Balema Smalls, in her eighth year with the Furies,
got two hits Monday night against the Longshots
and earned herself four RBIs.

Robinson – The Furies (8-4-2) women’s fastpitch softball team concluded their final regular season double-header of the 2010 season with two wins, 1-0 and 15-0, respectively, against the Longshots (6-8).

Initially, the Furies looked like they were going to continue seeing the same rough time at the plate that has plagued them for the past few weeks, and the first game reflected that.  The only run of that first game came in the top of the third inning.  Sara Noerr reached base on a single.  She advanced to second and again to third on singles by both Candice Tatum and Erin Horn.  With bases loaded, Laura Campbell hit a long fall ball to deep center field, allowing Noerr to score on the sacrifice.

The second game, however, saw much of old Furies offense.  Natasha Denny, leading off, started with a base hit single.  She was followed up by speedster, Candice Tatum, who also earned herself a single, sa well.  The two of them scored on a double to right-center field by Horn.  Campbell, who had a great night at the plate, reached base on a single of her own.  Pitcher, Rachael Harris, reached base on a walk.  Horn then scored on an RBI single by Shannon Willison, and Lee Anne Steinberg, running for Campbell, scored on another RBI single, this time from Carrie Casoni.  Rounding out the inning, Harris and Willison both scored on a single by Balema Smalls.  The second inning continued in much the same way as the first.  Lori Hyrup led the inning off with a walk and advanced to second on a single by Horn.  Campbell then slammed a massive hit down the right field line, which resulted in a triple and two RBIs.  Campbell, in turn, scored easily on another single by Willison, who advanced to second on a single by Casoni, her second of the evening.  Willison and Casoni both scored on a double to left field by Smalls.  Smalls, in turned, scored on another single by Tatum.  An RBI single by Hyrup allowed Tatum to cross the plate.  Hyrup was joined on the bases by Horn, who reached base on an error.  Campbell loaded the bases on a ground hit single up the middle.  Hyrup and Horn were both able to score on the final hit of the game, a two-run RBI single by Harris.  That gave the Furies their 15th run, and after the 3rd inning, the rarely used 3rd inning mercy rule went in to effect where a game is called if there is a 15-lead after three innings of play.

Pitching in the three games was great, with Erin Horn striking out 14 of the 24 batters she faced in the first game.  Harris and Stephanie Shaker rounded out the second game giving up just four hits between them.

Hitters for the evening: Laura Campbell 3B 3 1B 3 RBI, Balema Smalls 2B 1B 4 RBI, Shannon Willison 3 1B 2 RBI, Erin Horn 2B 1B 2 RBI, Rachael Harris 1B 2 RBI, Candice Tatum 3 1B RBI, Carrie Casoni 2 1B RBI, Lori Hyrup 1B RBI, Natasha Denny 1B, Sara Noerr 1B, Megan Fouse 1B, Lee Anne Steinberg 1B

The Furies will be seeded #3 in the season finale tournament.  Their first game will be on Thursday, July 29th, at 7:00 p.m.  All tournament games this year will be played at Wakefield Park in Annandale, Virginia.  Win or lose, the Furies will be back at Wakefield Friday night to play their second game.  Tournament schedule and times can be found on the Schedule page, and here is the full bracket information.

Furies pitcher Erin Horn shuts down first place
Devils in their showdown on July 6th.

Towers - Unable to field a full team Monday, July 19th, the Bombshells (4-9-1) forfeited their last regular reason game to the Furies, bringing the team to a (6-4-2) standing.  The Furies have one regular season game remaining, a make-up game against the Longshots on Monday, July 26th, at 7:00 p.m. at Robinson.  The outcome of that game will decide their final tournament seeding.  The tournament is scheduled to take place Thursday, July 29th through Saturday, July 31st.  View the Furies schedule for tournament game times.

Sara Noerr, shown here diving back in to first, scored the only Furies run Tuesday night.

Towers – In the two games played Tuesday night, the Furies (4-4-2) women’s softball team tied one game and lost a second to the Devils (7-1-2), 0-0 and 10-1, respectively, in league play.

Struggling with injuries, chaotic work schedules, and vacation time, the Furies roster has had difficulties maintaining a consistent line up, both offensively and defensively.  Game one looked very positive for the Furies as pitcher Erin Horn struck out twelve of the Devil’s players, a team traditionally known for solid hitting, and kept anyone from scoring.  Unfortunately, the Furies struggled to get enough of their own hits together to score a run.  Time was called on the game without either team scoring.

Missing a chunk of its pitching rotation for game two, the Furies gave up 10 runs in the first two innings to the very experienced and very solid Devils offense.  Horn returned to the pitching circle in the third inning, after a brief rest and silenced the Devil’s hitters.  Unfortunately, the damage had already been done.  Once again, the Furies found it difficult to find their bats.  The only Furies run came in the bottom of the 5th inning after Laura Campbell started the inning with a walk.  Sara Noerr, who has been out due to a sprained wrist, ran for Campbell and managed to advance to third on pass balls.  She then scored on a two-out RBI single from Meghan Ewell.  The inning closed soon after.  If the Furies wish to retain their championship title, they will need to have all of their best offense and defense on the field at the same time.

Hitters for the Evening: Megan Ewell 1B RBI, Nikki Stokinger-Jones 2 1B, Megan Fouse 1B, Lori Hyrup 2 1B, Shannon Willison 1B, Erin Horn 2 1B, Megan McCabe 1B, Lakeshia Baker 1B

Erin Stone moves to make a play on the ball from second base Tuesday
night against the Bandits.

Robinson – The Furies (4-3-1) women’s softball team took on the Bandits (5-1-2) and came up short, losing 7-0 and 4-0, respectively, in league play.

The ladies of the Furies experienced an uncharacteristically rough night Tuesday, struggling both offensively and defensively.  In the entire eight year history of the team, they have never experienced a two-game shutout.  Still, the ladies played hard and simply could not get their hits to evade the very young, aggressive, and energetic Bandit defense.

Late in the evening, it was also discovered that the Bandits were not exactly playing by the rules, first by batting eleven players in their lineup when the rules allow for only nine and second, by playing multiple girls who were under the age of 18, the required minimum age for playing in this particular league.  Complaints were lodged with Fairfax Adult Softball (FAS), but the games were not protested.  The Bandits have received a warning from FAS.

Hitters for the evening: Erin Stone 2B 1B, Tasha Denny 1B, Carrie Casoni 1B, Laura Campbell 1B, Balema Smalls 1B, Erin Horn 1B, Lori Hyrup 1B, Megan McCabe 1B

Carrie Casoni, pictured here playing shortstop, hit a triple in game two
that drove in three runs, allowing the Furies to take the lead.

Towers – After a night of overcoming struggles, the Furies (4-1-1) managed to turn their second game against the Hornets (3-3) in to a 7-5 victory, resulting in a split after losing the first game 6-0. Strong pitching by the Hornets not only kept the Furies from scoring in the first game, but held them to just three hits. Meanwhile, the young Hornets team worked every offensive strategy to their advantage, not just with hits, but with aggressive base running and a lot of bunting and slapping.

In the beginning of the second game, it looked like the Hornets would continue to dominate the field, scoring three runs in the first inning. However, as Furies pitcher Erin Horn found her groove, the Hornets were less and less able to keep their offensive edge. In the bottom of the third inning, the Lee Anne Steinberg and Balema Smalls both drew walks. They advanced to third and second, respectively, on a well placed base hit by Lori Hyrup. With two outs, Smalls and Steinberg scored on a double by Horn. Unfortunately, the inning was cut short when Sydney Button, running for Hyrup, was tagged out in a close play at the plate. In the bottom of the fifth inning, Steinberg and Hyrup each drew a walk. Steinberg was able to advance to third on a pass ball, and scored in a sharp hit to the short stop by Horn. Laura Campbell then drew a walk of her own, loading the bases. Rachael Harris found a hole in right-center field and drove in Hyrup. With bases still loaded, Carrie Casoni found her own grove and stroked a ball in to deep left field, earning herself a triple and three RBIs, which allowed the Furies to take the lead 7-5 and time was called when the Furies ended the inning.

Hitters for the Evening: Carrie Casoni 3B 1B 3 RBI, Erin Horn 2B 1B 3 RBI, Balema Smalls 2 1B, Rachael Harris 1B RBI, Lori Hyrup 1B, Laura Campbell 1B

Megan Fouse gets a base hit Monday night against the Diamonds.

Towers – With a rough night at the plate, the Furies (3-0-1) worked hard to keep the Diamonds at bay, tying 2-2 in the first game and winning 2-1 in the second.

