Let’s address the big hairy gorilla in the room, fielder’s choice, it’s a phrase that has come up for the last few days ad nauseum as the ladies looked over their stats and said “Where are all my hits?! I hit the ball at least 18 times?!!” Well ladies, in softball (and baseball) there’s a scoring category called “Fielder’s Choice”, here’s what that is:

a play in which the fielding team’s decision to put out another player allows the batter to reach first base safely.

So if you hit the ball and the defense got someone else out, or tried to get someone else out instead of trying to make a play on you (usually when the ball doesn’t leave the infield), it’s called a fielder’s choice. If that happens, you don’t get credit with a hit, it’s like not getting a hit at all. In the case where the defensive team tried to get you out but makes an error, that doesn’t count against you, but doesn’t count for you either so it’ll look like the At-Bat (AB) never happened.

But more important than stats is…hmmm…the actual game! To take a quote from every professional athlete out there

At the end of the day, we won, the W is the only stat that matters

Now if you didn’t win, that’s something you can work on…on to the recaps!

BUCKS (0) AT Wolves (7)

How come all the teams are predators and we’re the only one that is prey…

Well when you lose 7-0, you’re certainly prey. The Wolves opened the season up with a defensive showcase, shutting out the Bucks and taking the victory in this one. This game was quiet for the first couple of innings, it wasn’t until the bottom of the second that the Wolves scored their first run, with Fatema Kermalli on 3rd, Tasneem Hudda did the honors and got the league’s first RBI on wait for it…a fielder’s choice to the shortstop.  That seemed to break the ice as the Wolves were able to score in each inning after that. Though the Bucks never got on the board, they threatened in the next inning loading the bases with 2 outs, but the rally was stymied as the Wolves infield was able to get a ground out to end it.

Meanwhile the Wolves would put up a couple runs in each of the next innings as they were able to slowly turn what was a small lead into an insurmountable one. Standouts in this one are the Bucks’ Farihah Ali going a perfect 3/3 but getting left on base each time and the Wolves as a whole for playing a team game whether it be timely hits to score runs or big hits to start off each inning, the lone extra base hit in this one belongs to Tasneem Hudda and her double in the bottom of the 5th.

Great start to the season for the Wolves, but we’re sure this Bucks team isn’t going to lie there and be eaten, they’ll turn these predators into their prey in no time. For now though, the Wolves won this one chanting ‘We ate them up! We ate them up!” as they walked off into the hail storm.

Tigers (6) at Eagles (12)

If 4 different types of hail storms didn’t stop the Bucks and Wolves from taking the field, a little bit of sideways rain and cold surely wasn’t going to stop these teams. The Tigers wasted no time getting on the board with Zainab Virjee getting on base to start things off, and Zehra Kamani replacing her on the bases with a (stop me if you’ve heard this one before) a fielder’s choice.  The Tigers moved her all the way around and got the first run of the game. The Eagles answered right back with 2 runs of their own, the second of which came on what was the first of Malikah Ebrahim‘s 4 RBIs on the day.

Hold on now though, the Tigers would waste no time getting their lead back, sending their entire team to bat in the inning, they were able to retake the lead and build upon getting a 4-2 lead at the end of the 2nd inning. They would hold the Eagles off the board for another half inning, before captain Azra Jessa would make her presence felt, belting a triple to right field she would fly around the bases so fast this writer thought that she was going to catch Malikah Ebrahim in front of her. Now holding a 6-4 lead, the Eagles let their defense take over, they shut out the Tigers in the next couple of innings before blowing up in the bottom of the 5th, where the captain would once again chase 3 Eagles off the field as she hit an inside the park grand slam! Unfortunately due to the run restriction, only 5 runs counted that inning, but the score keepers made sure the home run was recorded. Now with a commanding 12-4 lead the Eagles held the Tigers to another 2 runs. The Tigers and Eagles both showcased their defensive abilities to end this game as they were both able to get 3 quick outs to end the game.

Standouts for this game Zehra Kamani who was able to find her way on base each time at bat, and the Eagles Azra Jessa who brought in 6 runs with a triple and that grand slam home run.

We look forward to our next games on June 5th where we’ll see how the time off and time in the batting cages changes the results on field.