Season Journal

September 20, 2004
According to the common expression, "Live by the sword, die by the sword."  The BJHS Knights learned that lesson the hard way today in a 4-0 loss to Chiddix in their IESA Regional Championship game.  One of the great strengths of this team has been an aggressive defense that did not magnify a lapse by committing two or more errors in succession.  Today, unfortunately, the Knights made too many mistakes, and they compounded them.  The game was decided in the first half of the 1st inning.  After getting the first batter out, the Knights committed three errors, and two other batters reached when they were hit by pitches.  There was only one hit in the inning, but four unearned runs scored.  After that, the two teams stood toe-to-toe and battled through six scoreless inning, but the damage had been done, and the Knights were never able to put anything together offensively.  The Chargers managed just three hits, and the Knights had four -- one each for Allison Kirk, Amanda Hainlen, Rachel Soltwedel, and Ariel Frantz.  Despite the two HBPs in the 1st inning, Chelsea Batty turned in another impressive performance in the circle.  She struck out four and walked none, and she had another outstanding defensive game with eight assists.  The Knights end the 2004 season with a record of 14-5.

September 18, 2004
On Thursday, Tri-Valley played the Cavaliers of Kingsley to earn the right to play the Knights of Bloomington in a semi-final game of the IESA Regional Tournament.  Tri-Valley won that game by a score of 4-3.  Tri-Valley, the 4th seed in the regional, and the Knights, the top seed, played seven tough innings today.  The Knights came away with a 1-0 win after scoring an unearned run in the 6th inning and shutting Tri-Valley down in the top of the 7th inning.  The Knights had plenty of chances to score in this game.  They left a total of eight runners on base and left at least one runner in every inning except the 4th.  Seven of the eight stranded runners were in scoring position.  Maggie Bee led the offense with two hits in three trips, and she also reached on an error.  The Knights' other hits belonged to Allison Kirk, Bethany Baker, and Ariel Frantz.  In the decisive 6th inning, Bee led off with a hard ground ball to second base which was not handled cleanly, allowing Bee to reach.  After one out was recorded, Bethany Baker hit another ground ball to second base, and again it was not handled.  Bee advanced to third base.  On the next pitch, Baker stole second.  Bee scored on a wild pitch, and Baker advanced to third, but two consecutive strikeouts ended the inning.  The run was critical, of course, but as is true in most big games, this game was decided by outstanding pitching and great defense.  Chelsea Batty earned her 12th victory of the season and recorded her 8th shutout.  She struck out four, walked none, and scattered four hits.  Tri-Valley could not manage more than one hit in an inning, and only one of those hits came with no outs.  The defense behind Batty was aggressive and made every play that had to be made.  The key defensive play of the game came in the top of the 7th.  Tri-Valley's Tamma Hinthorne opened the inning with a sharp single to left field.  Hannah Lessen came in to run for Hinthorne and promptly stole second base.  After a fly ball out to Frantz in left field, Lessen tried to steal third base.  The Knights' catcher, Allison Kirk, made a perfect throw to shortstop Nichelle Harrison to catch Lessen stealing.  The final out was a routine ground ball to Batty who threw to first to close the door on the game and on a magnificent season for Tri-Valley who ended the 2004 campaign with a 21-6 record.  The Knights raised their record to 14-4.  

In the second game today, the Chargers of Chiddix bested the Pythons of Parkside by a score of 2-1 in another hard fought game that could have gone either way.  Parkside opened the scoring with a run in the top of the 1st inning.  Chiddix knotted the score at 1-1 with a run of their own in the bottom of the 1st.  The Chargers scored what would be the winning run in the 3rd inning.  Chiddix and BJHS meet on Monday, September 20, at 4:00 PM in an IESA Regional Championship game at David Anderson Park in Normal.    

