Imagine scoring 17 runs and finishing the top of the fifth inning with a seven-run lead. Now imagine that you don’t get another chance to bat because of a 17-run bottom half that turned the home team into a winner.
Say what?
Indeed, in quite possibly the most bizarre softball game in the state of Louisiana this year, Newman came from 17-10 down to a 27-17 winner in one-half inning.
And that’s only one snippet of the incredible oddities of Saturday’s game at the JPRD softball complex.
Here are some other moments that might be recreated anywhere else in the state this year or anytime soon:
- Not only did one pitcher make 184 pitches, but she threw 105 balls. She pitched a complete-game 14-hitter, walked 13 batters and hit eight, while allowing 27 runs – although ONLY 14 were earned.
- Newman hitters collected 143 total bases and stole 15 bases, and there also were 11 wild pitches. The Greenies committed seven errors, but won by 10. Episcopal lost by 10 despite scoring at least two runs in every inning.
- The five-inning game lasted 2 hours and 24 minutes, and the bottom of the fifth alone lasted 31 minutes.
- After being walked, an Episcopal hitter was ejected on the way to first base for tossing a bat. However, she was not called out so her spot in the order was just skipped on the scorecard. (The first-ever real ghost runner?)
- The top three players in Newman’s lineup – Sydney Able, Maddox Bazley and Jesse Lambert reached base 14 out of 16 times and scored a combined 13 runs.
- The Greenies sent 22 batters to the plate in the fifth, as Bazley, Lambert, Maryn Huber and Felicity Drake each batted three times in the inning.
- There were only six combined strikeouts in the game, and only two came on swings.
- Every spot in Newman’s lineup scored at least two runs, except Piper Christian, who knocked in five on three hits.
- Six Episcopal players scored at least two runs apiece, and only two starters didn’t have at least one RBI. First baseman Niki Gardner went 4-for-5 with seven RBIs.
- Newman has now scored 78 runs in their past four games and has at least 11 runs in each of their seven victories. They have scored 15 or more on six different occasions and 20 or more three times.
Here’s all the final stats and box score:
LINESCORE
Episcopal – 522 35 – 17 | 13 | 4
Newman – 302 5(17) – 27 | 14 | 7
BOX SCORE
EPISCOPAL (3-5)
1, Caroline Watson (SS/C) 1-4, BB, RBI, 2R;
2, Regan Danos (CF) 1-3, 4R, RBI, SB
3, Lilly Toliver (C) 2-3, 2R, RBI, BB (Bailey Landry PH/LF/RF) R
4, Niki Gardner (1B) 4-5, 2B, R, 7 RBIs
5, Abigail Castle (P) 1-5, 2R, RBI
6, Alex Messina (2B) 1-4, RBI, SB
7, Jade Breaux (DP) 1-4
8, Haleigh Banks (CF/SS) 1-2, 2R, 2 RBIs
9, Sydney Turner (RF/LF), 1-2, 2R, RBI, SB
NEWMAN (7-5)
1, Sydney Able (RF/P/LF) 1-2, 3BB, HPB, 2B, 4R, RBI, 3SB
2, Maddox Bazley (2B) 2-4, BB, HBP, 2B, 5R, 3RBIs, 2SB
3, Jesse Lambert (P/RF/3B) 1-2, 2BB, 2B, 4R, 3RBIs, 4SB
4, Maryn Huber (3B/LF/P) 1-4, 2BB, 2R, 3RBIs, 2SB
5, Felicity Drake (C) 3-3, 3HBP, 4R, 4RBIs, 2SB
6, Madison Able (SS) 2-5, 2B, 3R, 2RBIs
7, Alyse Dulitz (1B) 1-2, 3BB, 2R, RBI, SB
8, Piper Christian (CF) 3-4, HBP, R, 5RBIs
9, Camille Beard (LF/RF) 0-2 (Caroline Kenter, PH/RF, 0-1, 2BB, 2R, RBI, SB).
DECIDING PITCHERS
WP: Maryn Huber, 0.1 IP, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 H, 1 BB, 0 K
LP: Abigail Castille, 4.2 IP, 27 R, 14 ER, 14 H, 13 BB, 4 K