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.

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

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

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