Forgive the length. DD's team was in OKC for the 14U ASA HOF tourney over the weekend. 26 teams. All games were played at the Hall of Fame complex which contains the Hall of Fame field plus three others. Of the team's six games, two were played on the stadium field which was really cool. I was very impressed with the tournament staff and while the complex was a bit dated, it was still very very nice. I understand that the complex is getting a major facelift soon.
We arrived on Thursday late afternoon and our first game was friday at 12:30pm. We were tired from the trip so we didn't take in any sites Thursday night, and that proved to be a mistake, because once we started playing ball, it was impossible to fit anything else in.
First game was against a team from Texas. 95 degrees. Very close game all the way. They led 1-0. We led 2-1. Stayed that way until the 7th. They tied it. Went to ITB (8th inning). They took a 3-2 lead. We scored two in the bottom half to win 4-3, including a two out walk off single by DD (who went 3-4 and had 2 RBIs). Emotional, draining win... which would prove VERY costly.
Next game was at 4:30 against a team from Illinois who had a first round bye. They run ruled us. Any competent 12U Rec team would have run ruled us. Our number one pitcher and catcher were in the training room. Severe headaches, dizziness. That left us with 9 players. Nothing memorable about this game. We (the parents) were praying for a quick end to it.
Our loss meant we had to play again. No break (6:30 game). It was a double elim tourney, but due to a quirk in the schedule, whether we won this game or lost, we still were in the tournament. Must have been because the team we had just played had a first round bye, and there was a three game guarantee. So we had to play a team from Georgia, and we only had 8 players. Another one went down with heat related symptoms in the 4:30 game. Our number one pitcher was done and back at the hotel. Our number one catcher was on her way to the hospital in an ambulance. And one other player couldn't go. Our 11 girl roster was down to 8. Three girls pitched who aren't even pitchers. The girls kind of laughed their way through it. What else could they do?? Run ruled again, but still alive, and the girls really bonded over the adversity. Next game would be saturday at 10:30am. Elimination round.
And so we re-grouped. Our number one catcher (and number 3 hitter) spent the night in intensive care. VERY scary. More scared than I have ever been around a softball team. She had a serious lack of sodium. Was delusional. Didn't know what position she played and couldn't recognize her teammate. Couldn't walk. Vomiting. Like I said - SCARY!! But her labs returned to normal around 6am saturday morning, and by mid day, she was released from the hospital (although obviously she didn't play again).
So we played a team from Oklahoma, but once again we had our number one pitcher. And we caught a break with the weather. Cloudy. And rainy. The game started at 10:30 and ended at 4 due to a lengthy rain delay. We won 3-0 (DD RBI double in first inning) and the other team never seriously threatened to score. We advanced and caught another break. Due to the delays, our next game was at 830pm.
Our next game was back at the HOF field and given the weather and the break, our number one pitcher was able to throw again. An easy 6-0 win against a different team from Georgia. Except it wasn't THAT easy. In the second inning, our number two catcher, and now our ONLY catcher, started cramping in the second inning. She had to come out of the game. We put a girl behind the plate who hadn't caught a game in 4 YEARS!! And she did GREAT!! All in all a nice Saturday after a brutal Friday. And we were still alive. Oh, and that number two catcher who came out of the game? She did stay in the game to bat... and hit a line shot over CF head and the ball went to the fence, but of course she couldn't run the bases. Had to stop at first. That kid has guts.
Sunday morning at 830 we played the team from illinois that had run ruled us on Friday. But this time we had our number 1 pitcher. And the weather was much different. Our number two catcher still couldn't go, though, at least for the first three innings (she did come in in the 4th). We led 2-1 until the 5th when they tied the game with a two out single followed by an error. And then they won the game in the bottom of 6 (due to the rain delays they had to start putting a time limit on games), with a hit, a stolen base, a hit up the middle, and a close play at home in which our number two catcher was injured AGAIN!!
So... long thread I know. But just such an incredible experience for the girls despite all the adversity. The team that beat us 3-2 would go on to win their next game 11-2, so who knows how far we could have gone? But then again it was nice to be done. We officially finished tied for 9th and given that we already had an ASA berth, 9th was FANTASTIC under the circumstances. If you ever get a chance to take a team there, you should do so. Just bring more than 11 girls and maybe some extra pedialyte.
