Rachel Crader is the editor of semoball.com. She graduated from the University of Missouri School of Journalism in May of 2009 before spending the summer covering the World Series of Poker in Las Vegas.

Highlights from Rachel's days in college include having a class down the hall from Chase Daniel and having NCAA wrestling champion Ben Askren hold the door open for her at Brady Commons, Mizzou's student center. She spent time covering Mizzou basketball, softball and baseball while working for the Columbia Missourian and is excited to return home to Southeast Missouri to cover local sports for semoball.com.

Rachel has covered three Southeast Missourian Christmas Tournaments for the Southeast Missourian and semoball.com, and she'll see you courtside again this year.

Why Pleasant Hope, the umpire and MSHSAA should be ashamed after Portageville softball loss

Posted Saturday, October 25, 2014, at 5:05 AM

Several years back ESPN and other media outlets nearly replayed the story of the Central Washington softball team's sportsmanship into obnoxious oblivion.

The story, as most sports fans have heard, was that Western Oregon's Sara Tucholsky hit her first career home run in a game against Central Washington then promptly injured her knee running the bases.

The rules were simple, Tucholsky had to touch all the bases or the runs wouldn't count, and she couldn't get help from her teammates.

So Central Washington's Mallory Holtman and Liz Wallace picked up Tucholsky, carried her around the bases and helped her touch each bag and then home plate.

Holtman said she made the offer because it's what she would have wanted someone to do for her.

The story drew national headlines, won Holtman and Wallace an ESPY and was praised all over as the right thing to do. Afterall, Tuchlosky had hit the home run. She was simply getting what she had earned.

I can only assume Pleasant Hope High School softball coach Kevin McVey thinks Holtman and Wallace made the wrong choice. After his actions on Friday in a Class 2 state semifinal, I'd guess he'd have ordered his players to stand by as Tucholsky laid on the ground in pain, celebrating internally how it might help his team win.

Pleasant Hope led 1-0 in the top of the seventh when Portageville's Savannah Lovins hit an undisputed two-run home run to give her team a 2-1 lead.

Lovins' teammate crossed the plate not long before her, and the Bulldogs gathered around home plate in a well-earned celebration. (You can see video of the play and read more here.)

I wasn't there, but the video of the play shows three things. First it shows a girl running into a group of teammates, with feet everywhere. Second, and more importantly, it shows the home plate umpire point toward home as if counting the first run. Third, it shows no Pleasant Hope player closer than the pitching rubber to the plate. Even the catcher is near the circle with her back to the play as the runs score.

Yet somehow, some Pleasant Hope players said they saw the first Portageville player miss the plate, and of course McVey had to challenge. How could any coach simply accept that his team had been bested fair and square and that his players would need to score again in the bottom half of the inning to keep their state championship hope alive? No, that can't be done when you have the opportunity to rob a high school athlete of a moment she not only earned but deserved in order to boost your own team.

In the most inexplicable and, in my view, incomprehensible twist of this entire story, somehow it was Keith Huether, the first base umpire -- THE FIRST BASE UMPIRE -- who eventually said the first Portageville runner did not touch home plate, taking both runs off the board because there were already two outs in the inning and robbing the Bulldogs of their lead. Apparently he believed he had a better view than the home plate umpire who was just a few feet away.

I hope he and McVey have trouble sleeping tonight and I hope a large asterisk is placed on whatever trophy McVey's team ends up with, but I doubt he has any regrets. He never would have made the appeal in the first place if he was capable of that kind of introspection.

If you think the coach was right to appeal, we'll just have to disagree. I've already communicated with multiple coaches who said they never would, but I know others -- including McVey -- don't see things the same way. Notre Dame softball coach Jeff Graviett said it best when he lamented on Twitter that two adults got in the way of what was a great game being played by great high school athletes. Shame on them.

This would be different, of course, if McVey had appealed a runner leaving a base early. In that case, Portageville would have gained an unfair advantage. That wasn't the case. Lovins hit the ball over the fence to give her team the lead, and Pleasant Hope still had three outs to even the score or win the game. Nothing more fair than that.

This would also be different if it was simply an incorrect decision on a call the umpire had to make. Umpires miss calls about whether a runner is safe or out, whether a pitch is a ball or strike and whether a ball is fair or foul all the time. It's unfortunate when that happens, but it's part of the game and those calls must -- must -- be made to the favor of one team no matter what. Huether was under no obligation here, no matter what he thought he saw.

