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Rogers breaks out: Champion couldn’t get a base hit until Darian Rogers’ rip through the left side in the fourth inning. It came after the junior third baseman committed a pair of errors in the first three innings. Both were hard hit balls that she couldn’t get a handle on and allowed the Cardinals to score. “I told her let it go and we kept fighting,” Champion coach Cheryl Weaver said. Her hit set the tone offensively for the rest of the game. “We knew once she broke loose that it would be great for us,” Weaver said.

Swipas strong again: Getting down 2-0 after only the first inning rattled Champion a bit. The early struggles wore on it and there was not only a hole on the scoreboard, but also one in the hearts of the Flashes faithful. “I didn’t have any doubts,” Swipas confidently confirmed after the game. It showed in the second inning as she struck out the side, jump-starting her strikeout total that ended with nine. “She just always gets stronger as the game goes on,” Weaver said. “I gained even more confidence,” Swipas added. She surrendered just seven hits and none of the runs scored were earned.

Matthew Peaslee