Ladywhips Baseball

In which trophy winners are announced; two voices are heard; two languages are spoken; there is a humble nod to an extraordinary gift; and many generous words are spoken

In which a different team returned to Crimea Park; Misato does an impression of a metronome; Molly reads down angle; Alex is really really unlucky; Currie is too old to get out of the way; Vette does not go fishing; Sophie is composed; Monica is focussed; Molly really has to run; Sophie remembers the words of all of her teeball coaches; Molly does an impression of a ballerina; Steph pounces like a vulture; Caitlin pays the price for doing her own washing; Deborah doesn’t panic; Sophie surprises herself; a lot; and then reaches back; Misato has good instincts; Currie has muscles; Vette uses her shoulders; Monica demonstrates the virtue of training; Sophie finally runs out of gas; Alex is a bit too strong; Currie blames Shaun’s glove; Steph demonstrates the advantages of being tall; and Sophie wins her first ball!

In which calls and messages of love and respect come from around the world; Molly finally draws a walk; Dan has a personal coach; Steph thinks too much; George replicates training drills; Meg goes chasing (thankfully); Vicky is unrushed; Molly gets muscular; Misato is consistent; Alex is ripped off (with an apology); Vicky physically demonstrates Australian vernacular; Caitlin executes her first rundown play; Steph is in exactly the right spot at exactly the right time; Dan uses the whole field; Meg makes an adjustment; Alex doesn’t throw despite wanting to; Steph is not nervous in plastic; but still has bruises to show for it; Caitlin is not confident of her footing; however Molly is a a century of games is celebrated with hedgehogs!

In which Meg mounts a comeback; Caitlin advertises the power of Hard Solo; Misato is ready; most others are not; Molly is athletic; repeatedly; Vette reels in the years; but laments having to run; Monica lacks patience; but not as much as Deborah; Molly dislikes the fence; Dan and Steph stop talking; Monica can run; but the gloves clang too often

In which Trav takes medical advice seriously; Shaun is grateful for his new screen; Molly is respected; Georgina lunges; Alex remembers her leg kick; Misato is a wall; Dan is too keen; so is Deborah; Ciara is very quick; Sophie crushes without knowing where it went; Alex knows; Dan crushes; Deborah gets her first; Misato gets revenge; Ciara runs hard & slides even harder; Caitlin is ready; Georgina loads; Monica battles, Molly rides her luck; and Nanami does lots of difficult translating; before Trav shares her heart and her mind!

In which, fresh from their strong win over Carine Cats, the Ladywhips sit down to listen to the baseball journey of Rebecca Travaglione

In which the Freedom Centre practice very hard for the first pitch; Trav volunteers to catch it; Shaun volunteers to wear a tutu; Trav is pumped; (Those things are not connected though); Molly dislikes wasting pitches; Trav enjoys fouling them off; Caitlin has her mojo back; Molly’s subconscious gets in her way; Sophie isn’t quite quick enough; but Steph is; Ciara keeps it alive; Deborah has a first; Trav crushes; Sophie is unflustered; Vette does an impression of a pretzel; Trav has the deke; Sophie forgets to move out of the way; Ciara doesn’t panic; nor does Sophie; Vette launches but respects her knees; Molly breathes out; and love is celebrated!

In which Clayton gives up his Sunday morning; Molly forgets how to give up a ball; Misato doesn’t like wasting pitches - especially with her fan club watching; Steph is out in front; Vette does all she can to avoid running; Caitlin gets her bat mojo back; Sophie misses a signal; Alex covers as Caitlin gets confused; Deborah gets to the first three bases for the first time; Monica shows off her outfielding skills from Saturday softball; Alex picks the deepest part with the longest grass; Vette cannot turn; Alex discovers Yoshinobu; On the shortest hit of her career Molly becomes the club’s women’s hits record holder; Sophie is cool and strong under pressure; and there is joy on the field.

In which George is determined; Deborah charges; Dan is stretchy; Molly is exhausting; Steph overanalyses; Trav is cautious but has some moves; Alex awakens old memories but is very athletic; Ciara can run; Alex is strong; Steph Marshals the field; Caitlin slams the door; Molly slams the ball; George is gritty; Dan is patient; Alex gets dirty; & George does something she hasn’t done for some time!