It looked like the Furies were off to a strong start in the first game with Balema Smalls leading off with a single. Two stolen bases later, she maneuvered herself in to scoring position. Erin Horn hit a ground ball to the third-baseman who bobbled the ball and allowed Smalls to score. Erin Stone, who had reached first on a walk and advanced to third on Horn’s at-bat, scored on a sacrifice fly by Laura Campbell. After that point, the Furies bats went silent, for the most part, until the sixth inning of the second game. Defensively, the Furies played well. In fact, they held the lead of 2-1 since the first inning. In the 5th inning, the leadoff batter reached base on a hit, the first one given up by Rachael Harris. The next two batters were both sent back to the dugout. The fourth batter, unfortunately, who had two strikes on her and looked at what clearly should been the third strike used her extra pitch to land a double to center field, allowing the first running to score. Even though Harris struck out the next batter, the damage had been done, and when the game was called on account of time, the score was tied 2-2.

The entire second game was relatively quiet on both sides until the sixth inning. In that inning, a pair of Furies errors allowed the only Diamond run to score. Feeling the pressure, Horn led off the inning with a single. Campbell followed up with a single of her own. Horn scored and Meghan Ewell, running for Campbell, to third on yet another single, this time by Lee Anne Steinberg. Ewell was thrown out at third on a fielder’s choice that allowed Megan McCabe to reach first. Hitting for Stephanie Shaker, Rachael Harris took one for the team, getting hit in the hip by a pitch, which loaded the bases. This paved the way for Carrie Casoni, whose base hit to left field allowed Steinberg to score and ended the game. The Furies pulled out a 2-1 victory.

The three pitchers for the evening, Harris, Horn, and Dianna Austin pitched well, accumulating a total of 19 strike outs between the three of them.

Hitters for the Evening: Laura Campbell 2 1B RBI, Erin Horn 2 1B RBI, Lee Anne Steinberg 1B RBI, Carrie Casoni 1B RBI, Balema Smalls 1B, Megan Fouse 1B, Rachael Harris 1B

Robinson - The Furies (2-0) fastpitch women’s softball team came out with a strong showing for their first double-header of the 2010 season, winning 8-0 and 6-1, respectively, in league play against Fairfax Fire (0-2).

The first inning of the first game is where most of the offensive action occurred. It started with the leadoff batter, Natasha Denny reaching first on a walk. Denny advanced to second on a single by Balema Smalls and on to third on a single by Carrie Casoni. Denny and Smalls both scored on a solid line drive by Erin Stone. Casoni and Stone advanced bases on a single by Shannon Willison and then scored on the RBI single by Furies newcomer, Laura Campbell. Another newcomer, Megan McCabe took her time and eventually reached base on a walk. Fairfax Fire brought in a new pitcher, but that did not stop the Furies from accumulating more runs. Following McCabe, Lee Anne Steinberg also reached first on a walk. Campbell was able to score on an RBI single from Meghan Ewell. Smalls, during her second at-bat of the inning, rounded out the scoring with a two-run RBI that allowed both McCabe and Steinberg to cross the plate.

In game two, Denny led off with a sharp-hit single up the middle. Behind her, Smalls’ keen eye and patience drew a walk. A single by Megan Fouse, who poked the ball just out of reach of the second baseman, allowed Denny to score and Smalls to advance to third. Horn, serving as the Furies clean-up hitter for the second game, took her job serious and cleared the bases with a solid line drive to left-center field, earning herself a triple in the process. Horn was allowed little rest, soon scoring on an RBI single by Amy Fourney. Fourney, in turn, scored on a single by Shannon Willison. The final run of the evening came in the second inning on an RBI single by Horn, scoring Smalls who had reached base previously on a walk.

The pitching for the first game was stellar, first by Erin Horn who struck out nine of the ten batters she faced and followed up by Stephanie Shaker who closed the game without anyone reaching base. Dianna Austin kept the pitching solid in the second game, striking out seven batters and giving up just one run.

Hitters for the Evening: Erin Horn 3B 1B 3 RBI, Shannon Willison 3B 2 1B RBI, Balema Smalls 2 1B 2 RBI, Laura Campbell 2 1B 2 RBI, Erin Stone 2 1B 2 RBI, Meghan Ewell 1B RBI, Megan Fouse 1B RBI, Amy Fourney 1B RBI, Carrie Casoni 1B, Megan McCabe 1B, Natasha Denny 1B

After recovering from hardware failure and employment changes, we finally got our website up and running again!  The 2009 roster, game results, and statistics are now up to date.

With the website being down, we were unable to congratulate the Furies on a stellar performance last season.  After being seeded second in the end of the season tournament, they proved they were determined to win, sweeping the tournament with four straight wins while keeping the opponents completely scoreless throughout.  This was the result of excellent offense, defense, and pitching!

Many of the Furies players will be returning for the 2010 summer season.  Games begin in June.  The 2010 team roster will be updated in the near future.

New this year, the entire Fairfax Women's Fastpitch league is being merged in with Fairfax Adult Softball, the leading adult softball organization for the Fairfax area. This move is to help remove the administrative burden off players and coaches and to get more exposure to women's fastpitch in the Fairfax area.

Robinson – The Furies (4-2) women’s softball team took on the Hornets (2-0) and came up short, losing 2-0 and 7-2, respectively, in league play.

The ladies of the Furies squad struggled to string together consecutive hits against the very effective Hornet pitching combination.  The only Furies runs for the evening came in the first inning of the second game when Natasha Denny started off with a double.  Jessica Thomas followed up with a double of her own, which allowed Denny to score.  A single by Sara Morgan then drove in Thomas.  The Furies tagged a number of hits throughout the two games, but none of them happened in enough for a sequence to allow for runs.

The Furies play the Underdogs at Robinson on Tuesday, June 23rd.  The doubleheader begins at 7:00 p.m. (EDT).

Hitters for the evening:

Jessica Thomas 2B RBI, Sara Morgan 2 1B RBI, Natasha Denny 2B 1B, Lori Hyrup 2B, Rachael Harris 1B, Angela Fiorino 1B, Erin Stone 1B, Meghan Ewell 1B, Lee Anne Steinberg 1B

Towers Park – For the second week in a row, the Furies softball team (4-0) came out of their double header victoriously, defeating the Diamonds (1-3) 8-0, 16-5 in league play.

The scoring in game one started in the first inning.  Natasha Denny and Balema Smalls each reached base, one a walk and a single, respectively, and they both scored in a solid double by Shannon Willison.  Erin Stone then got the RBI for Willison’s run by drawing a throwing error from the third baseman.  In the fourth inning, Nikki Stokinger-Jones, who had missed last week’s game, go to base on a walk.  Denny also drew her second walk of the game.  Both of them scored on a single by Balema Smalls.  In the fifth inning, Sara Morgan hit a near-to-the-fence double to center field.  She scored on an RBI single to right-center by Lori Hyrup.  Erin Wear, near to the Furies roster this year, drew a walk.  Wear and Hyrup scored the final two runs of the game on a double by Stokinge-Jones.

The second game started much in the same way the first ended.  Denny started the game with a single and was joined on the bases by Stokinger-Jones, who drew a walk.  Denny scored on a fielder’s choice hit by Willison.  Morgan then followed up with a another double, which allowed Stokinger-Jones to cross the plate.  Morgan then scored in a triple by Stone, who later crossed the plate on her own on a pass ball.  Smalls started off the second inning by drawing a walk.  Denny joined Smalls on the bases after getting her second single of the game.  Stokinger-Jones joined Denny on the bases once again with a single of her own that allowed Smalls to touch home.  Denny and Stokinger-Jones both scored on a single by Willison.  Morgan singled to join Willison on the bases.  Stone’s RBI single allowed Willison to cross home.  Rachel Harris got to base on a walk.  With bases loaded, Wear hit a single, which allowed both Morgan to score.  Stone scored on an RBI single by smalls, and both Harris and Wear scored on an RBI single by Denny.  Smalls and Denny both scored on a line drive double by Stokinger-Jones, who in turn scored on a single by Willison.  The final run of the game came in the last inning after Stone started off on a double, advanced to third on a fielder’s choice, and then scored on a pass ball.

The Furies play the Hornets at Robinson on Monday, June 15^th. The doubleheader begins at 7:00 p.m. (EDT) 

Robinson – The Furies softball team (2-0) took their Monday night season opener by storm, walking away with two wins at Robinson, defeating the Bombers (0-2), 4-0, 11-0, in league play.