September 13, 2004
The Knights ended the regular season today with a doubleheader sweep over Tri-Valley, a team that entered today's contests with a record of 21-3.  The Knights won the first game, 11-1, in five innings behind the 3-hit pitching of Chelsea Batty, aggressive defense, and a balanced hitting attack.  Allison Kirk and Bethany Baker had two hits apiece.  Batty had a 2-RBI double, and Rachel Soltwedel contributed a 2-RBI triple.  The Knights won the second game by a score of 9-8.  Tri-Valley took a 2-0 lead into the 3rd inning.  BJHS scored four runs in the bottom of the 3rd to take the lead.  The Knights expanded their lead to 6-2 in the 4th inning only to see Tri-Valley scramble back to 6-5 with a three-run outburst in the 5th inning.  The Knights scored one in the bottom of the 5th inning to increase their lead to 7-5, but Tri-Valley erased that lead with two runs in the 6th inning and then took the lead with a run in the top of the 7th.  With their backs against the wall, and the light of day rapidly disappearing into dusk, the Knights made one final charge.  With one out, Nichelle Harrison walked.  When Amanda Hainlen reached on an infield error, Harrison advanced to second base.  Sara Maxedon then laid down a sacrifice bunt, advancing Harrison to third and Hainlen to second.  Maxedon reached first on a fielder's choice when Tri-Valley's pitcher held onto the ball.  Taylor Curtis went in to run for Hainlen.  Maggie Bee, after a long battle at the plate, singled to drive in Harrison and tie the score.  Curtis advanced to third.  With Bethany Baker at the plate, Curtis scored the winning run on a wild pitch.  Bee had four hits in five trips to the plate, including a double, and she had two RBI.  Hainlen had three hits in five trips, including a double, and she had one RBI.  Liz Ficek also had a double and drove in two runs.  Harrison scored three times on a hit, two walks, and a stolen base.  Casie Golliday started in the circle for the Knights.  She pitched five innings and allowed no earned runs.  Allison Kirk pitched the final two innings, allowed just one hit, and picked up the win to level her record at 1-1.  Team A ends the regular season with a record of 13-4.

September 11, 2004
To describe any single event in a softball season as a "defining moment" probably challenges the limits of credulity, but there are certainly moments in any season in any sport that surpass routine.  The Knights of BJHS had one of those moments in their first game at East Peoria today.  After losing two straight games, and falling behind 2-0 in the 1st inning of their game against the Wildcats, the Knights needed something to help them regain their confidence.  It came in the 6th inning.  With one out, Amanda Hainlen drew a walk.  The next batter, Rachel Soltwedel, hit a ground ball to the second baseman.  Both Hainlen and Soltwedel, taking nothing for granted, ran hard.  The fielder looked at second but realized Hainlen was going to beat the throw.  By the time she looked at first, the streaking Soltwedel was crossing the bag.  Instead of two outs, with a runner at either first or second, the Knights had runners at first and second and still had just one out.  Maggie Bee and Chelsea Batty followed with RBI singles.  Ariel Frantz drew a walk and stole second.  Nichelle Harrison singled and stole a base.  All these pieces put together resulted in a five-run rally that erased the 2-0 deficit and paved the way for a doubleheader sweep.  The Knights won the first game, 8-2.  Six of their eight hits came in the 6th and 7th innings when they scored all their runs.  Harrison led the way with two hits, two stolen bases, and an RBI.  Soltwedel scored twice, hit a double, and had an RBI.  Maggie Bee had two hits and an RBI.  Chelsea Batty earned the victory in the circle.  She gave up just two hits, struck out five, and retired the last 12 batters she faced.  The Knights won the second game, 15-0, in four innings behind Casie Golliday's no-hitter.  In this game, Bee was perfect at the plate with three hits and a walk in four trips.  She scored four times, and drove in two runs.  Jayme Johnson had two hits, including a triple to the center field fence, and she had three RBI.  Golliday helped her own cause with a double and an RBI.  There are 14 players on the Knights' post-season team.  They all played today, and every player made a contribution to their team's success.  It was a collaborative defining effort by a team that needed to reset its course and accomplished exactly that today.  Team A raised its record to 11-4.  

