I've gone to the girl's state softball tournament for several years, so I am used to rain delays, but this year was the worst. Verona was scheduled to play the third game of the day at 1:30, but with rain overnight and in the morning, Verona was rescheduled to 4:00 but didn't start until 5:45. I was able to get off the afternoon through the benevolence of my boss. Even though I knew that the Verona game wouldn't start as scheduled, I was mentally ready to check out at noon, so trying to stay later would have been tough mentally. I ran a few errands, and they headed over to the field to meet my Dad. The stadium should be cleared out after each session (two games), but they didn't, so I watched most of the previous game too.
Verona was scheduled to play a tough Middleton, a local rival. Verona was only able to manage one run in the bottom of the first inning, but that was enough to beat Middleton. The pitcher, Bev Nordin, was able to continue a strong Verona tradition of great pitchers as she struck out eight with a combination of speed and a very slow change-up.
After the Verona game, we watched a few innings of the next game and walked over to the Blue Moon bar for a burger. The food was great there, as usual, and we headed back to the stadium we caught the last inning and saw Heartland Arrowhead win, our next opponent. We watch the other semifinal game, which Steven's Point won to stay undefeated for the year, but Dad left early because he was thinking that Verona played the early semifinal game. He couldn't stay up for the Verona game because of work next day, so he left early, which was good, because the Verona game didn't start until 10:40 pm.
I decided stick it out, I'd been there for a few hours anyway and I didn't have anything better to do, so I settled in for the first multi-day softball game (more about that to follow).
It was a tale of two games. I don't necessarily believe in the 'witching hour', but something strange happened to both teams. Arrowhead looked (I can't think of a more kind way to say this) terrible in warm ups, and this terrible play continued in the first few innings. The pitcher couldn't find the strike zone and when she did her pitches were easy to hit, the fielding was poor, the catching was a joke, the throwing was weak and off target, and the errors were numerous because of all this. Verona managed four runs in 2 1/3 and Arrowhead none, before Arrowhead's starting pitcher was pulled. After that, Verona only scored two more runs, and Arrowhead scored three, including one in the bottom of the seventh (the last inning in regulation softball) which made the game much more interesting. Verona was able to pull it out in the end and won with six runs on eleven hits and Arrowhead scored three runs on eight hits. The game finally ended at 12:30 in the morning.
Verona was scheduled to play SPASH (Steven's Point Area Senior High) later that day at 5:30, but the way the weekend went, I really wasn't sure. Sure enough, the morning was fine, but the afternoon games were postponed. I went early to Watch the D-2 championship game, assuming that I could buy a two-game session ticket. For the championship, you could only buy single game tickets, so I again went to the Blue Moon and caught the end of the game.
The Verona game started at 8:30, right on time again, and both teams looked good with both pitchers looking exceptional as usual. SPASH was undefeated and looked good with three hits, but managed no runs. Verona had a hit but no runs. In the second, it started raining and by the end it was pouring. I headed to the parking garage next door (very nice) and waited half an hour before I decided to drive away. Just as I did, I noticed the rain had stopped, so I put on my rain pants and jacket and headed in. Just as I got into the stadium again, they announced that the game would be postponed two days and resume Monday noon! Monday was very rainy so the game started Tuesday. SPASH scored right away when play resumed. Verona was only able to manage one run, and that was in the bottom of the seventh, and left a runner on third to end the game.
Even though they lost (again for the third time to SPASH in the championship game), this was the best Verona had ever played in the final...and they were so close to winning. Eight straight to state, and to championship...yet.
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