In which Molly was muscly & Misato was well drilled; Trav finds a way to get out of starting pitching & Caitlin finds a way to deal with her hangover; Steph unsuccessfully tests a new sliding technique; Monica needs to tape up yet another injury; Deborah doesn’t miss; Misato is unlucky; Steph has lots of running to do; Georgina makes an adjustment; Trav surprises herself; Caitlin gets better as she gets tired; Nanami comes all the way to watch;and although it rains at least none of the rhinestones come off!

Belated publication with a special guest announcer

In which Molly calls the shot; there is much gratitude and thankfulness (even while, for a long time, there is no umpire); there is also rain; Caitlin giggles; often; Michelle is unhappy (with cause); Dan learns another rule; Caitlin is filthy, but not brutal (despite what Trav says); Ella stands her ground (literally); Molly demonstrates that the best walls have rhythm; Steph spends it before she earns it; Molly makes the adjustment; Trav finds her favourite hole; before Michelle crushes; Steph has surer hands; Molly tries a corkscrew; Ciara listens to the good call; Michelle brings back good memories; Molly is forced into it; Caitlin is robbed; although Ciara is robbed even more; but a proper baseball game is played

In which Lisa chickens out; Michelle plays somewhere for the first time; there are lots of discussions about balks; Anney has a new glove; Trav has a too well-worn move; a pitcher covers first; Caitlin eventually stamps the right spot; Ciara’s bat keeps making it look effortless; as does Molly’s glove; Trav monsters; as does Michelle; but Caitlin is unlucky; Steph gets fired up; but Anney is ready; Steph collects bruises; Richelle is unlucky; Michelle can run in plastic; Trav loses some sticky; & Caitlin blacks out.

In which Annie gets very very nervous (& then has cause to be); there is much discussion about spray charts (which Steph then ignored); Caitlin cannot read a signal (but executed her thing perfectly); after she gets her uniform dirty; Anneliese gets one in exactly her spot; Molly is everywhere (fortunately); Ella makes the adjustment; Anneliese does not; Sophie find it hard to with the left hander; Trav start doing it all herself; & inspires Molly to do the same; Caitlin can’t miss; Trav can’t be caught; & Sophie lives with her changeup.

In which boys selfishly do too much digging; Ciara doesn’t need sunglasses; Molly finds some footing (at least initially); Trav’s timing is way off; Michelle’s is not; Steph is robbed as Shaun is misunderstood; Ciara is robbed of an in-the-park; Caitlin’s arm gets the yips; Molly can’t find footing; Chasey is played by the infield; the Kelmscott disease recurs; Monica threads a needle; Trav has good instincts; Sophie’s are even better and she has the arm to match; Trav takes the collision but there is niggle; Steph falls asleep on duty; Ciara though does not; Ciara steadies; Michelle is fired up; Caitlin is spiked but stoic; Monica leads off again; Trav cops one; Michelle delivers (without getting hit); Caitlin is fired up; Ciara’s hands are safe; Steph does her job but Ciara is desperately unlucky; Anney celebrates a birthday; Richelle finally finds where she needs to stand; & Shaun causes unnecessary confusion for Janice.

In which Amelie gets grounded and very few people’s days improve from there …

In which Emma does a lot more driving than she expected; Pride hangovers abound; Ella has to have her photo taken; Molly channels her inner Dante Bichette (but with a zen face); Emma is forced to run; Richelle likes the cones; Dan is in unfamiliar territory; Monica is unruffled; Steph is unlucky but much steadier; Annie gets it where she likes it; Monica muscles up; Steph has a fatal step as Vette calls the shot; Emma is fired up; Molly tracks the ball; & then hits it very hard; Emma wishes she could still run; Caitlin keeps it ticking over; Steph suffers confusion about what constitutes a bunt; Emma leaves it all on the field; Caitlin is also fired up; but Ella is not confused; Vette stops lots of hearts; Richelle nearly gets her first; Caitlin locks in her release point; & Vette is rightly honoured by both sides!