The rules, of course, are in place for a reason, but to think that the Pleasant Hope players and coaches or the first base umpire -- THE FIRST BASE UMPIRE -- could be so sure that this rule that in no way impacted what happened on the field in this moment was broken that they saw fit to ruin a game, a moment and a memory forever is nothing short of classless.

Somehow, the Portageville team pulled itself together after the loss and defeated North Platte 3-1 in 11 innings later Friday, and for that the Bulldogs will have my eternal respect.

Portageville's star pitcher Taylor Tiffany, who allowed just one hit to Pleasant Hope, struck out 23 batters in the victory to break the single-season record for strikeouts in Missouri State High School Activities Association.

Apparently MSHSAA made an announcement congratulating Tiffany on her accomplishment during the game, which would be great if every MSHSAA official hadn't sat idly by as one of their umpires took away her chance at the accomplishment she likely wanted most this season -- a state championship.

I say all the time that wins and losses matter. Learning to win is a valuable life skill that lasts far beyond the high school fields and courts. Likewise, learning to deal with defeat is essential in life, although the losses take different forms through our lives after athletics.

But sports, at their best, are about more than final scores. They're about learning to compete, learning to work as a team for a greater good, a bigger goal and -- as MSHSAA loves to remind us -- they are about sportsmanship. And while we may play the game at different levels or for different reasons, we're bound by the idea that we work our hardest, play our best and then we have the guts to take our result and live with it.

While the MSHSAA record book will say that Pleasant Hope beat Portageville on Friday, that's not a result I'd want to have to live with, no matter which side I was on.

Comments

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Unbelievable! There's no possible way ANY of the Pleasant Hill players or the first base ump could've seen whether or not the first girl touched home plate! Did the home plate ump call her safe? MSHAA has got to investigate this!

-- Posted by Preacher Man Fan on Sat, Oct 25, 2014, at 12:59 AM
The rules are the rules. A really good coach knows every rule in the book, in my opinion.

-- Posted by Dustin Ward on Sat, Oct 25, 2014, at 3:19 AM
Dustin, I swear you just open your pie hole to cause controversy and irritate people. Its a freaking HR and for the coach to appeal the play is a disgrace!

-- Posted by Jolly Dump on Sat, Oct 25, 2014, at 7:57 AM
MSHSAA should apologize to Portageville and none of the three Umpires should ever be allowed to participate in ANY state games again. To make that call in a Championship in that situation on the word of the opposing team is ridiculous and unbelievable. With all of the feet around home plate, there is no possible way the first base ump could definitely see the plate. My heart goes out to Portageville for they were shafted.

-- Posted by 66Indian on Sat, Oct 25, 2014, at 7:58 AM
Dustin, any class or credibility you may have had just went down the drain. You sound like the Yankees' coach (Vic Morrow) in "The Bad News Bears."

-- Posted by MortCooper42 on Sat, Oct 25, 2014, at 8:28 AM
Very few coaches know all the rules. Some that coach a sport while officiating another sport do. That was a very asinine comment.

-- Posted by Pete Czeria on Sat, Oct 25, 2014, at 9:04 AM
I haven't commented on here in close to a year now due to the fact that I feel many posters can't have a respectful discussion about sports. Nobody knows how to agree to disagree. After seeing this column, I decided to give my opinion. Everybody needs to put themselves in the shoes of the Pleasant Hope coach. Bash MSHSAA all you would like, because they should've never allowed such a thing to happen. No clue what his motives were but there is no way the first base umpire could've made that call. Bash him all you want. But we should all lay off the Pleasant Hope coach. It's the mans job to win. And considering Pleasant Hope is fresh off a state title, I'm sure they are a serious program there. If your fans are screaming at you to appeal a play that ended up getting overturned and you don't do it, they'll probably be ready to run you out of town. The man was in a bad spot. Me personally, I would do the same thing. I'm more worried about my job than I am people's opinion of me that live across the state. To imply that their coach would be okay with the injury of another teams player if it helped him win is very classless. I strongly oppose this article.

-- Posted by bleacherking on Sat, Oct 25, 2014, at 9:37 AM
Simply touch all 4 bases and their will never be an issue.....simple as that

-- Posted by pdg65 on Sat, Oct 25, 2014, at 10:07 AM
It's one thing to know all the rules, Dustin, but it's another thing to enforce them properly.

Comparing this to a court of law, do you really believe that 1st base umpire saw the girl not step on home 'beyond a reasonable doubt' with all the other players in the way?

I don't think so.

