I can’t remember what I did in between games. I must have eaten, but I didn’t go out or to
the concessions. This memory loss is a
bit scary. Danny went out to his
car. When he came back, he said he’d
chatted with diminutive Aggie Brandy
Hernandez out in the parking lot. Since
the Aggies wouldn’t be playing for
the rest of the day, I changed to the tournament shirt and showed the beautiful
blonde that I’d bought it from and got to talk to her some more.
I do have one note from between games. I had resisted writing any notes about this,
but finally gave in here. I mentally
called her, “The WAC Girl.” I must have been in the stands staring at her
for most of this intermission as she stood on the field. I’d been staring at her for the entire
tournament every time she came into view.
Her job appeared to be recording the tournament for social media. She was perhaps more fascinating than
beautiful. Unlike the stunning and
charming ticket girl, this one challenged your definition of beauty.
It was her hair that drew your attention first. It was pure blonde. It had a fine consistency, but flowing and
perfectly tamed. She wore it pulled back
tight in a ponytail, pushed back with a hairband, and loose and parted to the
side on succeeding days. Her hair was
flawlessly displayed in any variation.
Her body was athletic, while well-curved. Her wardrobe was minimal and stylish. Her shorts and top were just to compliment
her female form and ever-so lightly tanned skin. As much time as she was in the sun with so
much exposed flesh, she showed no sign of burn or overexposure.
Her face seemed well-shaped with a clear complexion, but
seemed uninviting. She smiled
seldom. Her features too defined. Her eyes were usually hidden behind
sunglasses, her inner self obscured.
When the glasses came off, she revealed eyebrows that were either
missing, or so fine and thin as to be invisible. Her face seemed severe, nearly alien for this
trait, but also exotic and intriguing.
She’d appear with another WAC girl on field before
play. I saw her chatting with co-workers
in the stands once, and she stayed in the pressbox once, but mostly she was
alone. She’d sit in the stands by
herself for an inning or so and then disappear.
She never looked uncomfortable, only perhaps bored. She watched play, but seemed
uninterested. Then she’d appear
somewhere else around the stadium at the end of the game to record the final
score on the scoreboard and any celebrations.
After the games, she’d go update the big tournament
board up front. I watched her do it
once. I might have gone out to watch
every time, if it wouldn’t have been so obvious. She never sat anywhere close to where I was
sitting, and going over to her seemed out of the question. She was there at the end, handing out the
trophies to the winners, somewhat impassively.
And that was the last I saw of her.
So all I’m left with in the end is the same question I had when I first
saw her: Who’s that girl?
(Hey, I’ve been writing softball recaps for a few
days. I needed a mental break. I’ll probably never see her again, so I
wanted to remember her.)
Spoilers here.
Don’t let the final score and the last inning fool you; this was a heavy
weight championship bout of a game. Both
teams, the Wolverines and the Lopes, stood toe-to-toe and traded
knockout blows until one team succumbed and fell.
This was a hard fought game right from the start. Wolverine Linnah Rebolledo made a great diving catch in the first. Lope Laynee
Gomez stole second, but was hit by a ball on the play hard enough to be
heard in the stands. Sierra Smith and Shea Smith combined to drive in two runs. GCU 2-0.
The Wolverines started the bottom of the first with three hits. Peyton
Angulo drove in a run.
Then my girl Basia
Query came up. Kaboom! A three-run homer! I could finally stand up and openly cheer for
her. The Utah Valley bench erupted. The GCU starter was given a quick hook. Brianna
Aguilar relieved her and finished the inning. 4-2 Wolverines. As Basia came back out to catch, her dad went
to the fence and talked to her for a moment.
I think it was some coaching advice, but hopefully he worked a “Nice
swing,” into the conversation.
Linnah made another good play at short in the second, as
she made a stab stop and throw to third to cut down the lead runner. However, the wind was not done with having a
say in the game. A flyball by Niki Gonzalez kept going backward in
the breeze and fell between three fielders and drove in a run. 4-3 Wolverines.
In the third, the Lopes rallied again. Behind a walk, a single, and an error, Jordan Keeton doubled in two runs to
give GCU a 5-4 lead. To the top of the
fifth, Basia called to the pitcher on a delayed steal and Lauren Spendlove would get the runner in a rundown. In the bottom with two on, Lyndsay Steverson hit a hit drive shot
to center that cleared the fence for a three-run homer. There was a delayed reaction from everyone as
it had seemed unlikely to go out. 7-5
Wolverines.
The Lopes came right back in the sixth. Sierra blasted a two-run shot into the trees
in the right field. This was even more
impressive than the home run from Game 1, as this one went into the
wind. Tied at 7. Skylar
Cook made a great running catch in deep center to keep it tied and end the
inning.
Aggies Kennedi
Sorenson and Mikayla Bongi had
come in earlier and were sitting up at the table behind home plate. Kennedi was wearing a Utah Valley
t-shirt. Her mom joined her there. Her sister Lexi Sorenson came in and worked a quick seventh. The Wolverines threatened in the bottom, but
a double play ended the inning. Laynee
made a great jump catch in center and then threw out a runner at second. The GCU fans erupted.
So, we went to extras again, but this time I was excited
to see more ball between these teams.
The UMKC Roos had arrived and
warmed up out beyond left field. Some of
them were watching at the wall and dancing to intermission music. Unfortunately, the wheels completely came off
for the Wolverines. Lexi had done well
against the bottom of the Lopes’ order, but the top all got on via a walk, an
error, and a run-scoring hit by Niki.
Lexi got one out, but further gave up another walk and a two-run scoring
single by Shea.
The Wolverines would have bring in two more pitchers (including
the game starter) to end the inning as the Lopes batted around. I could see Basia actually starting to cramp
from squatting behind the plate so long this inning. An Aggie fan wearing black leather left. You’d think the heat would have caused him to
leave much earlier to reconsider his wardrobe choice. This half inning went on so long, I lost
track somewhere. I didn’t even have the
number of runs correct. It was 18-7
Lopes after an 11-run inning. The
softball scoreboard doesn’t even accommodate double-digit inning scores.
I said earlier, that before Game 6 I was
impressed with the Utah Valley coach. Here’s
where I found out I was right. The
Valley Girls sang out for the whole bottom of the inning from the dugout. Reserve players came out and took all the at
bats with the girls cheering for them. 18-7 Lopes was the final. After the teams shook hands, the Utah Valley
coaching staff gave each of their girls a hug before they left the field.
I’m giving Basia
Query a gameball because it’s my
blog. She also went 2 for 3 with 3 RBI’s
and a home run. She also didn’t collapse
during that (roughly) 30-minute top of the eighth while catching. Boy, am I unhappy to see her leave as the
Wolverines have been eliminated.
Brianna
Aguilar went seven 2/3 in relief for Grand Canyon. She gave up three runs, which was good enough
until Lopes’ offense broke through. For
offensive gameballs, Niki Gonzalez
went 4 for 6 with 2 RBI, and Sierra
Smith had 4 RBI’s. Three Wolverine
errors also helped GCU scoring.
There was no rest for the Lopes. The PA announced that the next game would
start in 15 minutes. This game had
nearly run over its three-hour timeslot.
No chance of going out for a meal before the next game. This one was pretty entertaining up until the
end. I’m looking forward to Game 9.
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