Game 2

I guess I needn't blog about softball again, but I probably will each week. This post covers last Thursday's game, so my next post may also be about softball.

In our second game we took on a team from a Big 4 accounting firm. We were the visitors, and thus batted first. In the first inning we sent 15 or 16 batters to the plate, scoring about 12 runs. This time we didn't blow a lead once we had it. In the bottom half of the first, our opponent went 1-2-3 (all three batters made outs). We added a few runs, and they scored a fair number, but we went on to win.

For my part I was 2 for 4, with a double in our big first inning and an infield single later on. I scored runs both times I reached base on a hit (I also grounded into a fielder's choice and popped up to shortstop).

I now have three hits in seven trips to the plate. I am very pleased with the results so far, but in our league the best hitters on my team have 5 or 6 hits each and maintain batting averages of .750 or better throughout the season. In tougher leagues (often men's only) an average of .500 would be considered very good. So I'm not an elite hitter, which I knew before, but I'm not (so far) an automatic out either.

Our team was helped out by one rule and hurt by another. In our league, you must play 3 women or you forfeit. Our opponent had their three women, but only nine total players for the game (as I said before, in slow-pitch you use ten players). The rules dictate that if you are one player short it's an automatic out when the empty spot in the lineup comes up. Twice an inning because their automatic out came up, and their first out in the final inning was automatic.

Another rule relates to home runs hit over the fence. It's called the "one up" rule. A team may have only one more home run than the other team at any given time. Our third baseman hit a home run, this time in the first inning. Until the other team hit one over the fence, any home run by one of our players would be an out. The other team did not hit a home run, and in our last at-bat our third baseman hit another which was recorded as an out (we would have scored three runs had it counted).

I was also repositioned defensively. After playing a game at first base, I must not have impressed our manager. I was moved to second base and after our right-center fielder hurt his ankle I moved there. Fortunately the other team had no left handed hitters, and I really didn't have a play to make in the field.

I've had fun so far and I'm hopeful that it can continue to be fun the rest of the year.