Defense may not win championships, but it certainly helps

Covered one baseball game and two softball games today -- playoff games, no less -- and witnessed 36 errors.

The winning baseball team committed seven errors that helped turn a pair of six-run leads into one-run leads. The losing team had the tying and go-ahead runs in scoring position when the final out was made.

The losing softball team committed 23 errors in 14 innings. Seven came in one inning, three on one play.

All told, there were 20 earned runs scored and 25 unearned runs.

Granted, these are high school games, and the softball playoff was for Class 1A schools (less than 195 students). But this was the third round of the softball playoffs and the second round in baseball.

I hate to think how bad a team had to be to not be good enough to advance that far, let alone fail to qualify for the playoffs.

 

That's what you get for covering baseball and softball in Texas.

 

I covered a softball tournament game once: Final score, 38-37.

Total number of hits, both teams: 12.

Walks: About 50. Errors, about a dozen.

The home team scored five times in the final inning, on one hit, two strikeouts, and six walks (the last three of course bases-loaded).

Yes, this was high school varsity. God have mercy.