Lop sidded games

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Oct 11, 2010
8,337
113
Chicago, IL
We have been on both sides of this.

Unless the P can not throw a Strike I say let the offense have fun.

If they are walking everyone, just have a couple runners leave early and be done with it.

Options? I know this has been discussed a handful of time, my opinion has changed over the years. I am 102 in softball years and no hair left to prove it.
 
Feb 17, 2014
7,152
113
Orlando, FL
Handling lopsided game is kind of like exercising free speech, no matter what someone will be offended. I have found that not stealing/advancing on a passed ball coupled with being aggressive at the plate while hitting only ground balls is the best tactic. Give them opportunities to make plays. Bunting usually does not work because if they are lacking in skill more than likely they cannot defend a well executed bunt. We step off only as a last resort.
 
Jul 16, 2008
1,520
48
Oregon
Happened to us this last weekend.... beat a team 20-4. I felt a little bad... well not really, they were a 16B team last year - this year they moved to 18A. The reason I don't feel that bad, while I applaud them for attempting playing up a level, the bottom line the coach signed them up for the tournament.

But what our team does is holding up baserunners, typically no extra base hits. Bunt in stupid situations. Inform hitters to work on something like an inside out swing to practice. We don't let up though.. last year in another game similar to this one, we had the baserunner leave early, but our hitter boomed one, the umpire didn't call the leaving early because he said I knew that was out when it left the bat. The next batter practiced a "squeeze bunt" with nobody on.
 
Aug 10, 2016
686
63
Georgia
We were up 20-2 in a game and you could tell the pitcher was getting so frustrated. We were visitor so even though time was up, we had to continue so they could bat again. We ended up either have our girls swing at everything and had one of our girls step off. Felt so bad for their pitcher :(

Doesn't happen in our rec league as there is a run limit..
 

JJsqueeze

Dad, Husband....legend
Jul 5, 2013
5,436
38
safe in an undisclosed location
stop games that are obvious slaughters and just have a situational joint scrimmage. What good does either team get out of a blowout game that is 20-1 or 20-0? I am not talking about two teams that can both play softball but one is just far superior, I am talking about the situations, like I saw on Saturday, where one team does not even have a pitcher so the game is just walks/hit batters/passed balls letting runners score, its not even softball. No one benefits from this and at least one parent and daughter will end up reconsidering whether HS softball is worth the time.
 
Jul 16, 2008
1,520
48
Oregon
stop games that are obvious slaughters and just have a situational joint scrimmage. What good does either team get out of a blowout game that is 20-1 or 20-0? I am not talking about two teams that can both play softball but one is just far superior, I am talking about the situations, like I saw on Saturday, where one team does not even have a pitcher so the game is just walks/hit batters/passed balls letting runners score, its not even softball. No one benefits from this and at least one parent and daughter will end up reconsidering whether HS softball is worth the time.

One problem with the HS scores.... they have to play 5 at least (10 runs after 5)... so scores like that will happen.
 
Aug 10, 2016
686
63
Georgia
When DD was in 8U, my other DD played in 10U (only one season) and the pitching was just awful so it literally was walks all the time. I dreaded DD moving up to 10U if this was how it was going to be. Luckily, the pitching in her age group has been great so people actually get hits or strike outs. But it really does make a difference when you have a team that can actually throw strikes vs others. The director had even considered allowing coach pitch if a girl got walked in certain situations (at least for our park rules)
 
Jul 16, 2008
1,520
48
Oregon
I thought NFHS went to 15 after 3 several years ago?

???? I know Oregon has 10 after 5, 8 after 6... other than that big scores. These were from our HS last year... those poor teams were the worst in the State.

DONE L 4/12/2016 Tue 5pm @ North Salem W 29-1
DONE L 4/19/2016 Tue 5pm vs. McKay W 25-0
DONE L 5/3/2016 Tue 5pm vs. North Salem W 21-0
DONE L 5/10/2016 Tue 5pm @ McKay W 25-0
 

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