Though the hits came all night long, the Furies took a few innings to string enough together to convert to runs.  Once that start, it was smooth sailing for all.  Sara Morgan started it off in the top of the third inning with a double that bounced off the top of the center field fence.  Lori Hyrup then reached based after taking a wild pitch to the ribs.  Shannon Willison smacked a line drive out to right-center field, allowing both Morgan and Hyrup to score.  In the fourth inning, Morgan would not be denied her home run, launching the ball over the left center fence.  In the fifth inning, Natasha Denny reached first on a single, which turned in to a run on a line drive double by Erin Horn.

Game two saw the Furies momentum continue to build.  Denny started the game off with a single, scoring on newcomer Jessica Thomas’ double to right.  Horn got her second hit of the evening, earning an RBI as Thomas crossed the plate.  Horn, in turn, scored on a double by Erin Stone.  A follow-up double by Hyrup allowed Stone to cross the plate easily.  Red-hot Thomas started the second inning by launching another double, her third of the evening.  She scored on a triple by Horn.  In the third inning, Willison started with a single and scored on an RBI double by pitcher, Rachel Harris.  Catherine Moyniahan, running for Harris, scored on a double by Balema Smalls, and Smalls scored on an RBI single by Thomas.  A double by Horn allowed Thomas to score.  The final run of the evening came from Stone, who was driven on a single by Willison after having reached base on a double.

The Furies pitchers brought together a stellar performance.  With time divided between three different pitchers, Horn, Harris, and Stephanie Shaker, they struck out 14 batters, walking four, and giving up just five hits.

Hitters for the evening:  Sara Morgan HR 2B 1B RBI, Erin Horn 3B 2 2B 1B 4 RBI, Jessica Thomas 3 2B 2 1B 2 RBI, Shannon Willison 2 2B 3 1B 3 RBI, Erin Stone 3B 2B RBI, Lori Hyrup 2B 1B RBI, Balema Smalls 2B 1B RBI, Rachel Harris 2B RBI, Natasha Denny 3 1B, Lee Anne Steinberg 1B, Angela Fiorino 1B

Towers Park - The Furies softball team (13-2-1) finished the end of their regular season play in first place as they snatched a last inning victory away from the Longshots (9-7).  The first of the two games had been started several weeks before where it had run through to the fifth inning.  The Furies were up 12-0 in the top of the 5^th inning with one out left for them to go.  Unfortunately, the once-sunny day quickly converted a torrential downpour and a display of lighting, forcing the two teams to discontinue.  When the teams reconvened on Monday night, the Longshots decided to forfeit the first game and simply play the second of the two scheduled match-ups.  With the 7-0 victory recorded for the forfeit, the Furies went on to win the second game, 2-1, in a seat-gripping match-up.

It came down to a battle of the pitchers in the type of game where even a single mistake could become costly.  Furies pitcher, Erin Horn, struck out 17 of the 25 batters she faced, giving up only one hit and walking one other.  The one Longshots run came in the sixth inning when a pair of Furies errors, in an otherwise flawless game, allowed runners to reach base and one of them to score.

The Furies answered with a run of their own in the bottom of the sixth inning when Natasha Denny singled and then scored on a follow-up single by Nikki Stokinger-Jones.  Having tightened up their defense in the seventh inning, the Furies allowed no one else to reach base.  At bat, the importance of the game was felt throughout the dugout, where the difference between a win or a loss or a tie meant the difference between first or second place.  With one out, Balema Smalls singled up the middle.  Erin Stone, who almost did not make it to the game, came up to bat after Smalls.  She was patient and made the pitcher work.  Two different passballs allowed Smalls to reach third.  With a full count, Stone hit the ball to the Longshots shortstop.  The shortstop paused and eyed Smalls leading off third and then made the throw to first to get the out.  However, that was all the time Smalls needed for her break.  As soon as the throw was made, she sprinted home.  The first baseman made the out and hurled the ball home, but Smalls’ experienced base running and slighting know-how allowed her to hook around the back side of the plate to score the winning run.  With that run, the game ended, and for the first time in the team’s six year history, the Furies ended their regular season play in first place.

The Furies will be seeded #1 for the H. Frank Young Memorial tournament, which will begin on Thursday evening.  The first Furies game will be at 9:00 p.m. at Towers Park.  The full tournament bracket information can be found here http://www.fairfaxfastpitch.com/2008Bracket.htm.

Hitters for the Evening:  Nikki Stokinger-Jones 1B RBI, Balema Smalls 2 1B, Natasha Denny 1B, Lori Hyrup 1B, Erin Stone RBI

Hitters for Game 1:  Nikki Stokinger-Jones 2 2B 1B 2 RBI, Erin Stone 2 2B 1B 2 RBI, Erin Horn 2B 2 RBI, Rachael Harris 1B RBI, Angela Fiorino 2 1B, Dianna Austin 2 1B, Natasha Denny 1B, Balema Smalls 1B

Nikki Stokinger-Jones (left), Sara Morgan (center), and Balema Smalls (right) get ready for the next play.

Towers Park - The Furies softball team (10-2-1) eked by the Hornets (9-4-1) with a pair of victories, winning the first and second games, 5-3 and 6-5, respectively.

The first game was a two-part event.  It originally started on July 7^th but had to be stopped due to darkness because the field lights never came on.  At that point, three innings of play had been completed and the score was tied 2-2.  The first of the two runs for the first half of the game came from Nikki Stokinger-Jones who reached base on a walk and then scored after a pair of singles from Lori Hyrup and Erin Horn.  Horn’s hit received the RBI.  The second run came in the second inning.  Larina Riley started off with a single and was able to score on a double from Natasha Denny.

The second half of the first game picked up where the first half left off, top of the fourth inning and the score tied 2-2.  Because different players showed up for the second half, the two teams were allowed to readjust their lineups and start at the top of the batting order.  In the top of the fourth inning, Stokinger-Jones hit a double to left field.  She advanced to third on a single by Erin Stone and was able to score on another single, this time by Hyrup.  In the fifth inning, Dianna Austin took the walk to first and was able to score on another base hit by Stokinger-Jones.  Balema Smalls drew a walk in the seventh inning, and was able to advance to third after a pair of singles by Austin and Lee Anne Steinberg.  A sacrifice fly to right-center field allowed Smalls to tag up and score for the fifth run of the game.

The second game kept the Furies on their toes the whole way, and it was with determination and teamwork that allowed them to snatch the victory away from the Hornets.  The Hornets scored their first run in the first inning of the game, and it was until the third inning that the Furies had an answer for that.  Austin started off the inning with a single, and she was able to score in a double by Denny.  Stone’s hard hit single to left field allowed Denny to use her speed to score, as well.  The top of the fifth inning came around and it spelled near doom for the Furies.  With two outs, the Hornets turned up the fire and managed several consecutive hits to score four runs, bringing the score up to 5-2.  The Furies made up one of those runs at the bottom of that inning when Denny took a ball deep to right field, hitting the fence and reaching third.  A single by Stokinger-Jones allowed Denny to score.  In the bottom of the sixth inning, Sara Morgan started off the inning with a double and scored on an RBI single by Smalls. 

By the conclusion of the sixth inning, the score was 5-4 with 9 minutes remaining before the “no new inning” time limit rule would have kicked in.  The first two Furies batters we put out.  Stokinger-Jones stepped up to the plate and with two strikes on her, smashed a line drive deep to left field, which landed her on third base.  Stone’s hard hit grounder down the third baseline bounced off the third baseman’s glove, which allowed Stone to reach base safely and Stokinger-Jones to score.  Morgan came to the plate and hit a hard ground ball back to the pitcher, who was unable to field it in time to make the play.  Hyrup was next up to bat.  On the first pitch, she lined it down the left field line, but it curved at the very end of the flight path and landed no more than an inch on the foul side of the line.  The pitcher then seemed to loser her composure and threw four consecutive balls after that.  With Hyrup taking the walk, the bases were loaded.  Meghan Ewell stepped up to the plate.  The first and second pitches ended as strikes, but on the third one, she was able to get hold of the ball for a single, which allowed Denny, running for Stone, to score and conclude the game with a 6-5 victory.

The Furies play the Longshots at Towers Park on Monday, July 28^th.  The doubleheader begins at 7:00 p.m. (EDT) 

Hitters for the two games:  Natasha Denny 3B 2B 1B 3 RBI, Nikki Stokinger-Jones 3B 2B 3 1B 2 RBI, Megan Ewell 2B 1B RBI, Dianna Austin 2 1B RBI, Erin Horn 1B RBI, Balema Smalls 1B RBI, Erin Stone 3 1B, Sara Morgan 2B 1B, Lori Hyrup 2 1B, Larina Riley 1B

Towers Park - The Furies (9-2-1) softball squad completely dominated the field offensively and defensively in their victory over the Diamonds (2-10) on Monday night, winning 8-2 and 8-0 in the first and second games, respectively.

