Megan Rodgers and the KCS Marketing Slammers did a perfect job of protecting a lead and handed the Park Hotel Colts their first loss of the season 3-2 Tuesday night.
The Slammers win in Game 2 of the best-of-five Moose Jaw Senior Women’s Fastball League final tied the series 1-1. Game 3 is tonight (7 p.m., Caribou Heights).
“I was very happy with how we played,” said Rodgers. “We had good defence and we had good at-bats.”
Last year the Slammers lost game one and rallied to win three straight to win the title. They would obviously like to repeat that this year, but aren’t looking beyond Game 3.
“We’re going to come out hard (Wednesday) and hopefully do it again,” said Rodgers.
Rodgers’ complete game four-hitter was even more impressive considering she was nursing an injured ankle. She said it didn’t bother her when she pitched, but it made getting around the bases painful.
The Slammers grabbed a 1-0 lead in the second inning. Kady Hawkins doubled and Trista Bradley drove her home with an RBI single.
Rodgers looked to be cruising when the Colts struck suddenly to take a 2-1 lead. With 1-2 count, Rodgers threw a rise ball well up in the zone and Jasmine Jackman sent it over the fence for an opposite-field home run.
The set back only hardened the Slammers’ resolve. Rodgers and Terri Roney hit back-to-back singles before Hawkins drove in Ali Bell who was pinch running for Rodgers on account of her ankle.
Roney was thrown out at home trying to steal on a passed ball on a very close call. Later Erin Riley drove in Hawkins, but Bradley was thrown out at third base on another very close play. Had the calls gone in the Slammers favour they could have had an even bigger cushion.
It turned out that they didn’t need the extra runs.
Once they regained the lead, they were lights out defensively. Rodgers retired the final 12 straight batters in order after giving up the home run. She only threw 10 pitches to earn six outs in the fifth and sixth inning.
The Colts said the prospect of a perfect league season wasn’t something they had talked about and added that it wasn’t something they expected to achieve.
“We haven’t been dwelling on that,” said Kim Neithercut from the Colts. “It never hurts to take one. There were lots of things to learn from and hopefully we’ll come back stronger (Wednesday).”
For more please see Wednesday’s Times-Herald.