September 9, 2004
The Knights fell to Olympia today by a score of 3-1, their second loss in two days.  Olympia scored two unearned runs in the second inning.  They scored one earned run in the third inning when Leach led off with a triple to left center and scored on Batterton's sharp single to right field.  The Knights were held to two hits -- one by Amanda Hainlen in the 4th inning and one by Nichelle Harrison in the 5th.  The silver lining for the BJHS offense is that there were only two strikeouts.  The Knights consistently put the ball in play, and they left a runner on base in every inning except the 1st.  Unfortunately, they could not advance runners and they could not get RBI hits when they had runners in scoring position.  Chelsea Batty took the loss.  She struck out three, walked one, and except for the third inning, she scattered Olympia's eight hits.  Team A is now 9-4, heading into a doubleheader at East Peoria on Saturday.  

September 8, 2004
According to the old softball/baseball adage, "It's tough to win when you don't score."  The adage proved true today at Maxwell South as the Parkside Pythons threw two shutouts at the Knights of BJHS.  Team A lost, 1-0, and Team B lost 10-0, in six innings.  In the Team A game, the Knights managed only one hit, a single by Allison Kirk in the 7th inning.  Kirk reached second base but moved no further.  The Knights had their best chance to score in the 4th inning.  Maggie Bee opened the frame by reaching on an infield error.  She advanced to third on two consecutive sacrifice bunts, but the inning ended one batter later on a groundout to second.  The game belonged to Jen Murray of Parkside.  Murray was the winning pitcher, striking out 10 and walking none.  She also scored the game's only run with a solo home run down the left field line with one out in the 6th inning.  Team A's record falls to 9-3.  

Team B had two hits in its game -- one by Jayme Johnson and one by Bailey Bottorff.  The younger Knights also drew two walks and one batter was hit by a pitch, but they struck out a total of 13 times and reached scoring position on just four occasions.  Casie Golliday was the Knights' tough-luck loser in this game.  She started, pitched the first two innings, and gave up just two runs and one hit.  Golliday was followed by Staci Gardner who pitched one inning, Alina Agamy who pitched one inning, and Tycie Justice who pitched an inning and 1/3 before the Pythons ended the game by the 10-run rule in the 6th.  Team B ends its season with a record of 4-7.

September 4, 2004
Today the Knights of BJHS entertained the Cavaliers of Kingsley Junior High School in an A/B doubleheader.  The Knights were victorious in each game.  In the first game, the Knights' Team A turned in another solid all-around performance in claiming its ninth win of the campaign.  The final score was 8-0.  The Knights scored in every inning except the 4th.  Rachel Soltwedel continued her season-long hot hitting with three hits, including a double, and 2 RBI.  Maggie Bee contributed two hits, including a double, and 1 RBI.  Nichelle Harrison, proving that speed can never be over-rated, had two hits from the left side and drove in a run on a groundout from the right side of the plate, all on balls that stayed in the infield.  Allison Kirk had a perfect day at the plate with one hit and three walks in four trips.  Sara Maxedon scored twice and stole three bases.  Chelsea Batty recorded her seventh shutout in nine pitching victories.  She struck out three, walked one, and scattered five singles.  Team A moves its record to 9-2. 

For Team B, the theme song for today could have been What a Difference a Day Makes.  In yesterday's loss to Flanagan, three Team B pitchers combined for 11 walks, 4 HBPs, 6 WPs, and 17 runs.  In today's game, Tycie Justice and Casie Golliday gave up 10 hits, but they walked only one batter, hit one, and struck out six.  Inspired by consistency in the circle, the Team B defense played exceptionally well, committing just two errors in a six-inning, 19-9, victory, and there should be no mistaking that this win was built on excellent pitching and assertive defense.  The offense generated only four hits, but the Knights dominated the scoreboard by taking advantage of 14 walks and 5 HBPs, and they ran the bases aggressively.  The offensive leader for the younger Knights was Krista Feiste.  She had two hits and two walks in her five plate appearances.  She scored three runs, stole a base, and drove in a run.  Tycie Justice pitched the first three innings of the game.  Casie Golliday pitched the final three and picked up her first victory of the season in her first appearance in the circle.  Team B raised its record to 4-6.  

