by L. Brooks

With a final score of 8-0, you wouldn’t think the all-star game for the Prospect Park Women’s Softball League was much of a game; and you would be wrong. Only in a game with all-stars can the score book appear to be a blow out – when in reality both teams played—well, like all-stars.

The game started with the Division A as the home team in the field. Rebels hurler Jeni Wrightman, in her signature skirt, on the mound and Bombers May Ping completing the solid battery for innings 1 & 2. The division B team’s Brittany Uno of the Titans led off the inning. The women had the good fortune of an all-star umpire pair in the field with Mike calling the field and John behind the plate.

The game began with a walk and Titan wheels on first base. Heather Leo of the Titans followed up her teammate with a clean hit up the middle. Though Wrightman could make the grab, it was snagged by 2nd baseman Angela Smith of the Jaguars who took the ball to second herself, for a forced out. With Heather on first, Diamonds Lisa Wong stepped up to the plate and hit a hard grounder to shortstop Roseann Sheehan - who tossed to Smith for another force at 2nd for 2 outs. Thunders Leftie shortstop Stephanie LaBarbera comes to the plate and hits a quick pop-fly to short centerfield, but Crescendo’s Carmelina Ortiz gets to it, makes the catch and the Division B leaves 2 women on base.

In the bottom of one, Denise Rojas takes to the mound and proceeds to pitch a solid 3 innings against Division A. The combination of her pitching and her all-star defense leaves the game 0-0. Rojas begins her time on the mound by managing NOT to walk May Ping – the player, quite possibly – with the most base on balls in the league; a true success for Rojas. When asked after the game if she felt she played well; she remarked, “I thought I was playing well all season, but people act like they didn’t know I pitch. But hey, at least I didn’t walk Ping” she finished with a grin.

Ping’s solid hit to 3rd baseman Lisa Wong is faster than she is, and Wong handily puts her out at first. Stacy Longo of Las Fuertes, playing 3rd base for division A, hits a solid line drive to center field to put her on first. She’s followed by left fielder Leigh Howard for a follow-up base hit to right center. With 2 on and only one out, division A looks poised to score, but the all-star defense of the B-team isn’t having it. Right fielder Karena Romero of the Beavers grab Crescendo’s Tracy Lawrences’s right field fly for 2, and shorstop Stephanie LaBarbera’s cannon of an arm, takes Roseann Sheehans hopper and puts her out for 3, leaving the game scoreless at the end of one.

Jeni Wrightman takes to the mound at the top of 2 and delivers a pitch to Beavers Crissy Portero, who hits a nice long ball to left field – but is put out by the fleet feet of Rebels Leigh Howard for one. Michelle Cialino of Backlash lines the next ball back to Lawrence for out number 2, and Karena Romero of the Beavers grounds to Sheehan, who fires the last one to Larwence for out number 3 and the Division A team takes to the bats once more.

Crescendo’s Ortiz leads off, but even her legendary speed cannot outrun the pop-up to Rojas on the mound for out #1. Bombers Harris hits a solid grounder to short, but is no contest for Thunder’s LaBarbera as she throws her out at first. Jaguars Smith looks to start a rally with a rip up the middle of the first pitch, but the division B defense shuts them down again when Phoenix’s Kris Tobiassen swings at a high one and pops out to Crissy Portera at first.

Jaguars Karena Brown takes the mound for the Almighty A’s in the top of 3 and the game starts to get more interesting as the division B bats heat up the game. Brown starts by walking Thunder’s Jessie Chanin putting a runner on 1st. Ping threatens Chanin at first as the lead pitch to Flamingo’s Rojas lets it go for a strike. Rojas helps herself with a beautifully hit long ball to centerfield. It looks promising as one to bring in runs, but Bombers center fielder Mandy Harris see’s Chanin heading for third and let’s loose a rocket of a throw to Longo who makes the tag perfectly for out number one. Protecting their hurler, Coach Liz Gesualdo makes the smart swap and puts a runner in for Rojas as Titans Carrie Davis takes the to plate. Davis hit what looks like an easy infield fly, but pitcher Brown makes for the ball without calling off Smith or Lawrence and when she bobbles it, the balls bounces off Lawrence to the ground. Lawrence tries to recover and fires the ball to 3rd, but the runner is safe and Division B now has runners on 1st and 3rd, poised to finally take the lead as lead off hitter and Titan Uno steps to the plate.

