Saw a heads up play in a HS game.

[NorthMS]

Playoff game. Pretty fast pitcher that could occasionally have issues with control.

0-2 count on the batter. Pitch #3 is WAY outside and in the dirt. Batter gives a lazy swing and bolts to 1st. Makes it by a mile.

My first thought was "why swing at that". Then, watching the sly grin on her face at 1st, I realized she knew it was getting past the catcher. The batter was pretty fast. I guess it's playing the odds. Fighting back from an 1-2 count vs the ball not taking a bad bounce that gets back to the catcher.

Either way, I was impressed with her quick thinking. Haven't seen that one before.

 

[Eric F]

I frequently see players swinging at 3rd-strike pitches that the catcher can't reach. However, it's 10U rec ball, and most of them have no idea what the count is, or remember to run on a dropped strike 3 (even if they were reminded by the coach right before that pitch). At least half a dozen times this season, my DD has fetched the ball from the backstop and tagged out the batter still standing in the batter's box.

As for the play you witnessed...savvy!

 

[chinamigarden]

I've always wondered if anyone would do that on purpose. My dd is way to slow to try something like that.

 

[coach james]

Wad it heads up, or an oops that she got luck on?
It's still a K in the book......

 

[Jquick823]

Wad it heads up, or an oops that she got luck on?
It's still a K in the book......

I'll take a K in the book and runner on 1st and no outs any day. I need girls on base don't care how they get there really.

 

[NorthMS]

Wad it heads up, or an oops that she got luck on?
It's still a K in the book......

Her swing was not a swing to make contact. She basically drug the bat through as she was leaning toward 1st. (RH batter) and never hesitated on sprinting to 1st. The ball was a good 12"+ off the plate.

 

[RetiredCoach]

Her swing was not a swing to make contact. She basically drug the bat through as she was leaning toward 1st. (RH batter) and never hesitated on sprinting to 1st. The ball was a good 12"+ off the plate.

A good catcher might be able to get that ball, especially if she was set up for an outside pitch.

 

[NorthMS]

A good catcher might be able to get that ball, especially if she was set up for an outside pitch.

A great catcher could have gotten this ball. A decent one didn't have a chance. I'm assuming she tried to throw an outside curve and it got away from her, bc it was WAY outside. Plus, it was in the dirt. I was on the 3rd base side, so I couldn't tell how far off the plate it was. The catcher dove for it and came up empty. It still could have taken a good bounce for the catcher and came right back to her.

 

[RetiredCoach]

A great catcher could have gotten this ball. A decent one didn't have a chance. I'm assuming she tried to throw an outside curve and it got away from her, bc it was WAY outside. Plus, it was in the dirt. I was on the 3rd base side, so I couldn't tell how far off the plate it was. The catcher dove for it and came up empty. It still could have taken a good bounce for the catcher and came right back to her.

My response was, to point out that quite often "gimmicks" such as swinging at an errant third strike or trick plays quite often back fire. It's like throwing a pass in football, three things can happen and two of them are bad.

 

[NorthMS]

My response was, to point out that quite often "gimmicks" such as swinging at an errant third strike or trick plays quite often back fire. It's like throwing a pass in football, three things can happen and two of them are bad.

I completely agree. 1st time I've seen it and was surprised.