
stuff I have that I really don't need.
Staying in a rental house that was
completely cleaned out made me
want to deep clean my own house.
That lasted a few days and I will
get back to it, but it wasn't long
before my schedule got back to
it's super busy stage. I did want
to give an update on the way
the season ended for the USSSA
Pride.
We went to Chicago and we
played the Akron Racers in the
best of 3 series. We won the
first game, they came from a
4 run deficit to go ahead and
beat us in game 2. In game
three, the Racers scored 5
runs in the first inning and
we had our backs against a
wall. It was an unbelievable
comeback with Jessica
Mendoza coming up clutch
with a grand slam and another
3-run home run in the 6th inning
when they were trying to walk her!
We ended up winning 9-7 in
that game.
That put us in the Championship game
against the Chicago Bandits who
were 2-0. We played a very tough
game on Sat night and lost 2-1.
Cat Osterman pitched for us and
gave a great performance. She
only allowed 4 hits, but one was a
homerun and there was a runner on
who walked prior to that hit. We
also had a home run and 4 hits, along
with 4 walks against 2008 Olympian
Monica Abbott. We just couldn't
get that key hit but we felt good that
we had another shot with the best of
3 series.
Then came the rain! It rained almost
the entire day on Sunday. We had a
TV slot for 6pm, and even took our
pre-game batting practice in the rain.
We tried to start the game, but after
one hitter, the umpire called a rain
delay because puddles were beginning
to get bigger on the infield and it was
not safe to play. There was going to
be no let up with the weather and
we didn't have many options because
both teams had flights out (some girls
were flying to Japan) the next morning.
Our team said we would do whatever
it took to play the game. The Bandits
said they would not have enough
players. After a final decision was
made to announce that there would
be NO named champion for the 2012
NPF season, the Bandits players were
upset that they were not asked if they
would have stayed. All players on
both teams wanted to play, no matter
what it took. It was almost midnight
when we realized that in a few short
hours we would be heading to the
airport, going back to all our "other"
lives and the season was over.
I was excited to get home and
be with my family, but there was
an empty feeling about how it all
ended. We were the regular season
Champions, but the real prize is
playing for the Ring at the end of
the season. It is a losing situation
for everyone involved: for the
players, the owners, for the league,
for the fans and for the sport to
some extent. This will be a learning
experience and the league will
only get better and stronger
because of it.
Here is a picture of our staff:
And the team:
On Tuesday prior to the Championships,
we went to a White Sox game
and they announced the 2004, 2008
Olympians on the field
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