My HS team made it to the semi-regionals. Because we were the higher seed, we were allowed to host. First inning, the other team (defending regional champ, was in our old district--we switched two years ago--seeded #3) did not score any runs. Bottom of that inning, the pitcher tells her coach that the rubber feels funny, that it felt as if it was too far back. Our coach assures them that everything is fine but offers to measure. Their pitcher says no, everything is fine. We score two runs.
Before we could start the next inning, they measure the mound. Turns out we had been pitching from 47 feet all year long! No one had picked up on it. After the fact I'd learned that some of our pitchers had complained about it but no one checked up on it... they said that it just didn't feel right. My HS Varsity played over ten games on that field. Our JV played about the same. Around 20 games on that field and no opposing team or umpire had noticed.
They spent 22 minutes on the phone with the head people in the state. The other team wanted to restart the game or for us to have to forfeit for having an illegal field. We ended up resuming play, as the rulebook says to do with the mound at 43ft.
Now, we are concerned about a protest on all of our home games since our field wasn't right. In addition, the other team tore us up and down in their paper. The pitcher was quoted as saying something along the line of we didn't deserve to get to semis because our field was illegal, it wasn't fair. The other coach said the umpire apologized to her. In front of over 100 people (a HUGE crowd for us, bigger than I've ever seen!) we find out that our pitching rubber is wrong. A reporter for their paper asked our coach if this was some well crafted trick... like this would be an advantage to anyone.
The opposing team managed to beat us by one run, however... we are proud to have gotten to that point. I think last year might have been the first time that our team ever went to regionals. I don't know if we'd ever made it past the first round before.
What do you think will happen? Will our games be protested? Comments?
Before we could start the next inning, they measure the mound. Turns out we had been pitching from 47 feet all year long! No one had picked up on it. After the fact I'd learned that some of our pitchers had complained about it but no one checked up on it... they said that it just didn't feel right. My HS Varsity played over ten games on that field. Our JV played about the same. Around 20 games on that field and no opposing team or umpire had noticed.
They spent 22 minutes on the phone with the head people in the state. The other team wanted to restart the game or for us to have to forfeit for having an illegal field. We ended up resuming play, as the rulebook says to do with the mound at 43ft.
Now, we are concerned about a protest on all of our home games since our field wasn't right. In addition, the other team tore us up and down in their paper. The pitcher was quoted as saying something along the line of we didn't deserve to get to semis because our field was illegal, it wasn't fair. The other coach said the umpire apologized to her. In front of over 100 people (a HUGE crowd for us, bigger than I've ever seen!) we find out that our pitching rubber is wrong. A reporter for their paper asked our coach if this was some well crafted trick... like this would be an advantage to anyone.
The opposing team managed to beat us by one run, however... we are proud to have gotten to that point. I think last year might have been the first time that our team ever went to regionals. I don't know if we'd ever made it past the first round before.
What do you think will happen? Will our games be protested? Comments?