In which Emma is finally forced to lie still; everyone is grateful for the McGillivray Sea Breeze; Caitlin plays the veteran card; Dan learns to score; Janice loves the new tablet; there is no collective understanding of the infield fly rule; Molly decides to do everything herself (& then feels really guilt about doing so); Caitlin beats one out; Steph’s elbow has a kind of its own; Dan doesn’t watch enough, Amelie watches too much; Anneliese gets them where she likes them; Vette breaks her season seal (but the scorers still love her); Michelle will not die wondering; Amelie falls asleep (which seems to wake her up); Molly threads a needle but misses a fence; Caitlin is grateful for quick runners; Ciara crushes it but is a quick runner; but then not quite quick enough; Richelle runs well up until the last moment; and the streak continues!

In which Ashleigh pulls off a something extraordinary; Vicky & Ryan enable us to be part of it; the first pitch gets everyone excited; there is a lot of dressing up; Baseball is eventually played; Emma is even less quick; Caitlin is briefly robbed (fixed it); Amelie proves herself wrong; Richelle thinks she’s quicker; Molly has a drop step; a really really good one; Vicky is very excited to be back; Vette is very pleased when there are two out; Emma knocks gloves off; Michelle gets hit again!; Vicky’s hands are safe; Dan really wants to hit it a long way; Emma’s glove is very sharp; Vette keeps her streak going; Caitlin gets her best hit ever; & is really really pumped; Molly goes to the hole; Vette has no fear; Ciara is quick; Caitlin works really hard to do it all herself; and there is love and friendship on and off the field❣️

In which we sit down and talk to the originator and the driving force behind the inaugural Pride Round

In which there are yips to be dispelled, surprises to appear, sleep to be had in the wrong places, and something extraordinary to be part of. In which Michelle is pumped; Dan has ball fever but communication is in short supply; Molly flexes her range; then gets caught short; Caitlin has rhythm; Molly finds hers; Steph calls loudly; Monica does her own washing; Sophie battles; Anneliese pirouettes; Molly gets nasty; Michelle gets hit and gets more pumped; Caitlin continues to have rhythm; Sophie throws ground balls; there are unnecessary words from the other side and Sophie burns while Steph is defensive; Monica is now more focussed; Anneliese is quick; Dan’s hands are safe; Michelle is really pumped (& on film); Ciara makes the adjustment; and something special that hasn’t happened since before most of the Ladywhips were born is the result!

In which the Ladywhips do indeed win one with the grumpy old mare at the helm

In which Molly gets the yips; Sophie does not; Trav shoulders a load; but also audibly has too much to say for herself; Olympia loses an out and falls asleep; Sophie keeps the ball on the ground; Monica is aggressive; Trav can’t get it out of the infield; Sophie stays economic; Steph is grateful for the second pitching change; Ciara picks out a fielder; Emma curses the sun; but also hits people; Caitlin steadies; Monica is still aggressive; Trav still can’t get it out of the infield; leaving Steph to walk it off in style!

In which McGillivray is seen at dawn; white balls remain much loved; Trav is pumped; Amelie is too bit a fraction too much; Molly is steady & Ciara follows suit; Michelle shows her guns; Amelie gets her first out (& then her first hit); unfortunately Olympia is quicker than Dan; Trav overruns the ball to show off her guns; Vette reels in the years; so Emma does to (& surprises Michelle); Emma opens her shoulders; Michelle does too (lest she be upstaged by her daughter); Emma dislikes corners; Steph can take the pressure; as can Dan (who discovers a new rule along the way); Michelle and Molly are too crafty (which is about the only luck Molly gets); Caitlin loves her new role (as does Wally); Michelle makes it look casual; and Molly confuses blue and green.

Featuring Olympia Bird, Renae Currie, Ciara Donohoe, Molly Finch, Richelle Gornik, Dan Higgs, Megan Lam, Anneliese Lange, Monica Lee, Simone Maver, Amelia Miller, Gemma Nguyen, Meg O’Brien, Steph O’Neill, Lisa Powell, Ella Robertson, Michelle Symes, Calista Tan, Rebecca Travaglione, Sophie Wood, Eyvette Prosper, Janice Gardner & Kim Nguyen.

