Cougars Maul the Jaguars, 12-2

In their second home game of the season, the Oakton Cougars mauled the Falls Church Jaguars and improved their record to 3 wins, 5 losses.  The game ended in accordance with the run rule when Oakton pulled ahead by 10 runs in the bottom of the fifth inning.

Both teams started the game playing excellent defense and kept each other scoreless in the first inning.  Right fielder Lindsey Smith pulled off a very heads up play when, with a Jaguar runner on first base, she scooped up a shallow, blooper fly ball on the first bounce and alertly threw to second base to make the force out and stop a Jaguar scoring threat.

After retiring the Falls Church batters one, two, three in the top of the second inning, the Cougars  clawed open the flank of the Jaguars in the bottom of the inning, sending 16 batters to the plate and scoring 10 runs.  Second baseman Georgia Brandt led off the long at bat with a walk, and catcher Kelly Dunlap drove her in for the first run by hitting a triple to right field.  The next three Cougars walked/HBPed to load the bases before third baseman Cassie Brazinsky ripped a single down the third-base line, which scored two runs and left her and Linda Lyons on first and second bases.  Left fielder Nicole Berube followed in the batting order, and the fur continued to fly when she cleared Brazinsky and Lyons from the bases with triple over the Jaguars’ right fielder’s head.  She also later scored on a wild pitch.  After several more walks, hit-by-pitches, and runs, Brazinsky came up again in the inning with the bases loaded.  And, she again ripped a single down the third-base line to plate another run.  At inning’s end, the score stood at 10-0 in the Cougars' favor.

The Cougars retired three Jaguars in a row in the top of the third inning, and the Jaguars did the same to the Cougars in the bottom of the inning.

The Jags scratched out two runs in the top of the fourth inning on a walk, a triple, and a sacrifice bunt.  The Cougs threatened, but failed to produce any runs in the bottom of the inning despite singles by Allie Welham and Rachel Lee.

The Cougar D continued to purr along, playing tough and error free in the top of the fifth inning.  Rachel Lee, positioned in right field, made an outstanding, sprinting catch on a well-struck Jaguar fly ball that looked until the last second like it was going to fall in for a hit.  In the bottom of the inning, the Cougars treed the Jaguars for good by scoring two runs, which triggered the 10-run rule.  Brazinsky led off what turned out to be the final inning with a walk, and then stole second base and advanced to third on a passed ball.  Shortstop Caroline Brogan plated her with a line-drive RBI triple to the left-center-field gap, which rolled to the fence.  Brogan scored from third base to end the game when Jo Jo Felix hit the first pitch she received to the right side for an infield single.

Freshman pitcher Natalie Felix started for Oakton in the circle.  She pitched wonderfully, allowing only one hit and no runs over the first three innings of the game.  Lili Vasquez came in as reliever for innings four and five, and she allowed only two hits and two runs.

The Cougars next home game is Friday against Herndon.