September 3, 2004
It was another tough outing for Team B today when they played Flanagan's Team A.  The younger Knights lost in five innings, 17-2.  The Bulldogs' pitcher, Smith, threw a no-hitter, struck out nine, and walked just one.  The Knights had one runner in the 2nd inning.  With one out, Krista Feiste reached on a walk, stole second and third but was stranded when the next two batters struck out.  The Knights had three runners in the 3rd inning when they scored their two runs.  Tycie Justice opened the inning by getting hit by a pitch.  She stole second.  After one out, Ariel Frantz reached on an infield error and Justice scored.  Frantz then stole second and third and scored on a sacrifice bunt by Maggie Bee.  Smith and the Flanagan defense retired the final seven Knight hitters, five of them on strikeouts.  Alina Agamy was the starting pitcher for the Knights.  She pitched the first three innings and took the loss.  Staci Gardner pitched 2/3 of an inning, and Tycie Justice pitched the final inning and 1/3.  Team B's record falls to 3-6.  

September 1, 2004
The Knights traveled to Clinton today to play an A/B doubleheader with the Clinton Warriors.  Team A continued to apply the formula for fastpitch softball success -- excellent pitching, aggressive defense, timely hitting, and relentless execution.  In winning, 6-0, the Knights had nine hits, drew six walks, stole two bases, and they were successful on five sacrifice bunts.  Allison Kirk, who is leading the team with a .531 batting average, had one hit, scored a run, walked once, and drove in two runs.  Sara Maxedon raised her batting average to .406 with two hits and a sacrifice bunt in four plate appearances.  She scored twice and stole a base.  Chelsea Batty also had a standout day at the plate.  She hit a double, walked,  had a sacrifice bunt, and drove in a run in her four appearances.  Bethany Baker contributed two singles and a sacrifice bunt to the cause, but what was most impressive is that every batter in the lineup contributed something -- a hit, a run, an RBI, or a sacrifice bunt -- in what was a truly a TEAM effort.   Batty had another excellent game in the circle.  She allowed two singles, and the only batter to advance as far as second base reached on an error in the second inning.  Batty struck out four and walked none, raising her record on the season to 8-1 and lowering her ERA to 0.36.  She recorded her sixth shutout.  To date, Batty has struck out 51 batters and has walked just four.  Team A is now 8-2 on the season.

Team B had some good moments in their game, but those moments were too few to stop a 13-3 loss in five innings.  The younger Knights managed just one hit, a single by Maggie Bee in the fifth inning.  The Warriors had only two hits, but they were very aggressive in taking advantage of the Knights' mistakes.  Ariel Frantz provided a defensive bright spot for Team B.  The Warriors attempted three steals.  Frantz threw out two of the three runners, one at second and one at third.  Alina Agamy started in the circle for the Knights, worked the first four innings, and took the loss.  Staci Gardner was pitching when the game ended in the 5th inning.  Team B's record is 3-5.

August 31, 2004
It was an A/B doubleheader today between two rivals, the Chargers of Chiddix and the Knights of BJHS.  Team A earned a 2-0 victory over Chiddix's previously undefeated Team A.  The Knights scored the only runs of the game in the 1st inning.  After one was out, Sara Maxedon reached on an infield error and stole second.  Allison Kirk singled to right field, but Maxedon had to hold at third base.  Maxedon scored when Amanda Hainlen reached on a fielder's choice.  One out later, Chelsea Batty singled to right, driving home Kirk.  Although the Knights threatened in the 3rd inning and in the 5th, they could not push across another run.  The victory was preserved by outstanding pitching from Batty and a defense that made every play it had to.  Batty faced just 24 batters, scattered three singles, struck out six, and walked none.  Nichelle Harrison at shortstop led the way on defense with four assists and a putout.  Batty contributed three assists and a putout.  The win pushed Team A's record to 7-2.

Team B lost its game to Chiddix by a score of 18-8 in five innings.  The silver lining in this game is that after falling behind by a score of 13-1, the Knights rallied in the 5th inning, scoring 7 runs to make it a contest again.  Unfortunately, they faltered in the bottom of the inning, yielding five runs.  Ariel Frantz had two of the Knights' five hits in this game.  She scored two runs and stole two bases.  Shaneice Bell had two RBI.  Tycie Justice started the game in the circle, pitched the first two innings, and took the loss.  Staci Gardner pitched the 3rd inning.  Alina Agamy pitched the final two innings.  Team B is now 3-4.  

