Much of the magic of sports comes from their unpredictability. From the sense that any player can step up at any time -- that no lead is too large, that no time is too little for the kind of comeback that makes you rub your eyes.
Such was the case in Texas this past Friday, when one high school softball team's premature celebration cost it a championship.
Picture the scene: bottom of the seventh, Wylie High School up, 6-4. Two outs, bases loaded, batter walking up to the box.
The McKinney North High School player got a pitch, swung, and grounded it toward second. Typical fielder’s choice -- so far, so normal. The infielders simply had to make sure to notch the out at second, and the title was theirs.
That’s where it goes wonky for Wylie. Believing they had recorded the out, the infielders began to celebrate -- enabling three McKinney runners to round the bases and sweep across home plate, thus taking the lead, nabbing the championship and giving a punch to the gut of every Wylie player and fan.
Per espnW, that final sequence was recorded as a walk-off three-run fielder’s choice. And that, I believe, serves as your Monday morning reminder to always dot your I’s and cross your T’s.
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