But this is an all-star game. Though Brown appears flustered as she throws three straight balls to Uno, but comes back with a strike that is watched. Uno rips the next ball down the line and the pinch runner is halfway home when Longo comes up with the ball and fires to Ping who makes the tag at the plate. While the rest of the team and fans are cheering the play, Jaguars hurler Brown keeps her head in the game and notes Uno rounding second and heading to 3rd as Ping is still on the ground. She calls for the ball – Ping tosses it up to her – and Brown makes the throw to Longo, who is ready as ever at 3rd and makes her second tag of the game for out number 3 and the crowd goes wild.

With the energy of the last inning fueling division B, pitcher Karena Brown faces off to new pitcher Michelle Szeneitas as she takes to the mound for her first of the game. She walks a patient Brown and Bombers catcher Ping hits a solid ball over 3rd baseman Wong down the left field line for a single with 2 on. Las Fuertes big bat Longo steps to the plate – but Wong has her number and when Long rips a line drive down the 3rd baseline, Wong snags it and nearly throws out Brown at 2nd. Rebels Howard slices one to LaBarbera at short and with 2 outs it looks as if division A will get shut down once more.

Then Crescendo Tracy Lawrence steps to the plate, and in keeping with her fiancé cardinals Albert Pujols – she crushes the 1st pitch for a long fly ball that clears outfielder Titans Leo who’s now on the run as Brown and Ping round third and cross the plate. Lawrence is rounding third as the ball starts to come in, and crosses the plate despite the relay - easily scoring and tearing open the game to a division A 3-0 lead. Bombers short-stop Sheehan hits a short hopper to 3rd, but Wong comes up high on the throw and Beavers’ 1st baseman Portera can’t grab it, putting Sheehan on 2nd base for a double on the error. Crescendo’s Ortiz takes to the plate and patiently waits for the pitch that she tags into left field for a solid hit. Sheehan took off at the sound of the bat and is rounding third when left fielder Jessie Chanin fires a beautiful rocket home for the tag – but Sheehan hits the deck and Titan’s Davis cannot get the ball down fast enough allowing Sheehan to score while Ortiz easily takes second for the double + RBI in her second all-star at bat. As Bombers Harris steps to the plate, she rips the first ball for a beautiful long left center fly ball – but Titans Uno is there and shuts down the inning, leaving the score now division A 4 to B team zip.

As division B’s Leo leads off and let’s one cut foul back the ball – her patience at the plate puts her of first for Browns walk in the top of 4. Diamonds 3rd baseman Lisa Wong hits a solid fly ball to left, but Rebels Howard gets there for the first out of the inning and holding Titan’s fleet footed Leo at first. Thunder’s LaBarbera brings her big bat to the plate, but is also patient and gets the walk to put two runners on the bags as Beavers Crissy Portera steps to the plate. Appearing again poised to score, division B’s bats are silences single handedly by the new 3rdrd for the force and fires the ball to Lawrence in the stretch for the put out at first – ending the inning scoreless once more for B team. baseman Maggie Kawinski of Las Fuertes. Kawinski makes her all-star début by scooping up Portera’s grounder to her, steps on 3

In the bottom of four, Smith continues her hitting streak by popping one long between Backlashes Guerrero and Titans’ Leo for a base hit. Phoenix Jen Liseo hits a solid ball to short center field, but Guerrero wheels to the ball for the out. Brown closes out an otherwise stellar all-star debut swinging – but Szeneitas gets the K and there are two outs with one on. Crescendo’s catcher Kami Moore steps to the plate for her first all-star at bat and though she hits solidly to 3rd, Diamond’s Wong’s cannon of an arm puts her out at first by a step and division B all-stars head to the plate to try and match the offense with their D.

Fresh from the outfield and her first put-out of the game, Backlashes Guerrero appears none to intimidated by one of the strongest pitchers in the league as Bombers Melinda Daniels takes to the mound for the A’s. JJ wins the battle and gets a pop fly to right putting her on first. Catcher Moore will continue the rest of the game to terrorize every runner on first with multiple throw-downs to Lawrence, with a few close calls and without fear of any other runner on base. Though Beavers Romero will battle at the plate, she’s caught looking at strike 3 on the outside corner for Daniels first K of the game.

