Blazers shoot Colonels down

APR 22, BLAZER STADIUM--

The bases were loaded and the score was tied 5-5 with two outs in the bottom of the seventh in the Blazers' game against Magruder High School. Senior co-captain Carly Vieira stepped up to the plate and, after letting the first few pitches go by, she swung for the fences and connected for a game-winning double.

Blair's bench erupted in cheers and the team rushed to greet Vieira as she ran triumphantly from second base. The "best win in the history of Blair softball," according to Coach Louis Hoelman, ended 6-5.

Magruder, which was previously undefeated and was 15-1 last year, had held the Blazers to just two runs in the first five innings with off-speed pitches that Blair was hopelessly ahead of for much of the game. Blair got several runners on base and simply stranded them on infield flyouts and other weak hits. Meanwhile, the Colonels were nickel-and-diming runs through short hits and fast baserunning.

The only bright spot offensively for the Blazers during the first part of the game was Vieira, who nearly hit for the cycle, registering a single, double and two triples. "I was really feeling the pressure of the game, but my body was totally relaxed and I just hit," said Vieira of her performance.

The team made several defensive errors, but generally was solid in the field. Outstanding were co-captain Emma Simson's four assists and six strikeouts.

Hoelman was not pleased with his team's performance, despite the win. "We cannot continue to leave teams in games that long," he said. Hoelman believes that the Blazers must jump on opponents quickly in order to win games and was frustrated throughout much of the game with his players' performances.

Hoelman did praise his players for their clutch play. Down 5-2 with just two innings left, the Blazers' bats woke up. Vieira's double was only the icing on Blair's 180-degree offensive turnaround at the end of the game, as they scored two runs in both the sixth and seventh to bring the victory home.

The game took a tense turn in the final inning. With Blair still down by one, junior centerfielder Becca Feiden laid down a bunt and began running to first base. However, the ball bounced up and hit her bat as she was leaving the batter's box, interfering with the play.

Confusion reigned for several minutes. The coaches met with the umpires, who were not in good positions to see the play, while players from both teams shouted their arguments. Feiden was eventually ruled out, but three batters later the game was over anyhow.