First to score runs for the Furies was Nikki Stokinger-Jones, who reached base on a walk and Balema Smalls, who reached based on a throwing error by the Diamond’s pitcher, both scoring on a double by Erin Horn.  Horn, in turn, scored on a sacrifice fly by Angela Fiorino.  In the fourth inning, Meghan Ewell broke out a slump with a solid double to left-center field.  She was joined on the bases when Lee Anne Steinberg singled to left.  Ewell crossed the plate on an RBI single by Larina Riley.  The two runners advanced to second and third on a single by Natasha Denny.  All three scored on a sharply hit single by Stokinger-Jones, who in turned scored on an RBI by Smalls.

In game two, Denny opened the game by drawing an error from the Diamond’s pitcher and advanced to third on a single by Horn.  A wild pitch allowed Denny to use her speed to cross the plate easily.  In the third inning, Horn reached base on a single.  Catherine Moynihan, who was put in to run for Horn, scored on a deeply hit triple by Erin Stone.  Stone, in turn, scored on an RBI single by Lori Hyrup.  Riley started off the fourth inning with a single and was soon joined by Smalls who doubled to center.  Riley and Smalls scored on Denny’s near-fence triple and then scored on a Stokinger-Jones single.  Hyrup’s RBI single down the left field lined allowed Stokinger-Jones to score, as well.  In the fifth inning, Riley reached base on an error by the shortstop, advanced to second on a single by Smalls and then scored on an RBI by Stokinger-Jones.  Her run brought the score to 8-0, and because of the Mercy rule, the game ended upon her touching the plate.

Dianna Austin pitched a great first game and Horn completely dominated, striking out 12 of the 19 batters she faced.

Hitters for the Evening:  Natasha Denny 3B 1B 2 RBI, Erin Horn 2B 2 1B 3 RBI, Nikki Stokinger-Jones 2 1B 5 RBI, Lori Hyrup 2 1B 2 RBI, Balema Smalls 2B 2 1B RBI, Erin Stone 3B RBI, Meghan Ewell 2B 2 1B, Larina Riley 2 1B, Shannon Willison 2 1B, Lee Anne Steinberg 1B, Angela Fiorino RBI

Towers Park - The Furies (7-2-1) softball squad was on fire Thursday night as they pounded on the Bombers (6-4-2) winning 8-0 in both games.

Leading off at the top of the second inning, Shannon Willison reached based on a walk.  Immediately following that came Erin Stone’s 2-run homer over the left field fence, the first of her career.  In the second inning, Balema Smalls singled up the middle and was joined on the bases when Lori Hyrup drew a walk of her own.  The two of them scored on a double by Erin Horn.  Catherine Moynihan, running for Horn, scored on a triple by Stone.  Leading off the in the fifth inning, Hyrup reached base on a line drive single to right.  She advanced on a single, this time by Willison.  Both Hyrup and Willison scored on an RBI single by Stone, who proved to be on fire all evening.  The eighth run of the evening scored in the sixth inning.  Having reached first on a fielder’s choice, Nikki Stokinger-Jones scored on another double by Horn.

Game two continued on as game one left off.  Stokinger-Jones led the game off with a single.  She scored from a pair of singles by Hyrup and Stone.  Stokinger-Jones scored again in the third inning, this time resulting from a combination of double from her and a triple from Horn.  Willison started off the fourth inning with a single, followed by a pair of singles by Larina Riley and Lee Anne Steinberg.  Dianna Austin’s sacrifice fly to center field allowed Willison to score.  Stokinger-Jones then reached first on a short single, herself.  Hyrup, switch hitting from the left side, drove a single to right field, scoring both Riley and Steinberg.  The runs continued to cross the plate when Horn’s third triple of the evening drove in both Hyrup and Stokinger-Jones.  Moynihan, running for Horn, scored on a double from Stone.  The last run of the game was by Moynihan, running for Horn, scoring on yet another double from Stone.

The pitches in both games completely dominated the scene.  Horn and Austin pitched in the frist and second games, respectively, and each had a shutout.  Horn struck out 12 and gave up only one hit.

Hitters for the Evening:  Erin Stone HR 3B 2B 2 1B 7 RBI, Erin Horn 2 2B 2 3B 6 RBI, Lori Hyrup 3 1B 2 RBI, Nikki Stokinger-Jones 2B 2 1B, Balema Smalls 2 1B, Shannon Willison 2 1B, Adia Lipscomb 1B, Larina Riley 1B, Lee Anne Steinberg 1B, Dianna Austin RBI

Nikki Stokinger-Jones up to bat against the Bomb Squad.

Towers Park - The second half of the Furies (5-2-1) and Bomb Squad (4-2-2) match up was a source of frustration Thursday night, which resulted in a 6-3 Furies loss.

Though the Bomb Squad pitcher was not dominating with speed or power, the Furies found it very difficult to string together solid hits that could possibly result in scoring.  In fact, the Furies remained hitless until the sixth inning when Balema Smalls got a hit with two outs.  She advanced to second when Sara Morgan reached base on a walk.  Smalls then scored on an RBI single by Angela Fiorino.  The other two Furies runs came in the seventh inning.  Lori Hyrup started off the inning with a single.  Immediately follower her came Shannon Willison, who blasted a solid triple to right-center field, scoring Hyrup in the process.  Willison herself scored in a sacrifice fly right field by Natasha Denny.  Those three runs were all the Furies were able to acquire.

Hitters for the Evening:  Shannon Willison 3B RBI, Angela Fiorino 1B RBI, Balema Smalls 1B, Lori Hyrup 1B, Meghan Ewell 1B, Nikki Stokinger-Jones 1B, Natasha Denny RBI

Towers Park - For the entire evening, the game between the Furies (5-1-1) and BombSquad (3-2-2) was filled with a sense of surreal oddness.  First, it was discovered that umpires were not notified of the make-up event.  So the two teams, desperate to play, picked a fan from the sidelines to stand out behind second base to act as a field.  What about the plate ump?  Well, it was entrusted to the catchers to call balls and strikes.  The catchers did their best, but they ended up attempting to be extra careful with the calls and with a little bit of leniency on corner pitches.  The last thing either team wanted was a bickering match over calls, since there would be no one to act as judge.  Overall, the game was called pretty fairly.

The second oddity of the evening was that in addition to the umpires not being notified, the county was also not notified, and for Towers Park, that means the lights were not going to come on as it got dark.  In the end, the two teams played out the first of the two scheduled games until it got too dark to keep going.

The final oddity of the evening, which actually seemed appropriate, was that the two evenly matched squads ended the game with neither side scoring a single run.  As a result, the game concluded with a 0-0 tie.

Despite the leniency behind the plate, it was a pitcher’s game on both sides.  Erin Horn, pitching for the Furies, struck out 9 of the 13 batters she faced.  While Furies batters did not strike out quite as often as the BombSquad batters, they had very few solid hits, and the few that did come off the bats were intercepted by the BombSquad defense.

Hitters for the Evening:  Erin Horn 2 1B, Nikki Stokinger-Jones 1B, Lori Hyrup 1B

The second game, which could not be played due to the approaching darkness, will be made up on July 10^th at Towers Park at 7:00 p.m.

Sara Morgan's Solo Home Run Against the Underdawgs

Towers Park - An evening filled with annoyance gave way to two new victories (2-1, 6-5, respectively) by the Furies (5-1) women’s softball squad as they took on the Underdawgs (2-4) Tuesday night.

With some sluggishness at the plate and umpires who would not give ground on breaking balls created an air of frustration around the Furies bench.  In game one, the first run of the game came not from the Furies, but from the Underdawgs in the second inning.  In the third inning, the Furies finally got their first hit of the game, a short field single by the very quick Nikki Stokinger-Jones.  Her hit was followed up by a second hit, this time by Balema Smalls.  Stokinger-Jones was able to score on a pass ball by the Underdawgs catcher.  An RBI single by Erin Stone brought Smalls home across the plate.  The rest of that first game by both teams remained relatively quiet, with no additional runs scoring, and very few batters getting to base.

