The softball game from hell

[dixiehack]

They would have had to cut my noose down from the press box stairs in the third inning.

The final line showed Park Crossing with 46 runs on 15 hits with eight errors while Sidney Lanier scored 45 runs on five hits with six errors.

Among the more bizarre records were most walks by both teams (65) and most walks received by one team. Sidney Lanier had 42 walks and Park Crossing 23. The two teams combined for 29 hit batters with Park Crossing totaling 16 by nine girls, Latoria Cleare with three. The Poets had 13 hit batters by seven girls with Brooke Surles setting a state record with four and Jai Mister 3.

46-45 softball game sets numerous AHSAA records, lasts almost 5 hours

 

[da man]

45 runs on five hits is truly mind-boggling.

 

[micropolitan guy]

That headline pretty much characterizes every softball game.

 

[HanSenSE]

Which courageous sj.com member will venture to tell the teams RBIs aren't important? [/crossthread]

 

[cjericho]

Did the umpires make minimum wage?

 

[Shropshire Slasher]

Slowpitch games were a pleasure to cover back in the day. Games were over in an hour and who cared if the score was 15-14.

But in the fastpitch era, those 3-hour jobs can be complete death marches. Those mostly happen at the small-school level.

 

[dixiehack]

In this case it was an area tournament for the large Montgomery public schools, which means no real budget, no quality instruction, no feeder programs and a strong likelihood the girls’ first time playing organized softball was at the varsity level. As soon as Park Crossing gets into the state tournament bracket it will get dump trucked.

 

[da man]

In this case it was an area tournament for the large Montgomery public schools, which means no real budget, no quality instruction, no feeder programs and a strong likelihood the girls’ first time playing organized softball was at the varsity level. As soon as Park Crossing gets into the state tournament bracket it will get dump trucked.

Especially if they issue 42 walks and hit 13 batters.

 

[da man]

You'd think the plate umpire in that game would eventually just give up and start calling any pitch that didn't end up at the backstop (or hit someone) a strike.

 

[da man]

Wonder if any of the "pitchers" pulled a Nuke LaLoosh and hit the mascot.

 

[Justin_Rice]

You'd think the plate umpire in that game would eventually just give up and start calling any pitch that didn't end up at the backstop (or hit someone) a strike.

We played a baseball game this week with 10, 11 and 12 year olds like that.

"Look man. It's 15-8. We've been out here for two and a half hours. Don't you dare call one more ball and say, 'close.' There is no more 'close.' If it was 'close,' it was a strike."

 

[Starman]

Long long ago I recounted a story of covering a Class D district game in Michigan in the early 90s which ended 36-35, included 60-some walks, a dozen errors, and featured a grand total of six hits.
Oh, it also featured about 20 strikeouts: after an inning or so everybody pretty much quit swinging.
So your typical inning might go: walk, walk, walk, called strikeout, walk, error, walk, wild pitch, walk, walk, HBP, error, called strikeout, error, walk, called strikeout. Twelve runs, no hits, three errors, three left on base.
It was also about 97 degrees.
As the game went on both teams gave up on fast pitching and just started lobbing slow pitches -- hardly any of those were strikes either.
I don't think the game was submitted for any record books of any kind. I think everybody who played, coached, kept score or had anything to do with the game just wanted to forget it ever happened.

 

[Starman]

Wonder if any of the "pitchers" pulled a Nuke LaLoosh and hit the mascot.

The mascot would probably sleep through it.

 

[Baron Scicluna]

Long long ago I recounted a story of covering a Class D district game in Michigan in the early 90s which ended 36-35, included 60-some walks, a dozen errors, and featured a grand total of six hits.
Oh, it also featured about 20 strikeouts: after an inning or so everybody pretty much quit swinging.
So your typical inning might go: walk, walk, walk, called strikeout, walk, error, walk, wild pitch, walk, walk, HBP, error, called strikeout, error, walk, called strikeout. Twelve runs, no hits, three errors, three left on base.
It was also about 97 degrees.
As the game went on both teams gave up on fast pitching and just started lobbing slow pitches -- hardly any of those were strikes either.
I don't think the game was submitted for any record books of any kind. I think everybody who played, coached, kept score or had anything to do with the game just wanted to forget it ever happened.

