Finally

It was no more than a stay of execution, leaving us at 2-6.  Still, there was a whole lot to like yesterday at Carthage.  These Bluejays have guts.

Coach also did something gutty in game one by starting Katie, who had given up those five runs in the seventh to North Park.  Clare helped things with an rbi double off the 220 foot sign in dead center field to give us a 1-0 lead.  This held up until the home plate umpire decided to screw things up in the bottom of the third.

Carthage had a runner on second with two outs when the batter lined to third.  End of inning, you might reasonably think, but no.  The ump called a foot fault.  Allow me to explain.  There’s a pitcher’s lane eight-feet long and 24 inches wide in softball; if the pitcher’s front foot lands outside the lane in the delivery, it’s a ball, and a balk if anyone’s on base.  So, that put the runner on third.  Next pitch, and the ump makes the same call to give Carthage its first run.  They scored their second and winning run on a bloop and a bounce.  Oh, how the rowdy Cheeseheads cheered.

The day before against North Park, Katie was called for an illegal pitch because she had somehow deceived the batter with her delivery.  “Great call, Blue!” I shouted.  “Now, work on your strike zone.”  Mr. Umpire did not appreciate the needle, at least I don’t think he did because he took his mask off and turned around to stare at me.  Anyway, I brought along a very low tolerance for umpires or opposing fans to Carthage.  Oh, and Coach informed Blue that the Carthage pitcher had erased the lines of the lane when she took the circle in the first inning.  “I didn’t see,” the umpire replied when told.  Truer words were never spoken.

In game two, Carthage was up 2-0 in the fifth when Tiffany decided to put on a hitting clinic, with two rbi’s to tie it and another in the sixth to put us ahead.  This time, the seventh inning came and went without incident.  “Oh, how the mighty have fallen,” I let out in a voice meant for all Carthage fans to hear.  If there was a challenge in my tone, Carthage fans were as deaf as the umps were….

It was an interesting day for Clare, who just missed two home runs and had to run around right field like a cat after mice, what with making four catches and nearly throwing out a runner at the plate.  She also pulled off a “Johnson,” named for travel coach Harry Johnson, who insisted that his outfielders sell a shoestring catch to the umpire and anyone with vision problems.  Diving for a ball in the early innings, Clare caught it and popped back up, glove held high.  Even the umpire could see, and somewhere an old travel coach was proud that one of his kids from long ago had indeed paid attention.

This is Easter Weekend, a time of miracles.  At the risk of my sounding profane, tomorrow we travel to Rock Island on the shores of the Mississippi to play Augustana.  Like I said, I believe.