Christian Park Softball
What a nice day, the sun has been out all day and the light breeze feels so good. What a great day for softball. I step out the door at 3:30 to head home from a long slow day of work and the endless parking lot begins to fade away as big tick drops of rain begin to poor down from the sky. For thirty minutes the gray clouds shift back and forth and then just fade away. Good we can still play ball.
Several players arrive early, as so do I, at Lowell, the District 7 Major tournament field. Our Major team, from Christian Park, in their new uniforms, filter in. This is great because parents from both teams will be here to watch our game and the other game. It will be a night of great softball.
Let's talk quickly about the major team first. Since I was coaching my team, all the information comes second hand, so forgive me if I don't get it quite right. The Christian Park Major All-star team is made up of players from the Bad News Girls, Yankees, and the She Devils. They arrived in their new CP uniforms. Blue shirts with v-neck and a silky white slash cover the front with the Little League logo and a daisy yellow "CP" on the front. Sue had picked up matching shorts and they looked sharp. As I hear it, the team took an excellent lead in the first 2 or 3 innings keeping it at around 10-7. Somewhere around there CP's pitcher walked in 11 runners - I'm not sure it that was for the game or that inning. Dan, buddy, pull the pitcher. I know that's a tough call, pulling a pitcher, I've left them in a little to long before hoping they can pull out of it and they usually don't. I know in my case, they actually feel and play better elsewhere when you do. So, Lawrence ends up winning with something like 25-15. It's time to shake it off girls. You have one more chance to stay in this tournament. As granddad would say, "You can do it."
Now on the Jr. side of the ballpark, the air and the heat is as thick as pea soup. Not too hot, just muggy and the remains of rain sticks to your clothes. Seven of our players arrive for the game. A full set of 9 girls arrives for Lowell. We rent Charlie and Megan from the stands. Our team has had the pleasure of getting to know several of the Lowell players and I've spent more time this year talking to their coaches, Russell and Tracy, than any other park. Their team has about 5 players that have never played before and they are a youth team like ours. They have taught their girls to play from the heart, have fun and keep a positive attitude. Throughout the entire game they played well. If we hadn't had a miracle inning, the game would have been much closer.
Ashley takes the mount for Lowell, and pitches in several ball slow short balls to the plate. Our girls are swings at them left and right, standing at the very edge of the front of the plate and swinging as the ball rolls about the plate. Maybe one runs and where out on the field. Sadie takes the mount and pitches 3 excellent innings. Lowell scores several runs as Chelsea, Emily and Brook play down the line up. We return to the line up. With a warning from the coaches, we tell the girls not to move up in the box. Let the pitcher pitch to you. Our bats begin to work and we score several runs.
With sweat covering the bill of her visor we switch up pitchers in the third inning. Heather took the mount in the fourth and pitched a solid game. Quietly in the fourth inning Mariah asked if she could try and pitch. I like to thing of myself always letting players try and play a position if they ask to. I see to many kids wanting to try to do something and coaches wasting an opportunity to let them. It is better to fail, then to never have tried.
As the game continues, Sadie arrives at the plate. Something special is about to happen. The field becomes calm. The pitcher winds up the ball and it glides up in the air, I notice Sadie eying the ball and getting into the grove. With a solid crack of the bat she sends the ball wailing over the left field fence and through the wiry trees. HOME RUN! An excellent hit and our girls line up to give her high-fives. While jumping for joy and enjoy the hit, I challenge Charlie and Mariah to do the same. Charlie takes the ball in a line drive and runs to second. With an over throw she steal third and hustle all the way to home. Mariah, who had hit several pop flies, smacked a brilliant double. As our miracle 5th inning continues Brittany, who has struggled all season with batting, catches the fever. So far she has hits the ball every time this game and in this inning making in on base and later running in for a score. Melissa, Amanda, Megan, and Dena all hitting the ball well and making RBIs all over the place. The Lady Ranger score 18 runs in one inning, we managed to go threw the line up almost three times.
Bottom of the fifth, if we hold them, we win by the 10 run rule. We move the outfield in and the in field out. Dena gears up and Mariah, a little startled, takes the mount. She began to pitch, not perfect form, but good enough to get it over the plate. She pitched very well for her first time and with out any training from our coaches. Only walking one player, she quickly helps the team wrap up the inning with 3 outs.
Rangers win 30-6.
With the other game across the field still playing, we decided to play a new game. We leave our girls in the same mixed up spots. We manage to get in a couple of innings with Lowell in the lead, when the lights from the other field shut off and the both games ended.
A great night of fun and excitement, I wish they could all be like this.