I covered a softball game once that was in 20-something degree weather and was the opener for both teams. They combined for 30-something walks, and the score wasn't as insane as your's or the original post, but was something like 18-12 or like that. I interviewed the winning coach after the game and, as I recall, he said it was only the third time they were doing anything outdoors that spring.

I was friendly with the umpire, who, in his spare time, also helped run one of the adult basketball leagues in the area. Partway through between innings, he came over and chitchatted with me for a minute. I jokingly asked him if he could expand his strike zone a little because I was freezing my ass off. He responded that he was trying to expand it, but he couldn't when the balls were either in the dirt or over the batter's head. I told him that was no excuse.

After I got back to the office and unfroze, instead of making it seem like I was ripping on the girls who were pitching, I wrote, "Both teams showed considerable plate discipline, drawing a combined 30-something (whatever it was) walks."

 

[Starman]

Two Saturdays ago I sat in 43 degree medium drizzle* as Starrville High improved its record to 1-5 with a 27-19 win over Central Catholic.
Starrville, featuring freshman Sis B as the centerfielder leading off, fell behind 16-6, then had a 14-run fourth inning to take the lead (and stave off mercy rule defeat).

Amazingly there were not a zillion walks -- maybe 6-8 on each side. Throw in a few errors and a dozen hits or so and you end up 27-19.



* Which was balmy compared to the previous Monday, when I had sat through 36 degree temperatures, a 25-mph wind, and a steady freezing sleet. I'm heading out today into a 54 degree light drizzle.

 

[Roscablo]

We played a baseball game this week with 10, 11 and 12 year olds like that.

"Look man. It's 15-8. We've been out here for two and a half hours. Don't you dare call one more ball and say, 'close.' There is no more 'close.' If it was 'close,' it was a strike."

My almost 10-year-old is playing competitively for the first time this year and played a 17-14 semifinal game last weekend that went a full five innings in about two hours (honestly not that bad on the time and inning front with that score)a. I enjoy watching him play so I didn't mind too much, but yeah.

 

[Chef2]

I umpire both high school baseball and high school fastpitch softball.

You get into a good rhythm,, and you can breeze through 7 innings in 1;20.....1:30
Not the same for baseball.
I'd give the remainder of my left foot to see a 1:30 baseball game.
We did have one fastpitch softball game earlier this year go 1:58, and it felt like an eternity.
I do have a doubleheader (fastpitch) date today. First pitch at 4, and with the 10 minute drive home, I fully anticipate having a giant frosty mug of beer in my hand by 8:00.

 

[dixiehack]

When I moved to South Georgia I had a dream setup for fast-pitch. They played in the fall, and the school I covered was so dominant in its region that it was news if a game lasted beyond the third or fourth inning before getting run ruled. So chill out in the press box for an hour, go down to get quotes from the coach and a player then walk next door to the football field to catch the end of Tuesday practice and get quotes for my midweek update story.

 

[UNCGrad]

Back in my early preps-covering days in the NC foothills, one of the schools (3-A level, maybe), had a good softball pitcher. I'm sure she ended up small D-1 somewhere. Those games were a treat.
The best, though, came late in the state playoffs when that pitcher went against a girl who had committed to N.C. State. Pretty good heat for both girls. Local team lost 1-0, there were about 3-5 hits between them, and in seven innings, swear to God, we were done in 42 minutes. I think I even included that number in the gamer. Helluva game.

 

[Tighthead]

Are things like 5 run max per inning and no innings start after 1

Back in my early preps-covering days in the NC foothills, one of the schools (3-A level, maybe), had a good softball pitcher. I'm sure she ended up small D-1 somewhere. Those games were a treat.
The best, though, came late in the state playoffs when that pitcher went against a girl who had committed to N.C. State. Pretty good heat for both girls. Local team lost 1-0, there were about 3-5 hits between them, and in seven innings, swear to God, we were done in 42 minutes. I think I even included that number in the gamer. Helluva game.

I played both sports in my youth (men's fastpitch was big in parts of Canada, so we played as kids), and a good pitcher can dominate way more in fastpitch. In the men's league, it wasn't unusual for someone to pick up 17 strikeouts in 7 innings.

My daughter played competitive. The one thing I noticed was most pitchers plateaued around 16. Only the elite ones kept picking up speed.