Our HS team got beat up badly last night. The wheels just came off for some reason. The opposing coach ran a girl off 3B to mercifully end the third inning. Then his girls bunted in the next inning. The game finished 17-0. Our coach didn't like the fact that he ran a girl off a base but the game was out of hand at that point.
To run up the score? That is the question.
- Thread starter Orange Socks
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DD1's HS team was recently involved in a game like this. Her team was winning 6-0 in the top of the 5th when the opposition's pitcher just started offering up cookie after cookie. Before we knew it, we had put up 10 runs, had bases loaded, and nobody out. Our batter hit one in the gap for a double that scored 2 easily, and the 3rd runner was chased back to 3B by the catcher where they all fell in a heap. The catcher then gets up and starts walking with the pitcher back to the circle. They both turned their backs on her. Nobody was covering home. Catcher still had the ball in her glove. Instincts kicked in (I was coaching 1st) and the runner on third looked at me and I waved her home. I then snapped back to reality, but not before she scored. I could hear the opposition's coach mutter under his breathe "damn, that's 19 runs already." On the next pitch, our baserunner stepped off early for the first out, and our next two batters (including DD1) swung and missed on 3 straight each to end it. 13 runs in one inning. The score was now 19-0, and we were a--holes. We still had the previous game fresh in our minds, a game we were winning 8-0 in the top of the 6th, so we made a few switches as suggested by others here, only to have those switches blow up in our face and let them come back and tie it, scoring 8 in one inning (we eventually won). At 19-0, we were more comfortable making the defensive substitutions. A couple of errors later, they pushed a run across, and we got the 3rd out on the next batter ending the game, 19-1. But damn, I still feel like an a--hole.
Way back when I first started coaching travel ball, I had a very young 10U team out playing against some pretty good teams. I remember a well-respected coach of the time who was up on us something like 16-0 when his team came up in the 3rd inning and proceeded to continue doing to us what they had been doing for the first two innings. I was little miffed, to say the least.
When it was over, I found him after the team meetings were done and people had started milling about and asked him, "Hey! Why did you keep pouring it on my girls when you were already up 16-0?"
I loved his answer. "You were still trying to score runs, weren't you? Then why shouldn't my girls? If you want me to give up, you need to give up, too. It isn't fair for one team to have to give up while another still gets to try their best."
I keep his philosophy tucked in the back of my mind and I bring it out every once in awhile to remind myself of the wisdom.
When it was over, I found him after the team meetings were done and people had started milling about and asked him, "Hey! Why did you keep pouring it on my girls when you were already up 16-0?"
I loved his answer. "You were still trying to score runs, weren't you? Then why shouldn't my girls? If you want me to give up, you need to give up, too. It isn't fair for one team to have to give up while another still gets to try their best."
I keep his philosophy tucked in the back of my mind and I bring it out every once in awhile to remind myself of the wisdom.
- Feb 25, 2016
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The best team we played (so far, 1st round exit last year) only beat is 13-0. The previous game we played them every batter of ours struck out. So that sucked. He started his #2 pitcher the next game for 2 innings but we didnt capitalize. I felt that was good sportsmanship.
The worst team we played beat us 30-0. That coach was acting like it was a playoff game. His comments actually made my pitcher cry and her parents had to have a word with him. She ended up quitting the team. The next game they were kinder, giving us 2 innings to score 10 runs. If they hadn't gotten scared and brought in their #1 the game could've ended 32-20. My girls have only had 62 hours of practice, some half that, some a quarter. But they at least got a sense of their potential.
The worst team we played beat us 30-0. That coach was acting like it was a playoff game. His comments actually made my pitcher cry and her parents had to have a word with him. She ended up quitting the team. The next game they were kinder, giving us 2 innings to score 10 runs. If they hadn't gotten scared and brought in their #1 the game could've ended 32-20. My girls have only had 62 hours of practice, some half that, some a quarter. But they at least got a sense of their potential.
I don't think he meant that it was wise to run up the score. I believe the wisdom he was trying to impart was that if you are having your girls go 100%, don't be surprised nor upset if the other team's girls go 100%, as well.
