How You Doin' Fall ball game 2

This game was going to be rough. After Tuesday's practice my defensive confidence was...well...low. So many balls hit right to me that I just botched. I suppose a couple of them were justified by bad bounces...but a lot of them weren't and even those "bad bounce" ones aren't in my mind. My reactions have slowed but my mind refuses to accept that and I still believe any ball that comes within my reach should end up in my glove. Well, with low confidence, I was going to be shortstop tonight.

We were short-handed at the start of the game as Casey called and said she was sick, so we brought in Betsy...but she was leaving Woodburn at 5:30. Fortunately, we batted first. Eric started us off with a single. Becky hit a moderate roller to short. He bobbled it a little bit, then hurried his throw. It was low and I came up with runners on 2nd and 3rd, no outs. On the bright side, I love situations like this because there is no doubt in my mind I will produce. On the dark side, I had just watched someone who looked a lot more talented than me hit on my weaknesses defensively.

I set up deep in the box for a change, planning to stay behind the ball and put it into right field. Sure enough, he took that as his cue to give it to me chest high and over the outside corner. It was a little further away than I thought and I hit it off the end of the bat instead of the barrel, so instead of a deep drive it was more a line drive, but perfect placement over the second basemen and in front of the outfield. Eric and Becky scored and I had a single to start the night. Julie grounded me into a fielder's choice, so I got a few seconds to sit on the bench. I was a bit disappointed with myself...had I doubled instead of singled he would have had to make a play to first which would have put pressure on their short and maybe kept our inning alive. As it was, we ended with just 2 runs in the first. Still, producing at bat helped me feel good heading into the field.

When it comes to softball I have discovered I am very much a confidence player. When I have it I play well, when I don't...I don't. First batter was a guy. He laced a pretty hard one. The Delta Park infield is nice and smooth, so I picked it clean and threw him out pretty easily. They got one aboard, then Steve threw someone out at first. They got runners on first and second, I got the next ball and went the short way to third.

We scored a couple more in the second, though Betsy had not arrived yet so we had to take an out in her spot or we would have scored more.

Bottom half was more of the same. They got runners on first & second with one out. Next one grounded to Steve who stepped on the bag for the second out. With 2 outs, another ground ball, this one to my left. I scooped it clean but did not think Julie could take a toss and find the bag so I ran it there myself which created one of those awkward situations where Julie and the runner are coming at 45 degree angles and I am running towards them both. I bumped the poor runner a little bit, but we got the out and were up 4-0 after 2.

I led off the third inning. The first pitch was really low and short. Ball two...except the Ump called it a strike. Huh? I needed a golf club to hit that one, how could it be a strike? This is one of those times starting with a 1-1 count hurts. No problem, his next pitch was belt high and middle of the plate. Sadly, I came out of my shoes. This was much prettier than my first at-bat. Nice, long, arching drive. Of course, when you hit nice, long, arching drives, they might be pretty to look at...but as I was about half-way to second the ball settled nicely into the glove of their right-center fielder and I was out. Fortunately, the rest of the team was hitting and we scored 2 more.

Bottom half of the inning was more of the same...they got runners, Eric made a catch, I made a play, JJ made a play, we are up 6-0.

4th was ugly. On the bright side, Betsy showed up. She actually got her at-bat leading off the inning. With Betsy, Eric, Becky and I coming up to start the inning, this would be a great chance to put the game out of reach. Unless Betsy popped out, Eric grounded out, and Becky grounded out...our best hitters went down in order.

Bottom half of the inning, first guy singled, second girl hit a smash down the line. Steve made a solid stop, dropped it, picked it up...and threw it to the fence. They had 2nd and third, no outs. Next guy hit it to my right. It was a long run. I tried to backhand it but it bounced over my glove. It would have been a fantastic play...if I had made it. I didn't. I needed to. If I am going to be that guy, the one that changes the momentum of games, that is the type of play I have to make.

I did make the next play, throwing the runner out at first, though another run scored on the play. I just thought we needed an out more than we needed to try some tricky pick him off third play. In the long run I think it was wise because that out settled us down a bit. They did score a run, then with the bases loaded, still 1 out, I took another grounder to my left, stepped on the bag and leaped over the incoming runner, through a perfect strike to first and the double play got us out of the inning. But now it was 6-4.

I led off the next inning. As usual I was first pitch swinging, and this time it was right down the line into the right field corner. I was into third easily with a stand-up triple. J.J. had noticed me limping a bit (I tore up my knee a bit kneeling to catch one sinking liner earlier and had been on my knee a couple other times, so I was hurting. Well, Julie popped out right behind me. Then Nick flew to deep left. JJ told me not to go, but I tagged up and scored anyway. Good thing because Larianne lined out to short so we would not have scored.

Again there was a grounder I thought I should get (though nobody else thought so...maybe I AM too hard on myself...I just know I would have gotten that one had I been playing a lot) and they got a runner aboard who eventually scored. By this time I was wearing the glasses, which are so hard to get used to. Still, putting them on was a mistake. Sure, everything was blurry before I put them on...but after I did, i could not see without them and I could not keep them clean. It was after I put them on that I started missing the balls I thought I should get to. So maybe blurry is better? But I was worried because it was taking me that extra half second to pick up the ball...I don't know, maybe I should stop playing. A key play came with 2 outs. They had the sacks jacked and at 7-5 were breathing down our necks. The batter hit a slow roller up the middle. I grabbed it, took a quick look, and knew the only chance we had for an out was at second so I took off to outrun the base runner. Unfortunately I was coming straight at him and could not stop...it was the same guy I had made contact with earlier and I ran into him pretty good. I felt bad about it...I am not a dirty player and I guarantee you I am not going to hurt someone over a crap-league softball game and here I run into the same guy twice in the same game. I was able to make sure I took most of the impact, but still...he was pretty cool about it, though.

Next inning, we had a run in, 2 outs, and the bases loaded when I came up. I was drooling. Here is where we were going to break the game open. We were ahead 8-6 now and I never doubt myself in these situations. Sure enough, the first pitch he served up was ball one. Then an inside strike. No way was I going to left, they were perfectly positioned for me there. The next pitch was somewhat inside. I had 2 strikes, though, so there was no way I was letting it pass. I came out of my shoes, drove it deep to right...well, okay, right center. I missed the pitch, it jammed me a bit, and instead of right field where I wanted to go, I went back to right center and the guy made a fine running catch. Instead of clearing the bases as I expected to do, I was just the third out and with 6 minutes left, it was unlikely we would bat again. By not coming through at the plate, I put the pressure on us in the field. 2 runs is nothing.

The first guy hit a line shot that got past Steve, then past me. Way to make up for bad hitting, Barton. The next girl hit it down the third base line. Steve made a great stop but threw it away. First and third, no outs. Next batter flew out to short left center, no chance for the guy to score. 1 out. Next batter hit it to Steve who looked the runner back and threw her out for the second out. JJ walked the next batter to load them up. Next batter hit a slow roller. I got to it, lined it up, threw to first...and we had the win, 8-6.

Overall, I did all right. No scorer would have given me an error, though I would have given myself 2. I hit 2 for 4, knocked in a couple, and scored a key run. On the downside, I should have gotten those 2 balls and certainly should have driven in 2 or 3 runs in my last at-bat to take the pressure off. Still, it was a lot of fun and we got the job done.