We arrived on Thursday late afternoon and our first game was friday at 12:30pm. We were tired from the trip so we didn't take in any sites Thursday night, and that proved to be a mistake, because once we started playing ball, it was impossible to fit anything else in.
First game was against a team from Texas. 95 degrees. Very close game all the way. They led 1-0. We led 2-1. Stayed that way until the 7th. They tied it. Went to ITB (8th inning). They took a 3-2 lead. We scored two in the bottom half to win 4-3, including a two out walk off single by DD (who went 3-4 and had 2 RBIs). Emotional, draining win... which would prove VERY costly.
Next game was at 4:30 against a team from Illinois who had a first round bye. They run ruled us. Any competent 12U Rec team would have run ruled us. Our number one pitcher and catcher were in the training room. Severe headaches, dizziness. That left us with 9 players. Nothing memorable about this game. We (the parents) were praying for a quick end to it.
Our loss meant we had to play again. No break (6:30 game). It was a double elim tourney, but due to a quirk in the schedule, whether we won this game or lost, we still were in the tournament. Must have been because the team we had just played had a first round bye, and there was a three game guarantee. So we had to play a team from Georgia, and we only had 8 players. Another one went down with heat related symptoms in the 4:30 game. Our number one pitcher was done and back at the hotel. Our number one catcher was on her way to the hospital in an ambulance. And one other player couldn't go. Our 11 girl roster was down to 8. Three girls pitched who aren't even pitchers. The girls kind of laughed their way through it. What else could they do?? Run ruled again, but still alive, and the girls really bonded over the adversity. Next game would be saturday at 10:30am. Elimination round.
And so we re-grouped. Our number one catcher (and number 3 hitter) spent the night in intensive care. VERY scary. More scared than I have ever been around a softball team. She had a serious lack of sodium. Was delusional. Didn't know what position she played and couldn't recognize her teammate. Couldn't walk. Vomiting. Like I said - SCARY!! But her labs returned to normal around 6am saturday morning, and by mid day, she was released from the hospital (although obviously she didn't play again).
So we played a team from Oklahoma, but once again we had our number one pitcher. And we caught a break with the weather. Cloudy. And rainy. The game started at 10:30 and ended at 4 due to a lengthy rain delay. We won 3-0 (DD RBI double in first inning) and the other team never seriously threatened to score. We advanced and caught another break. Due to the delays, our next game was at 830pm.
Our next game was back at the HOF field and given the weather and the break, our number one pitcher was able to throw again. An easy 6-0 win against a different team from Georgia. Except it wasn't THAT easy. In the second inning, our number two catcher, and now our ONLY catcher, started cramping in the second inning. She had to come out of the game. We put a girl behind the plate who hadn't caught a game in 4 YEARS!! And she did GREAT!! All in all a nice Saturday after a brutal Friday. And we were still alive. Oh, and that number two catcher who came out of the game? She did stay in the game to bat... and hit a line shot over CF head and the ball went to the fence, but of course she couldn't run the bases. Had to stop at first. That kid has guts.
Sunday morning at 830 we played the team from illinois that had run ruled us on Friday. But this time we had our number 1 pitcher. And the weather was much different. Our number two catcher still couldn't go, though, at least for the first three innings (she did come in in the 4th). We led 2-1 until the 5th when they tied the game with a two out single followed by an error. And then they won the game in the bottom of 6 (due to the rain delays they had to start putting a time limit on games), with a hit, a stolen base, a hit up the middle, and a close play at home in which our number two catcher was injured AGAIN!!
So... long thread I know. But just such an incredible experience for the girls despite all the adversity. The team that beat us 3-2 would go on to win their next game 11-2, so who knows how far we could have gone? But then again it was nice to be done. We officially finished tied for 9th and given that we already had an ASA berth, 9th was FANTASTIC under the circumstances. If you ever get a chance to take a team there, you should do so. Just bring more than 11 girls and maybe some extra pedialyte.
