by vikingman » Sat Jun 01, 2019 11:20 am
In the Central Cass-Hillsboro/CV game, I think it's fair to say that both teams scored 2 runs because of the wind. HCV got a homerun and triple (that later scored) on high fly balls that were right in the wind channel. Maybe the homerun may have dropped in for a hit, but the triple would have been a fairly routine catch. The final play of the game was also decided by the wind. On a normal day, that was a routine fly-ball. I don't know how BEK described it, but the radio announcer said it was a 'lazy' pop fly. I thought it was, too, when it left the bat. He also said that the center fielder was 'camped under it'.
I agreed with his description until I got a look at the video. The wind just kept pushing the fielder back and back. She never got her feet set, and she had to reach up and over to try and make the catch. Yes, you have to call it an error, but I wonder if even 50% of high school outfielders would have caught that one. You can't get a line on the ball because of the wind, it's a large ball that has to fit in a fairly small glove. It's not as easy as catching a baseball. In softball, if you don't get the ball right in the pocket or webbing, there's a good chance you aren't going to be able to squeeze your glove shut on it. I've seen many plays that looked like they were going to be a fine running catch, only to see the ball pop out.
In any case, it was the 2nd 'miracle' ending that CC has had lately. The game against Fargo North was almost as dramatic (although it was a fairly meaningless game).