In which hearts are broken; Molly pitches out if her skin despite being squeezed; Trav’s dancing feet confuse everyone but end up costing her; Renae can’t see the ball; Sophie definitely can; Calista knows no fear; Richelle has a very discerning eye; Steph has an aggressive one; Michelle gets unhappy about the squeezing; and in the end the Ladywhips just can’t quite hold on.

In which the Ladywhips prove you don’t always need to wear shirtsleeves in this league; there is once again for a tape measure & it is now on Molly’s Christmas list; Michelle once again exclaims why it is always her; Renae is in command from the beginning; Olympia doesn’t like big cutouts; Ciara is patient; Ella is ferocious; Monica is aggressive with her feet but not the bat; Molly makes adjustments; Michelle does a lot of running; Trav has too fast hands but loves the high ball; Ella doesn’t stop; Steph let’s it travel; Olympia stays on her back butt cheek; Molly has all the right moves; Richelle gets it done; Rebar doesn’t hesitate, Molly remembers she’s doing her own washing; Trav rears back and fires; and the Ladywhips book a finals berth again!

In which there is darkness in the cages; Calista has momentous news; Michelle gets it yet again; Olympia is pinpoint & then breathless; Michelle has a cannon; Sophie is in the right spot; Molly battles; Trav is whispered too, very effectively; Annie is quick; Sophie sees watermelons; Ciara shows the benefits of tennis balls; Annie is still quick; Sophie keeps her courage; Olympia is fearless and focussed; & Annie becomes the first womens’ centurion to win her 100th game for UWA.

In which boys are growled at; there are searches for umpires; Shaun has to sunscreen the top of his head; small pieces of souls die; Ciara doesn’t have all of the bruises; Dan tempts fate; the ball finds Calista; Megan doesn’t panic; Trav let’s nothing she can see pass; Molly gets her sequences; Ciara’s renaissance continues; Trav hits the ball a long way; Michelle hits it harder; Renae lives every first baseman’s fear; Dan is too keen; Shaun loses track; Sophie uses what she’s learned; Michelle leaves nothing in the tank; & the Ladywhips season stays alive!

In which Molly plays a whole other game first to warm up; Michelle says no to running; Calista is robbed; Richelle searches for rhythm; Molly reaches for the ball too but keeps finding it; Trav is in charge; Michelle crushes; Steph overthinks; Olympia does too but has her little dance; Trav keeps her head; as does Ciara; Calista catches a break; Richelle however does not; Currie continues looking for errors; Steph makes the hospital pass; Monica is grateful for the outfield practice; Molly keeps making adjustments; and Currie needs to; while Molly goes the distance for the first time ever!

In which the shipping container can be unlocked; the diamond still has to be set up & the mound is still wet; Molly is loved by the scorers; Monica keeps being aggressive (even if Sophie won’t tell her what to do); Olympia is strong; Currie pulls; Steph never has patience; Megan has presence of mind; Simone is back (in every sense); so is Olympia; Trav has presence on the hill; Anney shows joy in her work; Gemma makes adjustments, Calista needs patience; Monica is grateful for the unnecessary outfield practice; Simone knows when she is done; Trav gets a very long single; Simone breaks her longest drought; Olympia is fearless with the stick as well as the glove; Ciara makes adjustments but is still robbed; Steph is astute; nothing gets passed Olympia; Trav rides her luck; Currie attempts to do the same; & Trav plays 100 much to the joy of both teams!

In which the Ponies mostly have exams; Molly shows that she is back; Calista finds it a hard act to follow; Trav quickly looks familiar; Dan shows her reach; Steph works out adjustments that need to be made; Dan is again unlucky; Monica brings her glove this time; Molly reads the play; Steph gets the yips but then gets one back with the bat; Michelle crushes; Molly gets the curveball working & then shows she’s not intimated - even if Monica gets confused a lot; Renae gets a nasty one; so does Michelle but differently; and the bar is still not open!

In which Shaun can’t edit in the eponymous song of the week by Spiderbait; Megan adjusts really quickly & is very composed; Calista has too long to think, Simone has too far to run & is then hard done by; Molly is back & she announces that she’ll be around; and then spends more time on the ground; Michelle is loved by ponies; Sophie doesn’t panic; Steph learns to temper her aggression but can’t seem to stop her feet; Megan makes adjustments; Sophie doesn’t want to come off, so Gemma makes sure she doesn’t have to!

