Have you seen the footage showing softball player Mallory Holtman from Central Washington carrying Sara Tucholsky, from Western Oregon, to home plate after Tucholsky blew out her knee on the base paths in the second inning after hitting a three run home run? If not, you have to read this story posted on ESPN.
Umpires mistakenly ruled that Tucholsky would need to be replaced with a pinch runner and that her home run would be reduced to a single, allowing only two of the three runs to count. The NCAA later said that the ruling was incorrect and that a pinch runner could have been substituted into the game and ran the bases in place of Tucholsky. The umpires admitted their mistake after the game as well. But the misinterpretation of the rules led to high drama.
With Western Oregon coaches and trainers disallowed from assisting Tucholsky around the bases, and with Tucholsky lying in the dirt, Holtman asked for permission to help her opponent. Liz Wallace, one of Holtman's teammates assisted Holtman as they picked up Tucholsky and carried her around the bases, allowing Tucholsky's left foot to touch each base. They got her to home plate, handed her to her teammates, and took the field in hopes of winning the game.
Western Oregon went on to win the game 4-2. But years from now, I think more people will be talking about what happened on the field long before the final score was ever settled.
I love what Western Oregon Pam Knox said after the game:
"It kept everything in perspective and the fact that we're never bigger than the game. It was such a lesson that we learned--that it's not all about winning. And we forget that, because as coaches, we're always trying to get to the top. We forget that. But I will never, ever forget this moment. It's changed me, and I'm sure it's changed my players."
0 comments:
Post a Comment