Softball 2007: Game Three

Well, last week was a rain out while I was away in New York, so I didn't up missing a game. Our last game was a 12-7 loss against the two-time defending champion, where we outscored them 4-2 in the 3 full innings I played. This week we were going up against a winless team that we beat 20-6 when we met last year. Needless to say, we were expecting a big win.

In fact, we had 17 people show up, taking batting practice, before anyone from their team arrived at the field. We even waited 10 minutes after the scheduled game time for them to get a full roster.

We were the visiting team and I was the starting pitcher, meaning I would be up to bat for 4 innings, and pitching for 3 innings. Oh and we'd be starting at 1-1 count since it was a late start. I assumed this meant that I would be able to get a lot of strikeouts, since a third strike foul is an out.


Batting Stats for Game Three:
1st AB: walk
2nd AB: FC

Average: 0.000
Slugging: 0.000
OBP: .500
0 rbi

Pitching Stats for Game Three:
3 IP
0 earned runs
0 K
0 BB

ERA: 0.00 and the win

Batting Stats on the Season:
3/6: 2 singles, 1 double, 2 runs scored, 1 walk, 0 rbi.
Average: .500
Slugging: .666
OBP: .571

Pitching Stats on the Season:
11 innings pitched
8 earned runs
2 K
0 BB

ERA: 5.09
2-0 record

They weren't that great of a team, and they almost beat us. I pitched 3 shutout innings and didn't allow that many hits either. The first walk was a great play because there was a girl behind me in the lineup. To prevent intentional walks to guys in order to get girls out, the rules state that any walk to a guy who precedes a girl, is awarded two bases, and the girl behind him goes to first. So it's the equivalent of two singles, without the risk of any outs.

(Later on in the game, with a 3-1 count one of our guys who preceded a girl, chased a pitch far out of the zone, and flew out. If he had laid off that pitch, it would have been much wiser.)

My second time up, I wanted to swing. On the first pitch with the 1-1 count, I fouled a big fly ball down the right field line. Now the count was 1-2 and I knew I had to make contact. I ended up grounding it back to the pitcher, who got the out at 2nd. But that meant I was still on first. The next play was a grounder to shortstop, and I was running so hard to 2nd that I couldn't stop, and I ran through to 3rd. I was called safe at 2nd, but they were able to regroup and throw me out a very close play at 3rd base -- yes, I was tagged before my hand touched the base. I was really mad that I grounded into a fielder's choice and also got tagged on the basepaths. But I left the game with a 2-0 lead, on a very windy day, without allowing any walks.

The pitcher for our 2nd half was pretty good, but she allowed either 3 or 4 walks. She gave up 2 runs in the 4th, but that was partly due to an E9.

In the top of the 6th with two outs, one of out batters hit a infield pop-up. Our runner from 2nd starting running for home, knowing there was two outs. Right after the ball was hit, a huge gust of wind started blowing towards home, and the 3rd baseman dropped the ball. That run would prove crucial.

Our pitcher took the mound in the bottom of the 7th, with a 4-2 lead. I was dying to come in for the save attempt, and was thinking about how cool it would be to record the win and get the save (yes I know that's impossible in MLB).

Anyways, they got some base runners on, and they added a run. The situation was now 4-3, runners on first and second with no outs. Everyone was really nervous, and we couldn't imagine losing to this team, especially after playing so well in our first two games. The ball was hit sharply to our shortstop, who tagged the runner moving from 2nd, and then flipped the ball to 2nd base. It was a close call, but the ump called the runner out, making it a key double play in the last inning. The next batter up grounded to the shortstop again, who made the routine play to first for the win.

It felt really good to win, but I wish that I could have been out there. Knowing that they didn't get anything going against me, I feel like perhaps I could have thrown a complete game shutout.

Team Record: 2-1