Dateline: Reston North 1 (formerly North Point 1)
On a perfect fall afternoon, the Ironbirds took the field for the first time against the Bees. In a strategic shift, the Ironbirds reversed the batting order from the one used last week. Coach Grossman is known for complex maneuvers but this is a new one for this reporter. It worked to perfection. Matthew led off and drilled a long shot to the outfield grass. Scott lined a ball to third and beat the throw to second. Nicole smashed a hard ground ball past the pitcher, Marcus came through with a big RBI single. Zack followed with a nice shot to short, Mitchell smashed a long shot to the outfield grass, Olivia lined a hard grounder to second that she easily beat out and Grayson drilled a long drive to left center. Isaac continued the offensive barrage with a single to right and Logan finished off the inning with a key single to short.
On the defensive side the Bees were hitting the ball hard, but the Ironbirds made some nice stops. Nicole stopped a hard drive. Scott stopped one at second came up and looked to first to first, but Coach Grossman said to go to second. This looked like some overcoaching by Coach Grossman as Scott would have had a clean play to first. Matthew stopped a couple of balls on the mound and he made some nice throws to first that were just beaten. The team looked alive in the field and looked more ready on every play than they had before.
In the third and final inning, the Bees hitter smashed a line drive back to the mound. Scott alertly moved in front of the ball, but unfortunately it glanced off his head. Scott was tough and went for the ball, but he had to be taken out of the game to put some ice on his head. Ironbirds fans cheered as he left the field under his own power. This reporter notes that Scott had completed a full recovery after the game.
Coach Grossman said, “I hated to see Scott get hit with a ball, but he’s a tough kid and I liked how he stayed after the ball. Our guys are hitting much better each week and we had a chance to get a bunch of outs. I think we’ll get a few next week. These Bees are tough. Their coach told me they usually get five or six outs a game. He was impressed with how well we were hitting the ball and how well we ran the bases. We’ve got a young team and I’m thrilled with how they are progressing.” Coach Goldstein said, “Our guys and girls are clearly looking more confident at the plate.”