Softball: One good joke, a birthday cake and a golf cart
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A few odd things happened Tuesday at the ‘ol Thousand Oaks softball diamond:
First, I found out Thousand Oaks Coach Gary Walin and I share one thing in common -- we’re gullible. So gullible that we actually believed it when an umpire who was scheduled to work the game called Walin and told him he’d be at least a half hour late. Of course, once I saw this cellphone prankster making his way onto the field a couple minutes later, I realized I had been fooled on this most foolish of days.
Second, when is the last time you’ve seen a pitcher strike out 15 batters and suffer a loss? Well, it happened to TO starter Brittany Reynolds in Simi Valley‘s 3-0 victory over the Lancers. Reynolds looked incredibly strong at times, but a few misplaced pitches morphed into solo homers by Sam Fischer and Tawny Reeger. Reynolds was a little bummed, but she vowed to get revenge when the Lancers play Simi Valley on her birthday, April 24.
Here’s what the Sonoma State-bound pitcher had to say:
And speaking of birthdays, it was Simi Valley outfielder Jessica Soria‘s 17th B-day. But I found it a little odd when I saw her and her teammates breaking out a cake in the dugout after the game. Couldn’t they have waited until they at least made it out to the parking lot? I guess two hours of softball can work up an appetite.
I guess this sort of thing shouldn’t surprise me since the Pioneers have been chomping their way through the Southern California softball scene. A 16-0 record, three tournament championships and a 3-0 start in the minefield-like Marmonte League proves this team is one of SoCal’s best.
Only defending Division I champion Valencia might be better than this group of gals and, even though we still have a ways to go, I’d be surprised if the Pioneers didn’t win the league title.
Here are some photos of Tuesday’s showdown. I had to stand on the back of a golf cart to get some of these shots:
