Eventually somebody was going to score. In a game that took on the atmosphere of a playoff battle, South County pushed three runs across in the top of the eleventh, and West Potomac was unable to answer. Both teams had several good chances to end the 3-0 game earlier, but the best chance ended with a controversial call.
The game was moved up to a five pm start because of the impending storm that cancelled high school sports throughout the region, West Potomac's home stadium managed to be the one dry spot in the entire region. Though the innings flew by, it still lasted more than two hours as neither team was legally able to push a run across the plate in the first ten innings.
The major controversy came in the top of the eighth inning. The lead-off Stallion hitter bombed a home run, receiving a high five from a teammate before touching the plate. The base umpire showed no hesitation in calling her out for interference. Not surprisingly, a firestorm erupted. The South County coach went ballistic, holding up play for a time while he vehemently protested the call. The umpire showed the proper restraint and did not eject him, which would have been a disaster. It WAS telling, however, that the home plate umpire did not stand by his colleague in blue during the SC coach's sharing of his opinion.
One of the coaches may know the rule better, but this is the best I could find in the ASA rulebook is rule 7E: "The runner is out when anyone other than another runner physically assists a runner while the ball is in play." I would hope there is a more specific rule than that, because if a high five is "physically assist(ing)" than I don't know what that means. If you watch this Zimmerman film (not to be confused with the Zapruder film), it's impossible to tell whether he is touched by his teammates as he's touching home plate, or just before. That Zimmy home run stood.
So, the question is -- was it a wrong call on a ticky-tacky interpretation that extended the game three more innings, or is a call on which the umpire is given zero discretion? If there is zero discretion, it was the right call. If there is discretion, the home run should have stood. This is a call that will be debated by a few very bitter South County fans for decades to come, while the rest of us will forget it by next week.
But, the craziness of the top of the eighth was not over. After a routine grounder for the second out, the third hitter of the inning singled to left. The next hitter smashed a double to deep center. Grace Moery retrieved it, and threw to a waiting Kate Gregory. Kate wheeled and threw a strike from shallow center to the plate. Torie Bolger. The ball and the runner from first arrived at the same time. Torie blocked the plate, made the tag, and fell over the runner. Torie showed the ump the ball was still in her mitt (phew!), and the out call was made -- this time with no controversy!
The Wolverines had some chances to score earlier, as did the Stallions, but the South County pitcher had the West Potomac batswomen off balance most of the game. She recorded 21 strikeouts, including whiffing the side twice, and getting three Ks in an inning multiple times. In fact, until the bottom of the fifth, West Potomac had only put two balls in fair territory. Because of some wildness, three West Potomac hitters had reached in the first four, but that was the extent of the threat.
Maddie Miller led off the bottom of the fifth with the first Wolverine hit of the game and reached second on an error. She did not advance any further. There was not to be another West Potomac hit until Jayne Orleans and Torie strung together back-to-back singles in the bottom of the ninth, with Harley Divine (pinchrunning for Jayne) reaching third on Torie's hit. The threat ended with a strikeout.
Nikki Minnis came within two feet of ending the game in the 10th when she doubled off the top of the fence in bottom of the 10th. A little higher, and her home run trot would have been the most scrutinized four base trot in the history of softball. Coach Craig probably would have not allowed her teammates to come out of the dugout till after she touched home plate.
The Stallions finally broke through on the scoreboard in the 11th by turning four singles and two walks into their three runs. Christina Dillard was brought in after the first two runs, and, after a single produced the final run, induced South County to line into a double play and fly out to end the inning.
Jayne and the West Potomac defense were nearly flawless until the 11th (well, maybe with the exception of that little non-homer home run in the 8th). Jayne got the first out of the first inning via strikeout, and only recorded two more strikeouts after that (one on a change up). Which means the defense was busy.
The Stallions had runners reach second with no one out in both the 1st and 2nd innings, but they were stranded there. Jayne retired them 1-2-3 in the 3rd and 4th. Two walks and a hit by pitch loaded the bases with two outs in the fifth, but a harmless pop up floated into Nikki's mitt at short, and it was on to the next.
Stallion baserunners in the sixth and seventh did not advance, and then came that wild eighth. A double in the ninth resulted in a South County runner stranded at third, and Jayne got three outs on three pitches in the 10th.
After the game, the West Potomac coaches thanked the umpires for working the game. Surprisingly, the South County coaches did not offer the same courtesy. Huh. Wonder why.
Wolverine Whispers: After the game we learned the answer to the age-old question: how many Wolverine coaches, players, and fans does it take to cover the field with the new tarp? Pretty much of all them! Well, to be fair to all of us involved, a lot of things don't go as planned the first time you try something. But, it was a challenge.
The electrical atmosphere at Tuesday night's West Springfield game wasn't just the 5-0 Wolverine lead, it was also the lightning that forced a delay of game. That game will be continued tomorrow (Saturday), 1pm at West Springfield with two outs in the bottom of the fifth. Presuming, of course, the water feature that all green grass has today after last night's deluge has dried.
No comments:
Post a Comment