Julie Harmon pitched a strong game to keep the Apples hanging on 11 strikeouts in the first 5 innings of play. Baillie Lott came in to pitch in the 6 th inning and kept slicing through the Apples with 3 more strikeouts. Edge also played sound defense with some strong puts outs by shortstop Amanda (A.J.) Jordan and catcher Kristie King who gunned runners down with laser throws. Harmon also contributed well at the plate going 3-for-3 as the Edge put 8 runs across, more than ample the offense needed for the win. In 2 nd inning Edge batters Sammy Simon and Harmon reach safely, then Kristie King put the ball in play for 2 RBIs, followed by a fielder’s choice play on an Alexis Pinnell hit that scored another run. Ashley Smith put down a good push bunt to score the 4 th run of the innings. Edge added a run in the 3 rd inning when Simon tripled to lead-off. She scored when Harmon stroked a ball between short and third. Edge had a 5-0 lead. Edge added 2 runs in the 5 th inning from a lead-off walk by Tiffany Smith, a sngle by Baillie Lott and a RBI hits by Harmon and Elizabeth Ferrell. Lott added the final run in the 6 th inning by putting the ball in play to score Jenny Bain, who had battled hard to draw a walk and give Edge a runner on base.

Final: Xtreme Edge 8, New York Bad Apples 0.

Edge kept a well-coached Americans team off balance, stringing hits together, “winning the inning”, and keeping the Americans off base throughout the game. Baillie Lott was hot at the plate and went 4-for-4. Pitcher-catcher battery of Julie Harmon and Kristie King kept the Americans at bay with a good combination of pitch calls and deliveries in the 8-strikeout game, allowing hits only in 2 innings and not allowing a runner to reach third base. Julie Tower made several good plays at second base and Tiffany Smith and Lott ran down fly balls in a game where Edge played solid defense. Edge manufactured a run in the 2 nd inning when Elizabeth (“E.”) Ferrell reached base safely and stole both second and third bases. Kristie King launched a shot deep into the American outfield to bring Ferrell home. Once again, King played a key role in the bottom of the inning when she gunned a runner down at first base to eliminate scoring opportunities for the Americans. In the 3 rd inning, with 2 outs, Lott stroked a double and was driven home when Sammy Simon hit a ball deep in the gap in right center field. Edge got its final run in the 5 th inning when Tiffany Smith reached first, Lott singled and Simon put down a great bunt that forced a hurried misfire to first base by the Americans’ third baseman.

Final: Xtreme Edge 3, Arizona Americans 0.

The Renegades drew first blood in this game in the first inning when the lead-off batter singled through the left side of the Edge infield and was able to advance on subsequent pitches. With a runner at third, Edge pitcher Baillie Lott sat down two straight batters before the Renegade clean-up batter (also their pitcher), hit a sharp single up the middle to score 1 run. Lott proceeded to strike out the next batter (and all three batters in the 2 nd inning). Edge got an opportunity to score in the 2 nd inning Tiffany Smith doubled followed by a Julie Tower single. But Edge got caught on a squeeze play when the Renegade pitcher threw two straight low and away pitches to Kristie King, the second one producing a rundown out of Smith between third base and home. Alert Julie Tower advanced to third base on the play, but Edge was down to 1 out in the inning and was unable to score. Edge played sound defense, best exhibited when second baseman Tower ran down a sharp grounder behind first base, barehanded the ball and flipped the ball backhanded to Alexis Pinnell on first (Pinnell made an initial attempt to field the grounder, then recovered quickly to cover first base). Julie Harmon came in to pitch in the 3 rd inning, allowing just three baserunners and keeping the Renegades from scoring further. In the end, Edge was just unable to string hits together to score. This was Edge’s first loss in the tournament.

Final: Xtreme Edge 0, San Diego Renegades 1.

Xtreme Edge vs Bayside Blues from Baltimore, Maryland – 08/05/2005

This loss was a tough one for Edge, because of being eliminated from the tournament and the sense that it was a game that was well in hand and just got away. A Tiffany Smith double in the 2 nd inning followed by a hard hit ball by Julie Tower provided the first run. With Tower on base, Alexis Pinnell put down a great bunt for a hit. Kristie King came up and was called on by Coach Reynolds to sacrifice the runners around. With two strikes, King later said she was just trying to get a bat on the ball somehow. She did that and more, sending a homerun blast over centerfield fence that notched 2 more runs for Edge. Up 3-0 over the Blues in the bottom of the 3 rd inning, Edge had trouble fielding a couple of fly balls and allowed the Blues to score 2 runs, bringing the score to 3-2. Edge pitcher Julie Harmon and catcher Kristie King kept Blues batters at bay (or is it bayside?) most of the game, battling both batters and a strike zone that informed Edge parents said was quite narrow. But in the 6 th inning, the Blues got two runners on with no outs. After one Blues runner scored to tie the game at 3 a piece, Baillie Lott was brought to the mound. Edge tried to keep more Blues runners from scoring, but made fielder’s choice plays that failed to produce outs at home plate and resulted in Blues scores. With the Blues up by 2 runs, Lott retired three consecutive batters to end the inning. In one of the strangest endings, as Edge came in to bat in the top of the 7 th inning, game officials said that the game clock had expired while Lott’s last pitch was in mid-air, before it hit King’s catcher’ mitt. Less than one more second was needed to give Edge another up at the plate, but it was not to be and Edge was out of the tournament, finishing in a tie for 33 rd place out of 115 teams.

Final: Xtreme Edge 3, Maryland Bayside Blues 5.

The 2005 ASA “A” National Tournament was a good proving ground for a great Xtreme Edge team. It was obvious that Edge can hang with anybody in the game. The season brought out many positive aspects of this talented Edge team. Things that stood out from this tournament and season include:

• Coaches that help players improve: for the team and their future in the game
• Aggressive hitters that want to put the ball in play and move runners around
• Great scouting of other teams to prepare Edge for each game (Thanks coaches so much for this unseen but highly important aspect of the game)
• Parents who support every player on the team and appreciate their different contributions to the team’s effort
• Camaraderie of Edge players who support and care for each other
• Base runners who want the next base; it makes Edge a threat in every contest
• Sacrifice plays by every player that catch opponents off guard and move runners
• Defense that tries to eliminate every opposition base runner. Our catching eliminated more runners than we can track
• Consistent [very consistent] fielding of ground balls
• Situational awareness: the right play at the right time
• Positive mental attitudes of Edge players who don’t have any quit in them! You just don’t know how special you can be in life because of this

With a 2005 record of 36 and 11, This was a great season and much was accomplished. We can all be proud of this team and its coaching staff. We look forward to what you all will achieve in the next few years.