The second game provided a little more energy than the first.  In the bottom of the third inning, Natasha Denny reached base on a single and was followed-up by a bunt-single by Stokinger-Jones.  The two of them advanced on stolen bases.  This set Denny up to score on a single by Sara Morgan.  Lori Hyrup’s RBI single then drove in Stokinger-Jones.  Though several people reached base during that inning, only the two converted to runs.  In the fourth inning, a walk drawn by Larina Riley started off the second Furies’ rally of the game.  She advanced to second on a single by Denny.  Stokinger-Jones and Smalls both drew walks, which loaded the bases.  A sacrifice to deep center field by Sara Morgan allowed Riley and Denny to score.  Stokinger-Jones then scored on an RBI single by Stone.  The inning, unfortunately, ended on a close play at the plate when Smalls tried to convert on a bunt-single by Dianna Austin.

The Furies held their 5-1 lead until the sixth inning.  The umpire of the game, who had already proven be inconsistent behind the plate, refused to call any corner-breaking pitches, which resulted in a number of walks by the Furies pitchers.  The Furies even rotated pitchers, but the results were the same.  By the end of the sixth inning, the Underdawgs had tied up the score at 5-5.  With the game already in to the 1.5 hour “no new inning” time limit, the Furies, who were the home team, had to score at least one run for the game or it would end in a tie.  First up in the inning was Stokinger-Jones, but she was thrown out on a play by the third basement.  Second up was Smalls, who hit a nice line drive that appeared to be heading out to right field, but it was snagged by the Underdawgs second baseman.  Next up was Morgan.  With only one hit for the night, Morgan was due for something big.  Hyrup, the coach of the Furies, turned to the dugout from the first base coaching box and said, “Now would be a great time for an old-fashioned Sara home run.”  Less than a minute after she said that, the first pitch to Morgan was blasted far over the left field fence.  With the Furies being the home team and the time limit already exceeded, Morgan’s two-out solo home run was all that was needed to bring the Furies to their 6-5 victory.

Hitters for the Evening:  Sara Morgan HR 1B 4 RBI, Nikki Stokinger-Jones 2 1B 2 RBI, Erin Stone 2 1B 2 RBI, Lori Hyrup 1B RBI, Natasha Denny 3 1B, Dianna Austin 2 1B, Balema Smalls 1B, Meghan Ewell 1B

Robinson - The Furies (3-1) women’s softball team took on the Devils (3-1) Wednesday evening.  The Furies stumbled on the first game with a 5-6 loss, but came back to win the second, 4-2.

Despite missing a number of their line, the Furies made a firm stand against the returning Champions from the 2007 season.  The Devils scored the first two runs in the second inning.  The Furies responded in kind in the third inning, scoring three runs on a succession of hits by Lori Hyrup, Erin Stone, and Shannon Willison.  With bases loaded, Adia Lipscomb hit a hard shot to right center, which allowed all three runners to score.  The Devils scored four more runs in the fourth inning, taking advantage of a struggling Furies defense.  The Furies came back in the fifth inning with two more runs, but fell short when the tying run was tagged out on an aggressive play at the plate.

The second game was a battle of the pitchers.  Erin Horn pitched a phenomenal game, striking out 13 batters and not given up a single run until the sixth inning.  Horn also scored the first Furies run in the bottom of the second inning.  After reaching base on an error from the Devils first baseman, she advanced to third on a single by Willison and scored in a single by Lipscomb.  In the fifth inning, Larina Riley and Nikki Stokinger-Jones each reached base on singles and scored on a double by Hyrup, who in turn, scored on a single by Horn.  The two Devil runs came in the last inning, which almost did not happen because the game had reached its time limit.  However, because the warm-up had started while there was still 3 minutes on the clock, the entire inning needed to be played through.

Hitters for the Evening:  Lori Hyrup 2B 4 1B 2 RBI, Adia Lipscomb 2B 2 1B 4 RBI, Erin Horn 2B 1B 2 RBI, Nikki Stokinger-Jones 3 1B, Erin Stone 2 1B, Shannon Willison 2 1B, Larina Riley 2 1B, Natasha Denny 1B

Towers Park - After having their first two games rained out in the second inning of each, the Furies finally managed to complete their first double-header of the season, and it was done with a bang!

The Furies (2-0) softball squad won both games of their first complete doubleheader against XPlosion (0-2) Thursday evening.  The Furies won, 7-1, in the first game and continued on with their rampage, winning the second game 11-1.

Though XPlosion got off to a quick start, scoring their first (and only) run in the first inning, the Furies were a little slow to wake up.  Once they got warmed up, though, it became a whole new ball game.  In the top of the 3^rd, Natasha Denny reached first on a hit.  She then scored when a bunt by Nikki Stokinger-Jones forced an XPlosion error, and then scored soon after on a pass ball.  The rest of the Furies first-game runs were scored in the forth inning.  The run was started by Meghan Ewell, who led off the inning with a single.  Adia Lipscomb then drew a walk to first.  Erin Horn blasted a double to right-center, scoring Ewell and Catherine Moynihan who was running for Lipscomb.  Horn then changed places with Denny, who blasted a double of her own and scored Horn.  Denny crossed the plate on an RBI single from Balema Smalls.  The final run scored when Smalls scored on a double by Sara Morgan.  The damage was done, and XPlosion was unable to reciprocate before the time limit was called.  Horn pitched an excellent game giving up just one run on two hits with eight strikeouts.

Game two continued on with the momentum built in the first.  Denny started off the game with a single to center.  Stokinger-Jones followed up with a very nice push-bunt single, which ultimately allowed Denny to score.  Stokinger-Jones then scored on an RBI single to right by Morgan.  After reaching base on a walk, Stokinger-Jones scored again in the third inning on yet another hit, a double, by Morgan who turned around and scored on a double by Lori Hyrup.  On fire, Stokinger-Jones led off the fifth inning with a single and advanced to third on a bunt by Horn.  Stokinger-Jones and Horn both scored on Morgan’s third hit of the game.  Hyrup drew a walk and both she and Morgan scored on a double by Ewell.  Smalls reached first on a walk.  Both Ewell and Smalls scored Denny’s three-run in-the-park home run.  Denny helped her own cause by pitching a fantastic game, giving up just one run and three hits.

Hitters for the Evening:  Natasha Denny HR 2B 2 1B 3 RBI, Sara Morgan 2 2B 2 1B 5 RBI, Nikki Stokinger-Jones 3 1B 2 RBI, Meghan Ewell 2B 1B 2 RBI, Erin Horn 2B 1B 2 RBI, Lori Hyrup 2B 1B RBI, Balema Smalls 1B RBI, Shannon Willison 1B

Though struggling to field a full team, the Furies put up a good fight, making their opponent work hard for their wins. In the end, the Furies (4-6) lost, 4-9, in game one and 1-0, in game two.

In the first game, three of the Furies four runs came in the third inning on a rally of hits started by Kiara Boyle. The second game was much tighter than the first and both teams remained scoreless until the seventh inning, when a hit with two outs allowed a runner, who had reached third on a passball, to score. When you only have seven players on the field, it is only a matter of time before the opposing offense finds a hole. Boyle, pitching in the second game, allowed only two hits and struck out six. The Furies also say good bye to Angela Fiorino, who played her last game this evening after being with the Furies for three seasons. Fiorino will be relocating to a new home in Hawaii. Good luck, Angela!

Hitters for the Evening: Natasha Denny 1B, Lori Hyrup 2 1B, Kiara Boyle 2 1B, Erin Eisenhower 1B, Angela Fiorino 1B, Christine Cavins 1B

Four weeks running, the Furies have split victories in their doubleheader contests.  The opponent this week was the Diamonds.  The Furies (4-4) won the first game, 5-2, over the Diamonds (5-3-1) and lost the second, 6-3.

Kiara Boyle struck out eight batters in the first game, allowing only two hits.  The first Furies run scored in the first inning after Susannah Griffiths reached base on a single and advanced to second when Lori Hyrup earned a walk to first.  As passball allowed both runners to advance to scoring position.  Sara Morgan hit the ball up the center, forcing the shortstop to make the play at first and allow Griffiths to score.  The second run came in the third inning when Morgan smashed a solo homerun over the left field fence.  In the fourth, Balema Smalls started off the game with a line drive single to center, stealing two bases to make her way to third.  Laura Gibson walked to first behind Smalls and immediately stole second.  That opened that way for Natasha Denny’s blast of a triple to right-center, which scored both Smalls and Gibson.  In her next at-bat, Griffiths slapped the ball to the second baseman, who concluded she was unable to make the throw in time to get Denny out at home and instead chose to make the play at first.

