JJsqueeze
Dad, Husband....legend
DD got the start against a team that is widely considered the best 14U team in the nation at a tournament yesterday in the second bracket game. We lost the game 5-0 but we held them to the lowest run total they had in the tournament (they went on to win it all of course) and in looking at their results, the lowest run total when not facing another top level national team in their last 5 tourneys or so. She pitched herself out of a couple of real jams, one was bases loaded with no outs and she got a couple of pop ups and a K to keep that inning scoreless.
This was by far her biggest pitching accomplishment so far in my book but she didn't think it was a great performance, she said she felt like she was swimming with sharks the whole game and was just trying not to get eaten . I told her that she is at a point now where facing a great team and making them earn the win is a far bigger accomplishment than slicing through a weak lineup on the way to a shutout, or a no hitter but I don't think she feels that way yet.
A word about this team, really impressive, all the girls were fast, balls that would have gotten through the infield against almost any other team became outs for them, they were disciplined on the bases and in the box and the coach really didn't have to say a word to them. They had a great mix of slappers and power hitters and their pitcher was a stud. These girls understood the game and the nuances at a very high level. They were extraordinarily well coached.
The game seemed to take forever, it went a full 7 innings within the time limit of 1:20 no new and I was much more nervy watching her pitch than normal for fear she was going to take a shot up the middle, but her new titanium mask gave me some relief.
Anyway, really proud of the kid and her team (the D gets props for an error free game).
This was by far her biggest pitching accomplishment so far in my book but she didn't think it was a great performance, she said she felt like she was swimming with sharks the whole game and was just trying not to get eaten . I told her that she is at a point now where facing a great team and making them earn the win is a far bigger accomplishment than slicing through a weak lineup on the way to a shutout, or a no hitter but I don't think she feels that way yet.
A word about this team, really impressive, all the girls were fast, balls that would have gotten through the infield against almost any other team became outs for them, they were disciplined on the bases and in the box and the coach really didn't have to say a word to them. They had a great mix of slappers and power hitters and their pitcher was a stud. These girls understood the game and the nuances at a very high level. They were extraordinarily well coached.
The game seemed to take forever, it went a full 7 innings within the time limit of 1:20 no new and I was much more nervy watching her pitch than normal for fear she was going to take a shot up the middle, but her new titanium mask gave me some relief.
Anyway, really proud of the kid and her team (the D gets props for an error free game).