August 30, 2004
It was the Knights versus the Knights today in a battle between Epiphany's Team A and BJHS' Team B.  The two teams split a doubleheader, Epiphany winning the first game 15-14 and BJHS winning the nightcap 16-5 in five innings.  Three pitchers worked in the first game for Bloomington.  Tycie Justice pitched the first three innings, allowing 12 runs, but just five earned runs.  Staci Gardner gave up just one run in her two innings of work.  Alina Agamy pitched the 7th when Epiphany scored two runs, the first to tie the game and the second to win it.  Neither of those runs was earned.  Each team committed seven errors in this game, so it ultimately came down to who would make the last mistake.  Unfortunately, that was the Knights of BJHS.  The offense was productive, as the score would indicate.  Ariel Frantz led the way with two hits, including a double, four runs scored, and two stolen bases.  Jayme Johnson and Bailey Bottorff also had two hits.  Johnson and Casie Golliday each drove in a pair of runs.  In the second game, BJHS managed just five hits, but they took advantage of 12 walks, five HBPs, and nine stolen bases to amass their16 runs.  Frantz hit a home run in this game and scored three times.  Johnson had two hits and 2 RBI.  Alina Agamy started the second game, pitched three innings, allowed just one run, and picked up the victory.  Staci Gardner pitched the final two innings.  Four runs scored in those two innings, but none were earned.  Both teams played markedly better in the field.  BJHS had just two errors, and Epiphany had four miscues.  No matter how the spectators turned the prism, it was a good night for the Knights!  Team B continues to play .500 softball with a 3-3 record.  

August 28, 2004
The "weather people" forecast a "chance" of rain on Wednesday.  The Knights' game with Germantown Hills was rained out.  The same forecasters predicted a "chance" of rain on Thursday.  The Knights' game with Pontiac was rained out.  The meteorological experts opined that there was a chance of "rain" on Friday.  The Knights' Team B doubleheader with Holy Trinity was washed out.  The weather prognosticators gathered together and decided that there was a "100% chance of rain" for Saturday.  It did not rain, at least not while softball was being played in Fairbury.  The Knights put away their water wings and played an A/B doubleheader against the Prairie Central Hawks.  Team A was dominant in a 12-0 five-inning victory.  The story of this game, as is often the case in fastpitch softball, was in the circle.  Chelsea Batty won her sixth game of the season and recorded her fourth shutout in throwing her first no-hitter of the season.  Just two batters reached against her, both in the 4th inning.  The Hawks' Kaley Corban drew a walk, and Shari Steidinger reached on an error, but that was it.  Batty and the defense were sterling.  As often happens when Batty pitches, she led the team in assists with six, but except for the one miscue, the defense was outstanding behind her.  Because the Knights were exceptionally patient at the plate, drawing five walks and reaching on five Hawk errors, they had just six hits, but they made them count.  Rachel Soltwedel (2 hits including a double, 1 run, 4 RBI) and Allison Kirk (2 hits including a double, 3 runs, 2 RBI) led the way, but every batter in the lineup scored at least one run, and six hitters had one or more RBI.  It was a classic and successful team effort.  Team A is now 6-2 on the season.

Team B dug itself quite a hole in their game today, allowing Prairie Central to score six runs in the first three innings, but when they decided it was time to concentrate and play softball, they closed the door on the Hawks' offense and began the methodical process of chipping away at their lead.  The Knights scored 1 run in the 3rd inning, 2 in the fifth, 1 in the sixth, and 3 in the seventh to take a lead they would not relinquish in a stirring, come-from-behind, 7-6 victory.  Fifteen players contributed to Team B's success, led on offense by Ariel Frantz (2 hits, 2 runs), Jayme Johnson (2 hits, 2 RBI), and Shaneice Bell (triple, 2 RBI).  Down by two runs entering the top of the 7th inning,  Frantz led off with a single to right field.  Maggie Bee reached on an error.  After an infield out put runners at second and third, Bell split the gap between left and center with a line drive that reached the fence.  Frantz and Bee scored easily.  Bell did not stop running until she reached third.  After Tycie Justice walked, Bell scored on Alina Agamy's ground ball to second base.  Three Knight pitchers threw in this game.  Tycie Justice started and went three innings.  Staci Gardner pitched two innings and gave up no runs on just one hit.  Alina Agamy threw the final two innings, allowing no hits and picking up her first win in a BJHS uniform.  Team B leveled its season mark at 2-2.  

