Wheels ever fall off? Stingrays...

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? ? First, let me thank the Stingrays for a wonderful event with great weather and a super staff. Im sure many of you saw the defeat (18-0) we ( WV Dusters 18) took in the semi-finals at the hands of the JoeA and his girls. This comes after we have defeated the Wolfpack, Stingrays and the Indy Dreams in a classic ITB game Sat eve. My point, one error lead to another, pitchers let up , great hitting from the Heat, poor efforts on our part. How many of you have been in that situation and how did you handle it? I know we are a good team ( tie fifth), but I didt realize we could be that bad too.

 

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Make it a teaching point. I didn't get to watch your game but you might want to call time and have a conference just to try to get everyone refocused. At 18U, the girls could even do this I would think. But once it gets rolling, there's not much you can do.

On the lighter side, no one turned in any wheels at the tournament so hopefully you found them and were able to get the wagon rolling again.

 

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:-[ I don't think there is a coach out there that hasn't had that happen.
All you can do is to regroup and tell the girls to forget about that one and concentrate on the next game or tourney if you are in eliminations. Had it happen one time we faced a team that should have been easily beaten and got our heads handed to us on a silver platter. It was a huge wake up call to the team not to take anyone lightly.

 

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Dusters, we are a long way away from 18U (10U) but we lost some wheels Sunday against the Lasers. As I stated in another post, one of our pitchers took a shot in the game face mask from the Lasers. She wasn't exactly ready to get on the rubber against them again right away. We decided to start one of the girls who may have pitched a total of 7-8 innings all year. She has worked hard all season throwing at every practice. We felt maybe her slightly slower speed would trip up their timing just a bit. She actually didn't pitch a bad game. However, an error started it all. We had SIX errors in one inning. Not good against the Lasers. However, I asked her if she was fine and she said yes. We decided to let her pitch to see how she held up mentally. She pitched through their line-up twice (in one inning!!) but didn't crack. I was actually pretty proud of her. We lost that game 22-2 I think, but the girls rebounded and played a nail-bitter against the Cincy Doom. There is always something to learn win or lose every game.

 

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After a similar situation occured to my team in Orrville last weekend, winning 4-3 and then giving up 10 runs in 1 inning, all I could say to them was, "Sometimes your the windshield, sometimes your the bug," ?"You win some you lose some." There's not much else you can say to make it any better.

I knew we weren't a bad team, but things just happen, and you have to make your team (and the parents) realize its happens to everyone, and its not time to throw in the towel. ?Brighter days are ahead. ?We bounced back and won our next tourney. ?It all comes full circle eventually. ?GOOD LUCK!!

 

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check this one out...

up 15-0 in a school ball game Pickerington versus Gahanna (not the travel team, cause Brian Anderson would have killed his girls by then)
we gave up 15 runs IN ONE INNING...i ran out of pencil lead to say the least...walks, HBP, errors, base-clearing hits, you name it, it happened...i remember coach about losing her mind halfway through the inning (at one point she mass substituted everyone!)
eventually pick won, something like 21-20...
weird things happen when you play a game i guess

 

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Giving me a bad rep Ray.

We had one of those days in Westerville this year. Played 3 games without commiting an error and beat 3 good teams. Then in the semi's couldn't catch a ball and gave up more runs in 1 inning then we did the 3 previous games combined.

 

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Hey Statman,

What is that cat, in the picture under your name, doing? Dancing, attacking, what? It's freakin' me out!!

 

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I'm sure whatever the Dusters' coaches told their girls, it was appropriate and helpful. As I told their coaches during the game, we've been there. It was just one of those games yesterday where everything went right for one team and wrong for the other.

The Dusters are obviously a good team, seeing as how they finished fifth. I thought their coaches were all class. They noticed that we stopped running and doing other things and noted that to our coaches. I was happy to see coaches recognize that. When we were out in Colorado, a team pulled a squeeze bunt on us when they were up 8-0 with a dominating pitcher in the circle. Say what you want about "get better" and all of that nonsense, that's just bush. We don't do things that way and I'm sure the Dusters don't when they get a big lead, either.

 

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Thanks guys and Joe. I told the girls to learn from it file it away, but dont ever forget. We will be back. Joe, class act and a great example of what we coaches are supppsed to be . Good Luck with the remainder of your season. BTW, I found the wheels but it seems the spare is still missing...

 

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DustersCoach, I've had the wheels fall off like that several times over the years, one time 20-2. Your exactly right when you say learn from it, file it away, but don't ever forget this feeling we've felt today!
That is exactly how I approached it, and we finished the season a strong, happy softball family!

I also saw your matchup with the Indy Dreams Saturday around 5 or 6 and it was a great game. The Dreams tall blond pitcher was tough but your girls still hit a couple of bombs off of her. Anyone who saw or played against you earlier in the weekend knows that your're a very ggod team, and any coach who has been around long, knows that feeling of losing control of a game and getting blown out.

 

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#5Alive, thanks for the kind words. I also say wow to all the bombs I saw this weekend. I know the wind was up, but I know I saw at least 10 260-275 ft shots!

 

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It happens all the time---our last tourney 3 weeks ago, we beat a very very good team in the semi's. Played our A game. Lost in the final 11-1 to a team we were 4-0 against previously . Emotion, or lack there of, seems to be the culprit. Sometimes they are fired up, sometimes they are not. Thats what makes those top level teams so good, mental toughness. MD

 

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Lions,
the only reps are the good reps, right? anyhow, i couldn't imagine that group (played against twice) give up 15 runs in 2 games much less in one inning...see you this weekend!

captain crunchtime,
that is the rally cat...when there's 2 outs in the inning, he sucks up the catnip and runs around the dugout like a player without her ritalin! in losing games, he's the "attack" cat, he finds umps in the parking lot and scratches the ASA rule book into any exposed flesh! and after a win he's the "dancing" cat....he;ll even do the strut from "Saturday Night Fever"!