Warriors outfight Blazers

APR 3, BLAZER STADIUM --

Blair lost tonight to Sherwood High School, 7-1. Through six innings, the Blazers did not get a runner on base. Their hits and even their bunts went straight into the air for easy flyouts to Sherwood infielders, and every Blazer except third baseman Jen Sindall struck out at least once in the game.

Everything appeared to go wrong for the Blazers tonight except the outfield's performance, which kept the game as close as it was. Sherwood's pitcher threw very fast and the Blazers were consistently behind the ball, often chasing pitches as the counts grew against them.

On the defensive end, the fielders played a relatively tight, if sometimes indecisive game, recording just one error. However, star pitcher Emma Simson, who had a no-hitter against Whitman High School on Tuesday, struggled throughout the game after a perfect first inning.

After becoming frustrated with the umpire's calls, Simson tried to pitch down the middle and the Warriors attacked. "Emma didn't get calls down low early on, so she started throwing the groove and Sherwood was ready for her," said Coach Louis Hoelman.

The outfield saw a lot of action and made some very good plays, but since the Sherwood runners were often in scoring position after walking around the bases, Blair allowed multiple runs on flyouts deep in the outfield.

Blair's only run came in the seventh inning, when Blair got its first three runners on two walks and a bunt. The Sherwood pitcher then hit Simson in the head with a pitch to walk leadoff batter Amy Ernst home.

Hoelman said that while he was disappointed with the loss, he thought his team played well and simply could not adjust to such speedy pitching. The Blazers will take some extra batting practice and hope to be prepared for their next game on Apr 5 at Quince Orchard High School, another strong division rival, at 2 pm.