August 23, 2004
Coaches often worry about how their teams will react after a tough loss.  If there was any worry on the part of the BJHS softball coaches about how Team A would respond after a tough loss in the first game to Williamsville on Saturday, it was wasted worry.  The Knights were clearly ready to play, winning 10-0, over the Cougars of PBL in five innings.  The Knights managed just six hits, but they drew four walks, stole seven bases, and took advantage of six Cougar miscues to score in every inning but one.  Every Knight scored one run except for Bethany Baker.  She scored two.  Chelsea Batty picked up her fifth win of the season, striking out nine and walking none.  Add to that, one putout on a line drive she caught at her feet and two assists, and Batty had a hand in 12 of the 15 outs.  She set the tone for the game when she struck out the side in the first inning and struck out seven of the first nine batters she faced.  Team A is 5-2 on the season.

PBL started the same nine players in the second game against the Knights' Team B.  The Cougars won the game, 11-1, but the younger Knights struck out just four times, had five hits, prevented a shutout by scoring a run in the 4th inning and played excellent defense, committing just two errors.  Tycie Justice started the game in the circle and took the loss, her first of the season.  Staci Gardner pitched the 5th and struck out the side, allowing just one unearned run.  Team B owns a 1-2 record.

August 21, 2004
It was a tough day for Team A of the Knights at Williamsville.   BJHS came away with their first two losses of the season, a heartbreaking 9-8 loss in extra innings and a 10-0 loss in a game stopped after five and one-third innings because of the 10-run rule.  In the first game, the Knights fell behind by five runs in the 3rd inning, but battled back and actually took a 2-run lead in the 6th inning.  Williamsville scored two in the bottom of the 6th to forge a 7-7 tie.  The Knights scored one in the top of the 7th but could not hold off Williamsville's tying run in the bottom of the 7th.  In the first extra frame, Williamsville shut down the BJHS offense and then scored one in the bottom of the 8th to take the victory.  Sara Maxedon (3 hits including a double, 2 runs, and 1 RBI), Allison Kirk (4 hits, 1 run, and 3 RBI), and Rachel Soltwedel (2 hits and 2 RBI) led a 12-hit BJHS offense.  Chelsea Batty absorbed her first pitching loss of the season.

In the second game, the Knights were unable to score a run, although they did manage 5 hits and left 5 stranded.  Maxedon had two hits, and Ariel Frantz had a double for BJHS.  Allison Kirk, in her first pitching outing of the season, took the loss.  Team A now owns a 4-2 record.  

August 19, 2004
The Knights played an A/B doubleheader at home today against Mt. Zion.  BJHS dominated the "A" game, winning 10-0 in 5 innings.  Chelsea Batty turned in another excellent game in the circle.  She allowed just four hits, struck out five, and walked none.  The defense behind Batty was solid, highlighted by Bethany Baker's standout play at third base.  Baker recorded two putouts and four assists.  The Knights scored in every inning except the 3rd.  Maggie Bee had two hits and scored three runs.  Allison Kirk had two doubles, scored two runs, and had two RBI.  Rachel Soltwedel had two hits, including a triple.  Batty also had two hits, and she had three RBI.  Liz Ficek, with two hits, had her best offensive game of the season.  Ficek, Kirk, and Bee each stole a base.  Team A is now 4-0.  

