VIRGINIA TECH

Virginia Tech University.. Well let's see here.. Tech.. Technology? I guess the blog is related to technology :)

So I just read Kali's (Canada's) blog and since she called me out, I figured I should write about last Friday's unreal, awesome, incredible, stupendous, spectacular (and any other synonyms you'd like to throw in there) game vs. Virginia Tech..

A little background- Virginia Tech went to the NCAA College Softball World Series LAST YEAR and they entered this year pre-ranked as 20th in the nation- not a bad team I'd say. So we played them 3 weeks ago in Tennessee. We weren't very impressed to say the least, however we did leave with a 4-1 loss against them. They were a good team, but not great and most certainly not world series caliber- or at least I thought so- I honestly think the UNH softball would have a better chance of going to the world series this year over them*. But regardless of my lack of being impressed by them, an L is an L and we had to wear it. Lucky for us, and rather unfortunate for them, we met up again last Friday down in South Carolina.

Let's just say this was a grudge match.

It's Friday and our entire team is running on mayyybe 5 hours of sleep in total (if that) after the travel day we had on Thursday. We didn't get in 'til around 2-230 and had an early game the next morning followed by a break then a 430 game vs. VT. After killing Western Carolina 6-0 we'll fast forward to the story you guys have been dying to hear.

--- Just to let you know before we get started here, unlike baseball that goes 9 innings, softball only goes 7. Anything over that is considered extra innings (hmm a little foreshadowing huh?) ---

So we get the draw as home team. This means that VT hits in the top half of the inning and we hit in the bottom half. This is the most beneficial spot because we get "last-ups" which means if we're losing, we have the last chance to win.

As the home team, we take the field first.

Inning 1:
VT- 0
Maine- 0

Inning 2:
VT- 0
Maine- 0

........................................

Inning 7:
VT- 0
Maine- 0

Time for extra innings. Now the way extra innings works in this tournament, is called "International Tie-Breaker". This means that whomever made the last out in the previous inning, gets to start at second base. So at the beginning of the 8th inning, VT had a runner on second with no outs. They bunted the runner over to 3rd.

1 out, runner on 3rd.

I can't recollect the exact outs and hits etc., but they manage to push that runner across, before clocking 3 outs.

Top half of the 8th:
VT- 1
Maine- 0

Time for our at bat.

Same for us, runner on second. We go to bunt it, but the pitcher throws a wild pitch past the catcher. Our runner advances to 3rd and comes off the bag a little bit. The catcher gets the ball and tries to throw our runner out at 3rd, but the 3rd baseman misses the ball and it gets by her. Maine scores to tie it back up.

3 outs.

End of the 8th:
VT- 1
Maine- 1

Time for the 9th inning.

Again, VT has a runner on second with no outs. We manage to pull off 3 big outs and VT leaves that inning scoreless. This is great news for us because all we have to do is score that runner for second and we win.

With no outs, we manage to draw a couple walks and load up the bases for our leadoff batter Ashley Waters. For those that haven't heard of Ashley, she was our Conference's Player of the Year last year. She typically keeps about a .350 batting average, give or take (which for softball is unreal). This is the exact person the team wants up during this situation. I'm on deck (up next) and once she gets up to the plate I feel like I'm not even going to get up because she'll win the game for sure. First pitch she smokes the ball...... right at the 3rd baseman. The 3rd baseman catches it and steps on 3rd before our runner can get back and doubles her up. Now there's 2 out with runners on 1st and 2nd. Not the best-looking situation I've ever seen. Ashley walks off the field, and I get up to bat.

At this point in the game I was 0-3 or 0-4, 2 of those at-bats were strikeouts. So, I guess you could say I wasn't having that great of a game, at all.

First pitch- ball 1

Second pitch- strike 1

Third pitch- fouled off, strike 2

Fourth pitch- ball 2

So here I am, 2-2 count, bottom of the 9th, 2 outs, tie game, 2 runners on...

Fifth pitch: Change-up

--- BAD MOVE: I hit 8 home-runs last year, 6 off of change-ups and all 3 of mine this year are also on change-ups---

I wish I had seen a picture of my eyes once I realized she threw me a change-up-- HUGE-- the ball was the size of a watermelon, it might as well have been sitting on a tee. I swung and next thing I know I see it soaring in the air and I know it's gone as soon as I see it leave my bat. I start gunning it to first base, and right before I get there, sure enough, it dropped over the fence!

IS THIS REAL??? DID I REALLY JUST HIT A WALK-OFF HOMERUN THE IN THE BOTTOM OF THE 9th AGAINST VIRGINIA TECH?!?!?!!

This is the "stuff" you see in movies and I just lived it.

I sprint around the bases, jumping on occassion and pump my fist in triumph. I round 3rd, give my coach a high five and make my way to home plate. I look and see my whole team crowded around the plate waiting for me to step on it so they can swarm me. I run harder toward home, jump up and slam both my feet on home plate. We all start screaming, yelling, jumping, crying, absolutely uncontrollably.

It was something you dream about. Winning a game like that is the reason why you play the game.

We line up and give 5's to VT for a game well-played. After we break off we all get together and keep tradition by singing the Stein Song after winning. We were all screaming and yelling the song, Ashley was in the middle just screaming, she couldn't even say a word.

The highlight of my career so far... Unbelieveable