Congrats
@Todem . Well earned. I am surprised they had a mercy rule. Our playoffs don't have that. Gotta play the full game.
Well our Cinderella season didn't end with a Sectional championship. We lost to the #1 seed 8-3.
Their starter threw 92 but struggled to find the plate off and on. It gave us some opportunities and we were able to cash a couple in. 2nd inning my son led off with a walk after fouling a couple off. He had a great AB. We was wild pitched to 3B while there were two K's and a balk to get two runners on with two outs. With 2nd and 3rd and two outs we got a single to score 2. It gave us the lead 2-1. (They scored an unearned run in the B1 on a single and an error on the pitcher on a pick-off putting him on 3B). They tied it up in the 2nd on another unearned run when our SS dropped a pop-up in shallow left with two outs. He should have been called off by the LF but the LF is young and timid.
My son then came into pitch in the 3rd (he only has 6 innings available so they decided to go with a starter). He K'd the first guy bringing up their best hitter (Oregon commit). He left a FB that was supposed to be in over the outer third and he drove it to left off the wall for a triple. Then he walked the next guy on four pitches. He was over throwing a bit. After that he settled in and K'd the next guy and got a pop up to strand the runner at 3B.
Next inning he got the first two outs and then walked a guy on a full count. His bread and butter all year was off speed in FB counts. This time he bounced two CB at 2-2 and 3-2 for the walk. Then he gave up back to back singles (first pitch get me over CB and a 0-1 change that stayed up). Now we were down 3-2.
Top 5 we got a one out single and a walk and they pulled the Oregon commit. The guy they brought in is a Fullerton commit and tops out at 94-95. He came in and struck out the next guy bringing up my son. He fouls the first pitch and takes an outside FB for strike 2. Next pitch he hits sid up the middle for a baseline scoring the guy from 2B on a bang bang at at the plate. A tied up. The best part was one if their fans yelled out "strike 3" as the pitch was being delivered and he shut him up with the hit. I told my son about this and he said he heard the fan as he was swinging.
Now tied up with some new hope. Bottom 5 gets a bit interesting. Lead off batter hits a 3-2 CB for a single. Next guy singles on the first putch (hung a CB). First and second no outs.
Next guy ground ball to SS for what should be a double play. Runner slides wide of 2B (cleats up) and takes out our player . By rule in HS runner has to slide directly at the base and cannot go past the base. This was a textbook what not to do based on the current rule. Our coaches go out to talk to the umps while our player is still down being attended to by the trainer. Just a dirty play. After conferring the let it stand. One out runner safe at 1B which puts it 1st and 3rd with one out.
Next batter tries a squeeze and our 3B makes a great play to shovel home but it appears the runner beats it as it was a well executed squeeze. Ump calls him out though. Their fans go livid as does the other bench. Players running out of dugout coaches berating the ump. Just out of hand.
Next batter (runners at 1st and 2nd with two outs) comes up and on a 1-2 pitch (good change down and away to the lefty) he serves it down the LF line and up calls it foul (lots of differing opinions on what it actually was) but isn't authoritative about the call. Chaos ensues with runners going and fans getting excited. The ump says foul and their coaches/players are all over the field. Batter is on 2B. Scoreboard counts 2 runs. Everyone wonderingvaround wondering what the hell is happening. Then umps huddle and it looks like they are going g to overturn it to fair - which you can't do since we stopped playing when the ump called it foul. Our coach goes out to see what is going on and then the umps start pointing and waiving and players are confused. Not sure who is at bat. Was it fair? Foul? Just chaos. After about 5 minutes they eventually put runners back where they started and put the batter back to the plate making it a foul ball. During all this the batter was chipping at my son on the mound while he was going back and forth between 2B and one as stuff was being worked out. My son said he kept whining he got a double and my son kept telling him to go back and hit to earn it. Next pitch DB right down the middle that he just blew by the batter. Just over matched. My son then told him to go sit down.
At this point their fans are irate yelling bad things at the umps and at our fans. It was getting unruly. Really marring an otherwise solid game.
Top 6 we go down in order as our hitters were just overrated and had no shot (bottom of our lineup who struggle as it is).
Bottom 6. My son hits the leadoff guy (9th hitter). Next guy bunts and runs 2 feet inside the line in fair territory. 3B throw to first is a little high and our 1B is able to get it and as he is coming off the bag gets run over by the batter causing him to drop the ball. IMO he had it long enough for the out and with the runner out of the running lane it should have been ruled an out as it could be ruled being g out of the running lane affected the throw.
Regardless umps rule safe and because of the chaos of the collision and our SS covering 3B the batter takes off to 2B and they end up with runners at 2nd & 3rd.
Next batter with a perfect squeeze and beats the shovel from my son home. Stolen base on 1st pitch making it now 2nd and 3rd so the intentionally walk the Oregon commit.
Fly ball to shallow CF but our player does everything wrong so in no position to throw home so sac fly. Two runs in and one out with runners at 1st & 2nd. Next guy gets jammed on a hood FB but loops it into LF to score another.
Next batter hits a high pop up that makes our 2B drift back and umps call infield fly. The 2B drops it in shallow CF and runners advance. Now two outs (which their coaches and fans were going bonkers in the infield fly call) and runners at 2nd and 3rd.
Base hit to left scoring two. The second runner crosses the plate and goes to our stands and drops a F-you to the fans. This doesn't go over well. Our fans start yelling at the other fans about the terrible sportsmanship which of course gets heated. Two fans (one from each side) end up getting ejected). Just a terrible scene. I am trying to hold the peace as I am on the border between the two fan bases. I keep telling our guys to calm down and not stoop to their level as they have been terrible all game. I get most calmed down on our side.
Anyway back to the game. My son get the next batter to ground out to end the inning. All told 5 runs (2 earned) on two hits, 2 errors, 1 HBP, an intentional walk a player f-bombing the crowd, two fans ejected, and still one inning to pay.
We end up getting two on with one out and our best hitter up. My son on deck. He ends up swinging for strike three at a ball in the diet and the runner at 2B extends and gets back picked by the catcher to end the game. Fitting end to a crazy game.
In the end they were the better team. We needed to play mistake free (didn't happen with 5 errors and 5 unearned runs) to win.
My son ended up going 4 innings, with 7 hits, 3 BB (one intentional), 1 HBP, 4 K's, 6 R (3 ER) and the loss. He was 1 for 1 at the plate with a run, RBI, BB, and HBP.
A good game but not quite his sharpest on the mound. He battled in some tough situations to minimize damage but a couple errors really killed that last inning. I think fatigue set in a bit as he threw 112, 45, and 68 pitches in the course of a week over 14 innings.
Second place in the section, a league championship, and a birth to the state regional playoffs (starts Tuesday) isn't too shabby.
Until next time.....