As Titans pitcher Eileen Freyer takes the plate, she and Daniels battle, with a deep brush back inside pitch, and a check swing by Freyer for a strike. What follows is Daniels in a pitching zone and the beginning of a fast-pitch windmill motion that Daniels stops at the last minute leaving those from fast-pitch backgrounds laughing, including umpire John. Good naturedly, B coach Liz Gesualdo doesn’t press for the ball that rightly should have been called, and Freyer next wastes a beautiful swing by pulling her head out and giving Daniels K number 2. Pitcher to pitcher, Beavers Szeneitas steps to the plate – and though she gets her bat on it – this hit leads to one of the prettier plays of the game as 1st baseman Tracy Lawrence goes around, back and down the grassy foul ball area to make the prettiest say-hey-willie-mays over the shoulder catch of the season for out number three.

At the bottom of 5, Titans Freyer takes to the mound with Diamonds catcher Angie Aguirre for the B battery. Though Wong continues to give Las Fuertes Stacy Longo the 3rd baseline, Thunders Chanin hustles to hug it in left field. Twice Longo lets rip with long left foul balls, even Chanin can’t get to them, but Freyer smartly tosses a high pitch just in the strike zone causing Longo to pop up to Chanin for out number one. Rebels Howard hits another promising long ball to center field, but Leo is there for out number 2. Crescendo’s Lawrence finished the inning another ball right back to Leo as she hustles in to call off JJ for out number 3, truly playing an all-star center field and Division B team denies the A’s even a woman on base.

The top of 6 proves another difficult battle at the plate against Bombers hurler Daniels for team B. Diamonds catcher Aguirre makes solid contact but Jaguars Smith makes the put out to first for out number one. Flamingo’s 2nd baseman Michelle Renkovski gets around on Daniels for a ball down to 3rd, but Las Fuertes Maggie Kawinski fires the ball to Lawrence for put out number 2. Titans Leo steps up to start a rally and manages to pull one of Daniels ball to left field, but Rebels Howard’s glove is rock solid all game and snags it for out number 3.

The A team heads into possible their last at bat leading 4-0 with Las Fuertes Maggie Kawinski at the plate and a pretty long ball to left field, but Chanin too plays a all-star left field for B team and grabs out number one. It looks like the game may end deadlocked at 4-0 when Rebels Fran Boone, now playing short center field, steps to plate and launches the ball long to left center field. With the B-team outfield all on the run, Boone rockets around the bases and is heading home before the ball even starts to come in for her first home run and all-star debut. Bombers Harris hits a solid fly ball to follow getting a single to be followed by another crusher from Jaguars Angela Smith who hits her 3rd at bat for another crushing home run bringing in Harris for a now 7-0 lead. Team B defense bounces back for an out against Phoenix Jen Liseo as she rockes one back to the pitcher. With 2 down Bombers hurler Daniels gets her one at bat in the game, and true to form as one of the best all around players in the league, she rips one to the outfield for a solid single. Crescendo Kami Moore follows with another solid hit to short that Thunder’s LaBarbera lets fly high that Kinninger cannot get to and Daniels gets 3rd and Moore takes second. Las Fuertes Longo wakes her bat once more for a grounder to 3rd that has Daniels score when Wong decides to go to first, also throwing it away and leaving Longo and Moore on the bases. Freyer finally gets Rebels Howard at the plate to hit a chopper to LaBarbera who tosses an easy 3rd out to second baseman Renkovksi to end a painful inning.

At the top of the seventh with the score now 8-0, the B-team faces Daniels once more. Diamonds Lisa Wong steps up her game even more and hits a beautiful base hit to right center field that no one had a chance to reach. Pinch hitting for shortstop LaBarbera, Backlash’s Cricket faces Daniels and goes down looking at the prettiest outside strike for K number 3 of Daniels all-star showing. Flamingo’s Megan Kinninger rocked a grounder to second but too fast to make it to the base and she’s put out for number 2. In the twilight of a truly all-star game by all players, Backlash’s Guerrero takes the plate once more to try and repeat her first bat against Daniels. Instead, she pops one more to Crescendo’s all-star first baseman Tracy Lawrence to close the game.

Despite the score, this game was nothing of a blowout, but some damn good softball. If you missed the game and are catching it here –watch the prospect park women’s’ softball website for highlight video soon to follow. Here’s to every all-star and all the women of the prospect park women’s softball league; thank’s for a lovely evening – the major league has nothing on you.