The Furies played a hard second game.  They were down a player due to family obligations and the situation became worse in the fourth inning when catcher Sara Morgan was injured after a fast moving rise ball ricocheted off her hand.  Morgan was removed from the game and sent to the hospital.  The Furies continued the game with seven players.  Overall, they managed to acquire a lot of hits but they were unable to convert enough runs for the win.

Hitters for the Evening:  Natasha Denny 3B 2 1B, Susannah Griffiths 1B, Sara Morgan HR 3B, Kiara Boyle 1B, Angela Fiorino 2 1B, Balema Smalls 2B 3 1B, Laura Gibson 2B 1B

For the third week in a row, the Furies split wins during their doubleheader, this time with the Hornets.  The Furies (3-3) victorious, 6-3, over the Hornets (3-3) in the first game, but gave up the win in the second, 8-0.

A stellar pitching performance by Kiara Boyle in the first game bought time enough for the Furies to wake up their bats and score the runs needed to take the victory.  After facing 22 batters, Boyle struck out 8.  On the side of offense, the Furies were a little slow to get started.  They scored one in the first inning after Natasha Denny reached base on a fielder's choice and then scored on a double by Sara Morgan.  The Furies did not score again until the fifth inning, where the tiring Hornets pitcher gave up one hit, walked four batters, and hit one other.  The Furies scoring continued on in to the sixth inning, gaining them a total of 10 runs, but the game reached it's drop-dead time limit, causing the score to revert back to the previous inning.

Something happened to the Furies in the second game and they were unable to regain the momentum they had found at the end of the first game.  The single hit in game two was made by Sara Morgan in the fourth inning.

Hitters for the Evening: Susannah Griffiths 3 1B, Sara Morgan 2 2B 1B, Angela Fiorino 1B, Erin Eisenhower 2 1B,

Erin Stone 3B 2 1B RBI, Sara Morgan 2 2B 1B 2 RBI, Natasha Denny 3B RBI, Balema Smalls 2B, Kiara Boyle 2B, Erin Eisenhower 2 1B RBI, Angela Fiorino 2 1B RBI, Lori Hyrup 1B, Lauren Kravetz 1B

The Furies softball squad split a doubleheader with Underdogs Monday evening.  The Furies (2-2) won, 7-1, to Underdogs (6-10) in the first game but turned it around in the second, winning 8-2.

Solid pitching by Kiara Boyle and a strong Furies defense held the Underdogs to a single run.  Of the 21 batters she faced, Boyle struck out 10 and gave up only three hits.  Erin Stone, who had reached base on an error by the Underdogs' third baseman, scored the first Furies run in the second inning on an RBI single by Angela Fiorino.  Then in the fourth, Fiorino reached base on a walk and scored on an RBI single by Erin Eisenhower.  With one out, Natasha Denny blasted a triple, allowing Eisenhower to score easily.  Denny, in turn, scored on a double by Sara Morgan.  Morgan then scored easily on a triple from Erin Stone.  In the sixth inning, Denny walked on four straight pitches and scored on Morgan's RBI single to right field.  Lori Hyrup reached base on a single, advancing Morgan to third.  Hyrup was then called out in a much disputed situation in which the field umpire claimed a hit from Erin Stone to the second baseman struck Hyrup while she was running to second, a hit that allowed Morgan to score.

The Furies bats died down a bit in the second game.  The solitary Furies run came in the third inning.  Lauren Kravetz reach based on a line drive single down the right field line and scored on an RBI single by Eisenhower.  The Underdog runs came in the third inning when the Furies made a handful of errors in critical situations.

Hitters for the Evening: Erin Stone 3B 2 1B RBI, Sara Morgan 2 2B 1B 2 RBI, Natasha Denny 3B RBI, Balema Smalls 2B, Kiara Boyle 2B, Erin Eisenhower 2 1B RBI, Angela Fiorino 2 1B RBI, Lori Hyrup 1B, Lauren Kravetz 1B

Despite being low on players, the Furies women's softball team meant business when they stepped on the field.  The eight players taking the field split the doubleheader with the Longshots, 4-0 and 5-1.

The first game started heralded a strong Furies battery and defense.  Kiara Boyle, pitching for the Furies, struck out five and gave up only three hits in the seven inning contest.  The Furies' hits started resulting in runs in the top of the 5th inning when a strong double to left center field by Erin Stone drove in Susannah Griffiths, who had reached base on a single.  In the 6th inning, Deana Schneider began with a single and was followed up by another single by Angel Fiorino.  This set up two runs to score on a double by Boyle.  Lori Hyrup's RBI single allowed Boyle to score.  In the 7th, Erin Stone delivered yet another double, who was then able to cross the plate on an RBI single by Sara Morgan.

In the second game, the Longshots started finding the hole left by the missing Furies' fielder, and a fourth inning run of three back-to-back triples allowed the Longshots to score four of their five runs on the evening.  A series of small hits and a Furies' error in the sixth inning allowed the final run to score for the game.  The Furies, however, would not be shut out.  Late in the sixth inning, with two outs, Boyle reached base on a single.  This was followed up by a single by Hyrup.  A passball allowed Boyle and Hyrup to move in to scoring positions.  A single to right field by Natasha Denny allowed Boyle to score.  The Furies' run of two-out hits would be short-lived, though, and they were unable to score additional runs.

Hitters for the evening:  Susannah Griffiths 2 1B, Erin Stone 2 2B RBI, Sara Morgan 1B RBI, Deana Schneider 2 1B, Angela Fiorino 2B 1B, Kiara Boyle 3 1B RBI, Lori Hyrup 2 1B RBI, Natasha Denny 1B RBI

Towers Park – The Furies softball squad split a doubleheader with Blaze Wednesday evening.  The Furies (8-6) fell, 6-0, to Blaze (6-10) in the first game but turned it around in the second, winning 8-2.

Whether it was the thick, humid air or something else, both teams struggled to land any solid hits in the first two innings.  Blaze sparked to life a bit in the third inning where two base hits, few walks, and a Furies error allowed three runners to score.  Natasha Denny was called with no outs and bases loaded to relieve Larissa Roschere who struggled against the evening’s heat.  Denny retired the next two batters, forcing one to hit in to a double play.  Unfortunately, Blaze was not done with the Furies.  A costly Furies error and a line shot to right field allowed three additional runs to score.

Late in the second game, the Furies saw a drastic turnaround at bat.  The Furies scored all eight of their runs in the bottom of the fourth on seven hits and two walks, a rally that was sparked by a massive double by Angela Fiorino with bases loaded.  Kiara Zalewski pitched a strong game, striking out 11 of the 23 batters she faced.

The Furies play the Hornets at Towers Park on Thursday, July 27^th.  This is the Furies first game in the end-of-the-season double-elimination tournament.  The single tournament-game begins at 9:15 p.m. (EDT).

Hitters for the evening:  Ashley Purrcell 2B 2 1B 2 RBI, Angela Fiorino 2B 1B 3 RBI, Larissa Roschere 2B RBI, Balema Smalls 3 1B, Natasha Denny 2 1B, Sara Morgan 2B, Jennifer Bolden 1B RBI, Lori Hyrup

West Springfield – The Furies softball team (7-5) walked away with two wins Monday night at West Springfield High School, defeating the Diamonds (7-5), 4-0, 12-1, in league play. 

Natasha Denny threw a no-hitter in the first game of this very warm evening.  The first two Furies’ runs came in the bottom of the first inning.  Denny reached first on a single to left field.  Ashley Purcell followed up with a slapped single of her own.  Denny took advantage of the fielders, sluggish from the heat, with a delayed steal to third base.  Denny scored on Lori Hyrup’s sacrifice line drive out to deep left field.  Purcell then scored on Terri Alexander’s solid shot to deep left center.  In the bottom of the fourth and one out, Denny once again helped her cause with a solid single up the middle.  Purcell reached base on an error by the third basemen.  Hyrup followed up with a sacrifice bunt that ultimately allowed Denny and Purcell to score while taking advantage of the delayed reaction time of the weary defense.

Game two found the Furies defense tight, but the bats a little slow to wake up.  The first two runs came in the second inning.  Alexander and Angela Fiorino each reached base o hits, a single and a double, respectively.  Alexander scored on a single by Denny and Fiorino scored on a single by Purcell.  After a silent third inning, Denny and Purcell who had each reached base on walks, both scored on Balema Small’s RBI single.  Like the third inning, the fifth was silent.  Then, in the sixth inning, everything exploded and the bats woke up.  The inning began with singles by Alexander and Fiorino.  After Denny grounded out, a drag bunt by Purcell allowed her to load up the bases.  Smalls grounded out to second, but not without scoring Alexander.  With two outs and two runners on, Erin Stone began what became a two-out rally with a blast of a double to deep left center, which scored both Fiorino and Purcell.  Amanda Lear reached base on a single.  Larissa Roschere shot a line drive out right center, scoring Stone.  Erin Eisenhower took her own share of the RBIs, driving both Lear and Roschere across the plate with a double.  Alexander, up for the second time of the inning, continued the motion with a 2-run RBI single.  Fiorino followed up with a double, and Alexander scored on a final single by Denny.  The half of the inning ended when Fiorino attempted to score on a pass ball, but was called out.  It was believed that Fiorino was safe at the plate and that the umpire called the out in order to abbreviate the inning.  Kiara Zalewski pitched a solid game, giving up only two hits all night.

