- Aug 19, 2012
- 40
- 8
This past summer while playing at Provincials I got to have a pure gold proud daddy moment with my then 12 year old DD..
At the U14 level we have a 4 inning cap on innings allowed by one pitcher in a game. In a semi final game where the winner earns a spot to play in the Eastern Canadian Championships, DD pitched the first three innings of the game and was pulled to save her 4th inning for late in the game. Her team mate pitched a very good 4th and 5th and we took a one run lead to the 6th.
Unfortunately the control started to waver and the other team started to hit off our second pitcher and we gave up some walks. They scored a run to tie the game then we walked the bases full, the coach had been to visit the mound but was really hoping to save DD for the 7th inning but finally when the count went to 3-0 with the bases loaded and the go-ahead run on third he made the switch.
Fortunately I don't think at this point DD realized just what a jam she had gotten thrown into. She just knew it was a close game and that she needed to throw strikes. She got the first batter with three straight fastballs. With a little more breathing room she likewise got the second batter on a backwards K at the knees….well it looked slightly below the knees from my vantage point but I didn't debate the call. The third batter up hit the second pitch on a one hopper to the second baseman who fielded it cleanly and threw to first to end the threat.
Our third pitcher came in and pitched a a scoreless bottom of the 7th after we failed to score in the top. We then went to ITB (so the 4 inning rule is lifted) and scored two runs in the top of the 8th and DD came in to pitch the bottom scoreless for the win and a berth at Easterns.
At Easterns the team went 6-0 and DD went 3-0 as a starting pitcher but the highlight was a 1-0 win we had with her team mate pitching a 7 inning shut out in the semi final game. (there is no inning cap at Easterns). Not often you see a 1-0 game with 12 and 13 year olds.
Hope to get to watch many more years of my kids playing ball but hard to imagine much more than what we got to witness this summer.
At the U14 level we have a 4 inning cap on innings allowed by one pitcher in a game. In a semi final game where the winner earns a spot to play in the Eastern Canadian Championships, DD pitched the first three innings of the game and was pulled to save her 4th inning for late in the game. Her team mate pitched a very good 4th and 5th and we took a one run lead to the 6th.
Unfortunately the control started to waver and the other team started to hit off our second pitcher and we gave up some walks. They scored a run to tie the game then we walked the bases full, the coach had been to visit the mound but was really hoping to save DD for the 7th inning but finally when the count went to 3-0 with the bases loaded and the go-ahead run on third he made the switch.
Fortunately I don't think at this point DD realized just what a jam she had gotten thrown into. She just knew it was a close game and that she needed to throw strikes. She got the first batter with three straight fastballs. With a little more breathing room she likewise got the second batter on a backwards K at the knees….well it looked slightly below the knees from my vantage point but I didn't debate the call. The third batter up hit the second pitch on a one hopper to the second baseman who fielded it cleanly and threw to first to end the threat.
Our third pitcher came in and pitched a a scoreless bottom of the 7th after we failed to score in the top. We then went to ITB (so the 4 inning rule is lifted) and scored two runs in the top of the 8th and DD came in to pitch the bottom scoreless for the win and a berth at Easterns.
At Easterns the team went 6-0 and DD went 3-0 as a starting pitcher but the highlight was a 1-0 win we had with her team mate pitching a 7 inning shut out in the semi final game. (there is no inning cap at Easterns). Not often you see a 1-0 game with 12 and 13 year olds.
Hope to get to watch many more years of my kids playing ball but hard to imagine much more than what we got to witness this summer.
