Christian Park Softball
Now on to the good stuff! The Firebirds show up in their bright orange uniforms and begin to warm up. Our Lady Rangers straggle in about 11:30ish, red shorts and blue tops, they’re all excited and ready to play. Ten players today, I'm so happy. This is a first in a long time for us. I actually have to sit someone - I hate that but that's the rules. I choose Paige, since she hasn't been at practice or the games. She wanted to play ball and perform this summer. Unfortunately for me, the performance is taking a more important roll in her life than ball. I'm OK with that, because at least I know she will or will not be here. However, I did notice this time around, that her ball skills are slowly slipping away.
Heather, Sadie and Melissa pitched the ball well for us. Left field got a huge work out, with several of the Firebirds hitting the ball to the fence and making huge runs even though we hustled the ball in quickly. At about the 5th inning we were tied up or at least pretty close. I've come to dread the 5th inning, for some reason we tend to loose the game in this inning. The first four we play with fire. We stop the ball, and we make the plays. When were up to bat we can kill that ball. The 5th inning comes and we take the field. We just stop playing. They don't look tired and they still seem mentally in the game. The girls just can't seem to get 3 outs. Their running makes it to first, then steals second and before we know it she's home. Next, when we do get up, our batting is poor. We'd be lucky to get someone on base. The girls are trying and it doesn't matter who's up to bat. Finally, in the 6th & 7th inning, we begin to pick it up again. Good plays, good hearts, goods minds. We, unfortunately, let to many runs get in that 5th, and cannot catch up. The Firebirds however, fail to put any extra runs on the board.
Hmmm, the 5th inning. I have to figure out how to get us through it.