In which Kalamunda do to the Ladywhips what they did to them in the grand final; Molly’s eyes at least are not unwell; Calista’s eyes are really big; Renae still has her strut; Michelle is a little lucky; Simone is definitely not; Annie makes yet another start in a row; gloves need to be awoken; Steph is ferocious with the bat, although less so with the glove; Monica is too aggressive; as are Sophie, Gemma & Amelia; Danielle is very unlucky, Anney continues to be patient; Sophie gets the ball again; Danielle gets a crash course; Renae is pitched around; Annie makes the most of an outfield moment while Amelia goes looking for work.

In which Molly leads mediation, and silently curses the airline industry; spectators come, despite the minimal number of players requiring guardians (at least before the game); Renae gets her helmet approved and then immediately decides to demonstrate why she needs it; there is confusion in the middle; Monica is cleaned up, but immediately makes amends; Molly can’t keep her weight back but her hip initiation is excellent; Megan just keeps swinging; Renae chooses odd pitches; Emma makes sure all four balls are cycled through; Michelle sees watermelons; Vicky knows the strike zone better than everyone; Annie chooses better pitches; Ciara can’t miss; Molly has rhythm; Trav has everyone’s timing; Michelle has safe hands; the fence turns out to be further than it seems; Trav gets a rush of blood before Ella is gassed up; Emma declares that they shall not run any more; Zoe is the victim of impressive daylight robbery; Vicky shows her wheels, so Annie has to get her out; Trav starts hitting people, unintentionally; Megan demonstrates her dancing skills, and is very lucky; Molly finally just isn’t quite quick enough; the first error is finally made, being too aggressive; and Ciara earns a standing ovation; before medals are handed out; Shaun gets very very wet; there is nudity and much undress (much nudity and even more undress); and the boys take a long while to win anything!

In which the Ladywhips are prepared for the first ever grand final appearance

In which club games played record holder Zoe Dimarco sits down after training for a chat

In which the Ladywhips finally get to the postseason again; there is meditation; there is organisation; there is readiness; Trav is masterful; Emma is fierce, Renae is courageous; Molly is not reluctant to swing; Trav is; Michelle is ferocious; Megan starts using her hips to dangerous effect; Lisa fouls a lot off; While Vicky doesn’t swing unless she has to; Molly goes the other way; while Renae is sucked in and Michelle is unlucky (but gets her revenge in the field); Ella is also unlucky but gets no opportunity for defensive redemption; Megan & Renae are punishing; Renae stops watching the ball while Trav relaxes; Molly makes too many decisions at the same time while Emma blocks like a veteran; Monica likes it harder; and the bottom of the order battle their way through the clock to the first ever postseason win!!!

In which the Ladywhips finally make the finals again and there is much rejoicing

In which there is much discussion about relative weight and the physics of wood; injuries are avoided but embarrassment is not; Ella does Smurfette; Steph finds something better to do (but is missed); Simone is an excellent substitute; Molly learns to hate plastic; Ciara is apparently wider than she thinks she is, & her mum captures this for posterity; Molly attempts the improbable and is penalised for it; Trav rides her coat-tails; Lisa makes a busy decision; Annie finishes last; Megan is banged about; Vicky is irradiated; Ciara breaks out; Emma simply cannot wait long enough; Molly is a Hoover; as is Lisa although the scorers love her less; Trav is too aggressive; as is Beckie but in a different way; Shaun keeps his mouth closed and the Ladywhips rain a bit of pleasure on their season.

In which Steph finally doesn’t come because there’s no midwife present; Timmy however still does; Molly breaks a slump spectacularly; Michelle inversely calls her shot; Anneliese spends a lot of successful time in the other diamond; Beckie saves it for when it really matters; Michelle takes a step backwards for the last time; Zoe makes like a rock everywhere; Ciara is robbed; Monica discovers she likes submarines; Vicky forgot how big the diamond was; but Molly uses all of the room; Trav walks the hill like she owns (& for 4 innings she does); & Shaun is warmed but regrets nothing.