The Furies play the Hornets at Edison High School on Wednesday, July 19st.  The doubleheader begins at 7:15 p.m.

West Springfield – The Furies (5-7) lost both games Monday night to the Devils (11-1).  The Furies have strugged a bit this season in getting the right combination of players on the field on a day that the sun is shining and the rain stays away.  This time, the Furies were missing a number of pitchers.  Larissa Roschere pitched her heart out, but was unable to keep ahead of the solid Devil offense.  The Furies offense, in turn, was spotty and inconsistent.  Still, the Furies kept good humor through the contest.

The Furies play Blaze at Woodson High School on Wednesday, July 12.  The doubleheader begins at 7:15 p.m. (EDT).

Hitters for the Evening: Erin Stone 2B 2 1B, Sara Morgan 2B 1B, Terri Alexander 3 1B, Lori Hyrup, Balema Smalls, Angela Firioni

Unable to field a full team, the Stingrays forfeited both games Wednesday night to the Furies.

The Furies play Blaze at West Sprinfield High School on Wednesday, July 5.  The doubleheader begins at 7:15 p.m. (EDT).

Woodson – The Fairfax Furies softball team played two games Wednesday night against Storm.  The night ended up two Furies victories, (12-0) and (6-1), bringing their overall record to 3-3.

Though missing seven players, the Furies fielded nine players who dominated the game both offensively and defensively.  For her shutout in the first game, Natasha Denny gave up only one hit while striking out nine.  She helped her own cause by getting two hits, including a double deep in to right-centerfield and drove in three runs.

The second game felt very similar to the first in that the Furies cracked down on defense and knocked the ball all over the field on offense.  Kiara Zaleweski pitched the second game, allowing just two hits and one walk while striking out ten. 

Hitters for the evening:  Natasha Denny 3B 2 2B 2 1B 5 RBI, Erin Eisenhower 3B 2B 1B 2 RBI, Lori Hyrup 6 1B 3 RBI, Erin Stone 2B 2 1B 2 RBI, Terri Alexander 2 2B, Amanda Lear 2 1B, Christine Cavins 2B, Becky Cummings

Little mascot Avery cheers on Mommy Eisenhower from the stands.

Woodson – The Furies softball team split a doubleheader with the Longshots Monday evening.  The Furies (1-3) faced a 8-7 loss to the Longshots (1-1) in the first game and responded with a 6-2 win to end the nightcap.

In game-one, the Longshots jumped to an early lead, picking up three runs in the top of the first inning after getting three runners on base after an error and a pair of walks.  The Furies first run came in the second inning with two outs.  Becky Cummings, who had reached based on a fielder’s choice, scored on Angela Fiorino’s RBI single to left field.  In the top of the third, Cummings earned an RBI single of her own, scoring Christine Cavins who had reached base on an error.  The Longshots responded in the third inning with five runs on a mixture of walks and a pair of hits to the outfield.  By the fifth inning, the Furies tightened their defense and solidified their offense.  Cavins, Cummings, and Fiorino each drew walks, setting themselves up to score on a double by Natasha Denny.  Denny also scored on an error created by slapper Ashley Purcell.  Unfortunately, time was called before the Furies had the opportunity to capitalize on their change of pace. 

The second game looked to be something more characteristic of the Furies.  They opened up with a triple by Denny, who scored immediately on an RBI single by Purcell.  The only two Longshot runs came in the third inning as the result of a walk and a miscommunication on the part of the Furies’ defense.  The Furies tied up the game in the bottom of the third.  Balema Smalls reached base on an error and managed to advance to third on back-to-back passed balls and score on a sacrifice fly to right-center by Lori Hyrup.  In the bottom of the fourth inning, the Furies’ offense created problems for the Longshots, scoring four more runs on three hits, two walks, and an error.  Kiara Zalewski, who was playing her first game since having medical treatment for an off-season injury, pitched a great game with nine strikeouts and giving up just one hit.

The Furies play the Hornets at Woodson High School on Monday, June 19^th.  The doubleheader begins at 7:15 p.m. (EDT).

Hitters for the evening:  Natasha Denny 3B 2B 6 RBI, Ashley Purcell 4 1B 3 RBI, Balema Smalls RBI, Sara Morgan, Erin Stone, Becky Cummings, Angela Fiorino, Kiara Zalewski, Amanda Lear

Terri Alexander makes a play at second against the Bombers.

West Springfield – Injuries, illness, and a small baby boom kept the Furies from starting the season with a full and healthy roster, and they dropped their first two games of the season Wednesday night, 4-3 and 15-1, against the Bombers.  Furies’ pitcher, Larissa Roschere, gave up only three hits in the first game and kept the contest close.  An untimely hit in the fifth inning drove in the Bomber’s final run before the game was called due to time.  Unfortunately, the Furies were missing a number of their pitchers, and the second game took its toll on Roschere, who was required to pitch again after just a short break.  Despite the outcome, the Furies played a decent pair of games.

The Furies play the Longshots at Woodson High School on Monday, June 5^th.  The doubleheader begins at 7:15 p.m. (EDT).

Hitters for the evening:  Erin Stone 3 1B, Lori Silva, Angela Fiorino RBI, Sara Morgan RBI, Balema Smalls 4 1B RBI

The Furies of the Fairfax County Women's Fastpitch Softball League will have their first game on May 31, 2006, at West Springfield High School.  There will be many old faces, as well as many new faces, showing up in Furies' uniforms!

The Fairfax Furies softball team concludes the 2005 summer season in third place after dropping two very close contests, one against No. 1 Seed Bombers (5-4) and one against No. 2 Seed Devils (3-1), in the weekend tournament.  The Furies played very well all day.  Kiara Zalewski and Sara Henick-Freed both pitched good games, walking only four between the two of them and striking out seventeen.

Hitters for the day:  Terri Alexander 2B 2 RBI, Susannah Griffiths 2 1B, Annie Dell’Aria 2 1B, Jennifer Bolden RBI, Balema Smalls RBI, Linda Galib RBI, Kiara Zalewski, Sara Henick-Freed, Erin Stone

Woodson – Mythic Entertainment’s Fairfax Furies softball team combined solid defense, awesome pitching, and an aggressive offense to defeat the Devils, 4-0, in Friday night’s action at the FCWFL tournament at the Woodson High School field.  With the victory, the Furies (13-3) advance to the next round of the double-elimination tournament.

Kiara Zalewski commanded the attention of the Devil hitters, striking out 13 of the 21 batters she faced.  Offensively, the Furies first runs came in the bottom of the third inning.  Sara Henick-Freed and Balema Smalls each singled to reach base.  Jennifer Bolden then smacked the ball to deep right-center, driving in both Henick-Freed and Smalls and earning herself a triple.  In the fourth inning, Terri Alexander led off the inning by drawing a well earned walk.  Zalewski then stepped up to the plate only to be hit by a wild pitch.  Jaime Harrington went in to run for Zalewski just in time for a single to right by Smalls.  Alexander and Harrington both scored.  With four runs on the board, the Furies swatted down any chance the Devils had of scoring, holding them scoreless throughout the game.

The Furies will play at Saturday, July 30, at 10:45 a.m., at the West Springfield High School field.

West Springfield – The Fairfax Furies softball defeated the Raiders Thursday, 4-3, in their first post-season game.

Patient and selective at the plate, the Furies gathered a number of walks and a few well placed hits to earn their runs in the game.  The first Furies runs came in the bottom of the second inning.  With bases loaded, Sara Henick-Freed drew a walk to score Annie Dell’Aria, who had already reached base on a walk of her own.  Lori Silva took advantage of a pass ball and scored behind Dell’Aria.  Kiara Zaleweski, who had also walked, scored on an RBI single by Linda Galib.  In the bottom of the third inning, Tasha Denny led the inning off with yet another walk.  She then advanced to second on Dell’Aria's second walk of the night.  Denny used her speed to steal second, which then set her up to score on a shot between third and short by Silva.  The Furies held the Raiders scoreless until the fifth inning when a short string of hits earned them the three runs with which they ended the game.  The umpires called the game in the sixth inning because of time.

