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About 4 years ago I was fortunate enough to go to Herrin Illinois and call Nationals for PONY. I made it to the Championship game, between Redondo Beach, California and, of all teams, the Herrin, Illinois team. The game went 10 innings ending with the Redondo Beach winning. The coach asked me to tell the other team that they were the first team to score more than 2 runs against his pitcher in 2 years. They had won the State Championship in California for ASA and USSSA. We had everything in this game, HR's over the fence, double plays, pick off plays, squeeze plays. Herrin was ahead 3-2 going into the bottom of the 6th inning with a Redondo Beach runner on 3rd. The Herrin pitcher launched and I called the IP, sending the runner home to tie the game. Later, in the 8th inning, the score went to 4-4. Redondo Beach won it in the 10th with a squeeze play and one out.
That was a tough ride home for me, after calling that IP. But, I had been calling it all week and wasn't gonna stop it in the last game of the year. The coach didn't object too much. I've been up there a few times since and have always stopped in to buy some "Salameat" sausages from him. We still talk and I usually get Christmas cards from a couple of other parents of the kids up there. I saw 2 of them and a sister of another player on the team in Round Rock for Nationals last year and they all came by to make a point of saying hi. This was probably one of the top 5 games I've called. I'm still a novice compared to some of you guys, I've only called a little less than 2600 games now, but this one will always stick with me.
Rick
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