In which Timmy can’t get enough of the ladies; Anneliese can’t get enough of Timmy’s strike zone; their left-fielder runs faster than Trav and Emma; Molly never wants to let the ball go; Megan rediscovers the plastic; Ella can flat-out run; Monica tips her cap; Beckie makes adjustments; Maddy is unlucky; Ciara thinks too much; Shaun makes the right choice this time; & an old-fashioned pitchers duel is enjoyed by all!

In which the infield is kept busy, a training drill pays off in spectacular fashion, Renae ducks dangerously, Monica gives off veteran air, Annie hangs on as long as she can, Trav likes big swings, Shaun gets distracted, Lisa steals a lot, Steph’s cork remains in, Ella chances her arm successfully, Megan does to but is not successful, Maddy is aggressive, Ciara just wants to be on first, & Beckie sees a lot of pitches with no luck.

In which Annie is cooked; Beckie puts her surgery skills to the test; Monica relishes a promotion; Renae is disappointed with herself; Trav overswings; Molly covers a lot of ground; Michelle makes sure balls stay hit; Ella has no patience; nor does Beckie; Ciara eventually finds hers; Trav loves her circle change; Ciara is genuinely quick; Emma sees 20% of their pitching; Ciara show her mum her grit; Monica shows her lack of fear; Trav is incredibly efficient; and Beckie attempts a moonshot.

In which Molly does much unnecessary driving; Steph teaches a little anatomy and biomechanics; not just the pregnant ones discover that the bathrooms are a long way away; Nurses genuinely volunteer; Monica puts lots of things into practice; Ciara tries too hard to do the same; Maddie does what nobody else had been able to do; Shaun is very inappropriately audible; Molly has little luck but keeps on hitting anyway; Michelle puts pressure on; while Ella finally takes it off; Zoe’s arm is still sore; while Trav’s still very live!

In which Zoe and Anneliese both have adverse reactions but for different reasons; Trav takes it in her stride while Emma suddenly has to get up early; Molly worries about the bottom half while Lisa waits for the ball to come; Renae can’t find the middle while Ella can’t keep her feet still; Trav chooses to do one thing really well while Beckie recovers muscle memory and only wants to do it the once; Ciara thinks to much; Renae goes for height over distance while both Emma and Ella go for neither; Monica proves that what goes around cones around; Molly grafts a break & then puts practice into effect; Monica prematurely celebrates; Beckie doesn’t like left-handers: Ciara is in the right spot; Emma is very unlucky while Ella finally stops dancing and Beckie does it again; a much anticipated baby disrupts proceedings but allows Ciara to refocus before Emma creates panic while Lisa keeps a steady head.

In which Zoe plays her 150th game; Tony’s bat plays too; a Christmas Party is interrupted; Emma does much running; Michelle looks surprised; Anneliese has creative ideas but no luck; neither does Michelle; nor does Trav to start with; Molly earns some luck, Trav does too; Ella has no patience; nor does Anneliese; Molly looks scary; Monica is cat-like; Emma is ferocious; Zoe gets an out by running; Michelle had no fear; Emma is very relieved; Ella is not indestructible; Tim is the pitcher-whisperer & Jacques wants to go home.

In which Michelle marvels at the size difference of everything; Molly needs time to shake the yips; As does Renae; Trav, however, does not; Megan puts on a positional Masterclass; Zoe can’t adjust and has little luck; neither can Renae, but she does; neither can Emma; Anneliese shows no effects from early call-outs; Monica picks up where she left off; Ella picks her preferred outfielder and runs; Ciara thinks too much; Trav is quick off the mound; Ella doesn’t panic; but the rest of the infield does briefly; Molly can’t spot a fastball but has her curveball on a string; & her meditation pays off!

In which Kira doesn’t bring her hangover; Bec finally gets talked into it; Molly is very twitchy; Anneliese gets excited but doesn’t need it; Zoe is a machine; Trav only has warning track power; Monica is obsessed with third but refuses to slide; Ciara breaks a surprising drought; Hayley still has all her gear; Bec redefines the word delayed; Ella dances; Ciara is seriously quick (& does not panic); Ella is even quicker; Monica moves like a veteran; Kira is rundown in pursuit of her hangover; Zoe finally runs out of luck; Anneliese finally runs out of gas; Ella wants the ball; Zoe has presence of mind; & Renae is too intimidating to run into!