The Furies play the Devils at Woodson High School on Friday, July 29 at 7:15 p.m. (EDT).

Woodson – The Fairfax Furies softball team played two games Thursday night against the Longshots.  The night ended with two victories for the Furies, (1-0) and (2-1).

Kiara Zalewski pitched allowed only a single hit in game one, striking out eleven of the Longshot hitters.  The pitching combined with solid Furies defense kept the Longshots from ever crossing the plate.  The Furies bats, however, were a bit sluggish on the evening.  The single Furies run came in the second inning when Jaime Harrington dropped a single in to shallow right field, bringing Annie Dell’Aria across the plate.  Dell’Aria had reached base earlier on a Longshot error.

In game two, the Furies hitting picked up a little bit, but it was very sporadic, frequently stranding runners on base.  The first Furies run in the game came in the third inning.  Dell’Aria blasted a ball out to the fence in right-center field, scoring Natasha Denny, who had previously reached base on an error by the Longshot shortstop.  In the fifth inning, Linda Galib also forced an error, which gave her first base.  She advanced to second and then to third on two separate pass balls.  Galib finally scored on a hard shot RBI single by Denny.  Defensively, the Furies were nearly flawless, and Sara Henick-Freed pitched a great game, allowing just three hits while striking out eight.

The Furies play the Blud Devils at West Springfield High School on Wednesday, July 27^th.  The doubleheader begins at 8:15 p.m. (EDT).

Woodson – The Fairfax Furies softball team (9-3) picked up two wins Monday Night at Woodson High School, defeating Mary’s Team, 5-2, 7-0, in league play.

In game-one, Sara Henick-Freed gave up only one hit and struck out eight, paving the Furies’ road to victory.  The Furies’ bats, however, were a little sluggish to start but picked up momentum as the game progressed.  In the bottom of the second inning, Henick-Freed help her cause by leading off with a double to left field.  Terri Alexander advanced her to third with a single up the middle.  Henick-Freed then scored on a double to left by Christine Cavins.  Following Cavins, a line shot up the middle by Jaime Harrington brought Alexander across the plate.  In the third inning, a solo home run by Natasha Denny scored the third run of the game and the only one for that inning.  In the bottom of the fourth, Cavins reached base and advanced to second on a wild throw from the opposition’s third baseman.  After advancing to third on a pass ball, Cavins scored on a sacrifice fly from Jennifer Bolden.  In the bottom of the fifth, Denny started the inning with a single to left.  After stealing second, Denny scored on an up-the-middle single by Annie Dell’Aria.

In game two, Lori Silva led off with a bunt to reach first.  A series of pass balls then allow her to advance around the bases and score.  In the top of the second inning, a string of hits by the Furies kept the game moving.  Balema Smalls started off the inning with a single.  A double by Kiara Zaleswki allow Smalls to score easily.  Harrington, pinch running for Zalewski, advanced to third on a pass ball.  Harrington then scored on a sacrifice fly to left field by Silva.  Susannah Griffiths and Denny both reached base on errors by the first baseman, and each scored on a triple by Dell’Aria.  Dell’Aria then scored on a pass ball.  Unfortunately, the game did not progress beyond the second inning.  Mary’s Team, who had been struggling all night to maintain enough players to field a team, forfeited the rest of the game when one of their players could not continue to play as the result of a previously injured arm.  Because the rest of the game was a forfeit, the score was automatically adjusted to a 7-0 victory, which is the standard posted score for all forfeits.  Despite the short game, Zalewski struck out five the nine batters she faced in that second game.

The Furies play the Longshots at Woodson High School on Thursday, July 21st.  The doubleheader begins at 7:15 p.m.

Woodson – The Fairfax Furies softball team played two games Monday night against Storm.  The night ended with two Furies victories, (9-0) and (5-0), bringing their overall record to 7-3.

In the first game, Sara Henick Freed allowed only one hit and gave up only one walk on the night.  Leading off in the top of the second inning, Linda Galib reached base on a single.  She scored the Furies first run of the evening on a follow-up single by Henick Freed.  The second Furies run came in the third inning on an RBI single by Jennifer Bolden, scoring Natasha Denny who had reached base on a walk.  Energy increased by the fourth inning, where the Furies scored four additional runs.  This time, Terri Alexander lead the inning off with a walk.  She advanced to second on a single by Erin Eisenhower.  Susannah Griffiths joined Alexander and Eisenhower on the bases with a walk of her own.  All three women scored when Denny blasted a double that bounced off the top of the tall center field fence.  Christine Cavins hit a shallow fly to right-center field, which allowed Denny to cross the plate for the sixth run of the evening.  The last three Furies runs scored in the top of the fifth inning.  Galib lead the inning off with a single, but was thrown out on a fielder’s choice hit by Alexander.  Erin Stone drove in Alexander on a double to right-center field.  Stone scored immediately after on an error by the Storm first basemen, which allowed Henick Freed to advance second base and receive the RBI credit.  A bunt by Griffiths spun off in to the dirt along the third base line but remained fair.  Griffith’s speed carried her safely to first.  Henick Freed took advantage of the situation and headed for home, hook sliding around the catcher’s tag.

In the second game, Denny took her turn in the pitcher’s circle, allowing only one hit and striking out six.  Three of the five Furies runs of the second game came in the bottom of the first inning.  Galib lead the game off, reaching base on a wild pitch that hit her in the leg.  A single by Griffiths advanced Galib to second.  Denny followed up with a single of her own, allowing Galib to cross home plate.  A hard it single by Alexander later in the inning drove in both Griffiths and Denny.  The fourth Furies run scored in the third inning.  Denny singled to start the inning and advanced to second on a single by Cavins.  Denny then reached third on a fielder’s choice by Balema Smalls.  An RBI single by Lori Silva brought Denny in across the plate.  The last run of the inning came in the bottom of the fifth inning.  After reaching first on a single, Alexander scored on a double blasted in the gap by Stone, her second double of the evening.

The Furies play the Blue Devils at Woodson on Thursday, July 7^th.  The doubleheader begins at 7:15 p.m. (EDT).

The Furies play the Wombats at Woodson High School on Thursday, June 23.  The doubleheader begins at 7:15 p.m. (EDT)

Woodson - The Fairfax Furies softball squad split a doubleheader with the Devils Thursday evening. The Furies (1-3) faced a 2-0 upset by the Devils (1-1) in the first and responded with a 4-3 win in the nightcap.

In game-one, the Devils took the early lead, picking up two runs in the top of the first inning after compiling a walk and two hits.  Though the Furies clamped down on the Devil's scoring, the Furies were unable to convert runs of their own, despite the singles by Balema Smalls, Susannah Griffiths, and Terri Alexander and the double by Lori Silva.

Game-two saw the Furies reverse the situation on the Devils, scoring three of their four runs in the first inning.  A single by Griffiths opened up the Furies' rally.  Alexander and Linda Galib each earned walks to load the bases.  Silva drove in all three runners on a shallow hit to center field.
The Furies held their lead tight up until the 5th inning after five Devil singles and one Furies error gave up three runs to the Devils.  The Furies tightened up their defense and found their way in to the bottom of the inning with a 3-3 tie.  In the bottom of the fifth inning, Griffiths bunted her way to first base.  Singles by Sara Henick-Freed and Galib rounded out the inning and gave Griffiths the opportunity she needed to score the winning run.

The Furies play the Raiders at Woodson High School on Monday, June 20th.  The doubleheader begins at 7:15 p.m. (EDT).

West Springfield – The Fairfax Furies softball team dropped their first two games of the season Wednesday might, 3-0 and 11-1, against the Bombers.  In game-one, the game remained scoreless until the final inning when the Bombers drive in three runs off two hits.  Game two started off rough for the Furie when a few of the Bomber runners gained scored from three walks and a couple of well hit balls.  Though the Furies solidified their pitching and defense as the game progressed, the damage had already been done.  To their credit, the Furies were missing a number of their familiar faces on Wednesday, many of whom should be back in the games to come.  Despite the outcome, the Furies played well overall.

The Furies play the Devils at West Springfield High School on Thursday, June 9th.  The doubleheader begins at 7:15 p.m. (EDT).

The Official Site for the Fairfax Furies Fastpitch Women's Softball team is currently undergoing construction. Please excuse the mess. The 2005 season schedule has been posted, and the news will be updated.  Thank you for your patience and understanding.

- The Staff