In the "B" game, the Knights fell behind, 5-0, after the opening half inning, but they stormed back, scoring in every inning, to win 14-7.  Jayme Johnson and Ariel Frantz led the offense with two hits apiece.  Jennifer Veitengruber knocked in two runs and scored three.  Ten different players reached base, and seven scored.  Offensively, it was clearly a "team effort."  Tycie Justice picked up the pitching win.  She came into the game in the 3rd inning and finished the contest.  She allowed two runs, one earned.  She struck out four and walked just two.  Bailey Bottorff had a stellar game at third base, with one putout, five assists, and no errors.  Team B leveled its record at 1-1.

August 17, 2004
The Knights (Team A) played their first road game of the season today.  They traveled to Green Valley to play Midwest Central.  The Knights prevailed by a score of 7-1.  Midwest Central scored their run in the first inning.  The BJHS players hit the ball well throughout the game, but they could not put a run on the board until the 4th inning.  Rachel Soltwedel led off the inning with a double.  She moved to third base on a well-executed sacrifice bunt by Bethany Baker.  Soltwedel scored on Sara Maxedon's line drive single to right field.  The Knights broke the game open in the 6th inning, scoring five runs.  Once again, Soltwedel opened the inning with a double.  Baker hit a fly ball to center field.  It dropped safely, but because it was nearly caught, Soltwedel was unable to advance.  Maxedon then attempted a sacrifice bunt, but Midwest Central threw out Soltwedel at third base.  The Knights then moved their offense into a higher gear.  Maggie Bee singled to center.  Ariel Frantz drove in Baker when she reached on a fielder's choice.  Allison Kirk plated Maxedon and Bee with a single to left center.  Amanda Hainlen's double to deep left field brought home Frantz and Jen Veintengruber, who was running for Kirk.  The Knights picked up one more run in the 7th inning.  Baker led off the inning with a single to left center.  Maxedon laid down a perfect sacrifice bunt.  Baker advanced from first to third on the play and scored on Bee's ground out to second base.  Hainlen had three hits, including a double, and had two RBI.  Soltwedel had three hits, all doubles.  Baker and Maxedon each had two hits, and Kirk had two RBI.  As a team, the Knights pounded out 14 hits.  Ariel Frantz had an excellent game at second base, with two putouts and four assists, including two plays on balls that took very difficult bounces.  Chelsea Batty had another strong game in the circle.  She struck out six, walked none, and the lone run Midwest Central scored was unearned.  Team A is now 3-0 on the young season. 

August 16, 2004
Team A played a single game today against Canton Ingersoll.  The Knights were business-like in a 7-0 victory.  Chelsea Batty had a stellar game in the circle.  She struck out 12 and walked just one.  She also had four assists, so she played in a role in 16 of the 21 outs for BJHS.  On the offensive side, the Knights had 10 hits and drew two walks.  Maggie Bee had two hits and scored two runs.  Allison Kirk had two hits and two RBI.  Bethany Baker also had two hits and scored one.  Team A is 2-0. 

August 14, 2004
The Knights opened the 2004 season today with an A/B doubleheader at home against Parkside Junior High School, in front of a large and enthusiastic crowd.  The "A" game was an exciting extra inning contest, won by the Knights, 2-1.  The Pythons scored their run in the first inning.  Harding drove in Jen Murray who reached on a single to centerfield.  The Knights tied the game with a run in the 6th inning.  Nichelle Harrison started the inning with an infield single.  She stole second and advanced to third base on Allison Kirk's sacrifice bunt.  Harrison scored when Bethany Baker hit a ground ball to the right side.  The ball was fielded by Jen Murray, the Pythons' pitcher, but her only play was at first base.  The scored remained tied until the 8th inning.  With two outs in the bottom of the 8th inning, Baker singled and stole second.  Amanda Hainlen then singled to right field, scoring Baker.  It was an exciting end to a very well-played game by both teams.  The Knights' winning pitcher, Chelsea Batty, gave up just five hits -- three of them in the first inning.  She struck out three, walked none, and the Knights' defense was flawless.  Team A is now 1-0 on the season.

It was clear that Team B was a little nervous in their first contest of the season.  They lost to Parkside, 8-4, but they outhit the Pythons, 5-2.  More importantly, they played hard for seven innings.  The Knights had three hits and scored two runs in the bottom of the 7th inning.  Maggie Bee led the offense with two hits and two RBI.  Team B is 0-1.