Saturday, November 16, 2013

Flashback Friday #247




Witnessing A No-Hitter



Hello to all. Any one who knows me in real life knows that I'm a sports fan. I enjoy football, baseball, hockey, Olympics, and Genesis 26:8. That being said.There are certain things that happen in the sporting areanas that take special notice. One of those things in the no-hitter in baseball. It is a special thing to have faced the opposing batting order several times in a game and watch as each one trudges back to the dugout without a hit. it take grat skill and lots of luck to do this on the profesional level. It take even more when you're talking about girls slow-pitch softball.

Toni played softball for the local "city league" team. You needed a minimum of nine girls to have a team. Theirs had ten. If Toni wasn't in right field, she was on the bench. She platooned with another girl in right. All the other positions were set, especially pitcher.

Gina Queen was our school's version of "Big Ethel Muggs". For those of you that are unfamiliar with Big Ethel, she was the homely, super-athletic, wanna-be girlfriend of Jughead Jones in the "Archie" comics.



Gina was on fire that day.In softball the idea is to loft the ball up toward the plate and let the batter hit it. I don't know if she was adding some back-spin or what, but the batters weren't hitting the ball. Those that did manage to make contact were put out by a sure fielding team. That is until the final inning.

At the top of the last inning, the first batter flies out to center. The next batter makes contact and lofts a ball to short right field. I really don't remember if it was Toni or Becky playing at that moment, but the ball hits right at the tip of her glove , then bounces out for an error. The opposing team has a baserunner for the first time. The next batter hits a grounder to short. The shortstop gobbles up the ball, flips the the second baseman who then throws to first to complete the double play. Game over.

Gina lost out on the perfect game, but she got the no-hitter.

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