[chapmaja]

Ok, tonight was a strange game. HS JV. First game was ended after 4 1/2 with an 8 run mercy rule win for the home team. (8 after 5 rule).

Second game ended 26-11 (3 innings). What made this strange was the fact it wasn't a lot of walks that got to 26 runs. The team was putting the ball in play.

We did have a couple oddball plays.

The first was a double tipped foul right off the back of my hand. Pitch comes in and the batter (lefty) attempts to bunt. Ball tips off the bat, then off the catcher's (who couldn't catch to save her life) glove right into the back of my right hand. I think my only call was foul. Nobody complained about foul language, but I know I was thinking it. Tomorrow is a trip to the Dr. to see if it is broken. (I'm typing this with my left hand because my right hurts so bad). Both tips did nothing but slightly redirect the ball. I now have an imprint of the ball on my hand where it hit.

The second play was in the strangest one. 2 outs, bases loaded, team up 25-6. Called strike three is dropped (remember what I said about the catcher). Batter takes off for first base on the D3K. Runner on third is walking in. Catcher picks the ball up, and instead of making a play, steps to the side of the plate and rolls the ball to the pitching circle. Runner from 3rd walks in, touches the plate as the catcher (but no other defenders) walk off. The pitcher just shakes her head as she pickups up the ball and goes back to pitch again. The half inning ended on a very early and intentional leave from 3rd.

The only thing I am thankful for is that the losing team had a pitcher who can put the ball where it can be hit. I actually think she has some potential to be a decent pitcher, but she will need a defense behind her. When the offense wasn't ripping the ball to open grass, the defense was making errors behind her.

We did have one other issue. Last out, home half of the second was a tag play at the plate. #17 was the batter when this occurred, but she came up first in the bottom of the 3rd. The problem visiting team appealed after she got a walk that she was not the correct batter. I absolutely could not remember the circumstances of the play that lead to the third out at the plate. I remember the throw coming in from the infield to the plate for the tag out. I don't recall how it got to the infield though. The home book does not have anything in terms of playing action for her, only a 1-1 count. The visiting book has her grounding the ball to the infield for a single and the resulting scramble leading to the play at the plate. I have no clue as the visitors spent the last 30 minutes scoring 11 runs. I went to my partner to see if he remember and he couldn't remember either. Since neither ump remembers the specifics of the play, we let it stand. After the game we both agreed that we think it was batting out of order and that 17 had put the ball in play before the tag play at the plate. Normally when I have an out during an at-bat for out #3 I make note of the batter up and tell both teams who the next batter should be. Since I didn't do that I think she had somehow become a batter runner on the play and as a result was not the correct batter.