Chantilly Charges Over the Cougars, 14-3

Coach McCulla performed wonders to get the muddy, water-logged field in playable condition by game time after two weeks of rain.  This final, regular-season, home game also featured a small celebration for our graduating seniors, Caroline Brogan, Katie Edwards, Allie Welham, and Kelly Dunlap.  The field was specially prepared with the seniors' numbers chalked onto the ground at their positions, and the girls were recognized in a short ceremony before the game started.

After being postponed three times due to rainy weather, the visiting Chantilly Chargers avenged their early season loss to Oakton by beating the Cougars 14-3.  The loss drops the Cougars’ overall record to 5 wins, 13 losses and their conference record to 2 wins, 8 losses.

The Cougars struggled to regain their composure during the first two innings after pitcher Lili Vasquez was hit in the head by a line drive near the start of the game.  Fortunately, Lili was able to deflect and slow the ball slightly with her hand and glove before it hit her, and her injuries are less serious than they otherwise might have been.  The doctors expect that Lili will recover fully and we are keeping her in our thoughts and prayers.

Chantilly hit very well in the first two innings and charged out to an eight-run lead before the Cougars made a deposit into their own runs bank in the bottom of the third inning.  Third baseman Cassie Brazinsky led off the at-bat by slicing a curving triple into right field.  One out later, left fielder Nicole Berube plated Brazinsky on a grounder to second base.  Shortstop Caroline Brogan followed by slamming a long double to the gap in right-center field, but there weren’t enough funds to bring her home as the next Cougar flew out to right field.

The Cougars held Chantilly scoreless in the top of the fourth inning.  The Cougars made their first out in this inning when a Charger runner on first base tried to advance to third base on a bunt.  Pitcher Natalie Felix, who had subbed in for the injured Vasquez, fielded the bunt and threw to first base as the batter ran down the line and the Charger runner rounded second base.  As this was happening, Nicole Berube sprinted in from left field to cover third base, because third-baseman Brazinsky was in toward home and shortstop Brogan was at second base for the bunt defense.  Taking the throw to first base, Katie Edwards looked toward the advancing Charger runner, who had rounded second base, and caught her between second and third bases.  Edwards ran toward the runner and then threw to Berube when the Charger broke for third base.  The Charger reversed direction and started back to second base as Berube caught the ball, but Berube ran her down and put the tag on with the ball in her bare hand.

Although that was a heads-up play, the Cougars in general continued to struggle on defense just as they did in the last game, committing five errors and several mental mistakes in comparison to Chantilly’s one error, which occurred on a foul ball. 

The Cougars deposited a little more into their scoring fund in the bottom of the fourth inning when right fielder / catcher Allie Welham earned a run off of good hitting and good base running.  Welham led off with a single down the left field line, moved to second base on a ground out, took third base on a wild pitch, and crossed the plate on another wild pitch. 

The Chargers put up a run in the top of the fifth inning, and the Cougars answered in kind in the bottom of the inning.  Brazinsky slammed a long double to the gap in left-center field, moved to third base on a sac bunt by Lyons, and later scored on a wild pitch.  

Brogan got on next by hitting a line-drive single to center field, which set up a controversial play that occurred when catcher / right-fielder Kelly Dunlap came up next.  Dunlap hit a fly ball into right field and sprinted for first base, while Brogan broke for second base on her way to third base.  The Chantilly right fielder scooped the ball off the grass and threw it to first.  It appeared from the Oakton stands that the ball was caught by the Chantilly first baseman well after Dunlap crossed the bag.  The umpire, however, called Dunlap out at first base, and the crowded Oakton stands exploded with loud vocal expressions of disagreement with the umpire’s call.  Coach McCulla conferred with the umpires to question the call, and after several minutes discussion between the two umpires, the base umpire confirmed that Dunlap was out.  The Oakton stands again expressed loud disagreement.  In response, the umpires issued a warning that the stands would be cleared if there were any further outbursts that the umpires deemed inappropriate.

Both teams were scoreless in the sixth inning.  The Chargers put the game away in the top of the seventh by depositing five runs on five hits, aided by a Cougar error and passed ball.  Designated player Jo Jo Felix tried to start a rally in the bottom of the seventh when she led off the last Cougar at-bat with a single to left field, but she was left stranded when the next three Cougs made outs.

The Cougars play away at Westfield on Monday in the first round of the single-elimination Conference title tournament.