What a shame to lose that way.

-- Posted by justafan51 on Sat, Oct 25, 2014, at 10:21 AM
pdg65---She did touch all the bases. Watch the video. The homeplate ump signals she scored. I agree with bleacherking. He has to appeal that play if his players and parents are asking. This is on the umps and in my opinion the home plate ump. He counted her run and he's in charge. Don't feel guilty pdg65 if you win the state championship today but understand you aren't the true state champion.

-- Posted by crackerjack on Sat, Oct 25, 2014, at 10:27 AM
First the article was unprofessionally written. Don't bash a coach on a faulty comparison. An able body player that is required to run the bases and an injured player who cannot are two different situations. A coach puts it on the line all season long with his/her players in practice and games, and the trust factor there goes both ways, so if the players see something their coach has an obligation to them to battle for them.Don't blame the coach or the players from Pleasant Hope for wanting to win within the rules.

With that being said, the video does not show whether or not the runner touched home, but does clearly show the HP umpire pointing as she crosses, a signal that suggests she did. And that's his call first. Any base umpire can make that call if he/she sees it, but at this point that should require a conference and overruling a decision already made.

In doing that, the first base umpire better be sure she did not touch the plate and the HP umpire better be sure he blew the original call. At this point, if the runner touched home, then it is on those two umpires. If she didn't, it is on her and her 3rd base coach. AS a player, you know you always have to touch the bases and in this situation the 3rd base coach should be reminding her to do so.

-- Posted by whitey11 on Sat, Oct 25, 2014, at 11:06 AM
In my opinion the umpires are the ones who should be getting the brunt of the criticism. We don't know what was going on inside the mind of The coach of Pleasant Hope. Besides, he has the right to appeal if he thinks there is a possibility that a player didn't touch the base. That's the unfortunate reality of this situation. Also, I don't really care what another coach, who didn't go through the situation themselves, says what they would do. It's easy to second guess after the fact, especially when you had no involvement in the situation. It simple. this is CLEARLY on the umpires. They have the final ruling. I feel very badly for Portageville. It does appear, from the video that they were robbed of two runs. There's no way the home plate umpire should have allowed the first base umpire to influence him to rule in favor of that appeal. Also, what is MSHSAA supposed to do? Is Urhahn supposed to run out there and tell the umps they suck and the runs stand? Would've been funny is he had! It's hard to understand this now but the kids and coaches at Portageville will probably all be better people for having been through this crappy experience.

-- Posted by jwhitlock on Sat, Oct 25, 2014, at 11:11 AM
First base ump shouldn't have made the call. I agree the umps blew it and cost a team a shot a state championship that's what's so bad. It's a bush league call. Did pleasant hope win the title

-- Posted by Kennett fan on Sat, Oct 25, 2014, at 11:25 AM
I can also assure you that if ND were in this situation with Lauren reinagle pitching and Ray Reinagle was sitting on that bucket calling pitches I can can gaurantee that Graviett would appeal and he should but again, this is on the umps. Not MSHSAA or the coach. Pleasant Hope isn't the true state champ and I'll stand by that.

-- Posted by crackerjack on Sat, Oct 25, 2014, at 11:28 AM
I've got a couple of questions.

1. The rules say that when there's an appeal, the "administrating" umpire (I think that means what the MLB calls the crew chief) has to make the call. So did the 1st base umpire overrule the home plate ump, or was he just the chief and the one who had to make the call?

2. The article that accompanied the video on ozarksports.net makes it sound like the catcher was the one who appealed the play. The video also shows one of the infield players walking up and speaking to one of the umpires. The rules say anyone on the team can appeal the play. IF one of the players made the appeal, could the coach override that and withdraw the appeal? Does anyone know who actually made the appeal?

-- Posted by Mollie Dog on Sat, Oct 25, 2014, at 11:33 AM
To quote the Late Great Jack Buck "I do not believe what I just saw!!" Cannot put into words how the umpires allowed this to happen!! Wow!!

-- Posted by coachkdt on Sat, Oct 25, 2014, at 12:03 PM
Great job on the Blog/Article Rachel!!

-- Posted by coachkdt on Sat, Oct 25, 2014, at 12:04 PM
I agree comparing this coach and this situation to that of central washington is the most ridiculous thing I think I've ever read. This is all on the umps not the coach for the appeal.

-- Posted by BIGELW on Sat, Oct 25, 2014, at 12:49 PM
bleacherking

I strongly agree it's good coaching to appeal the call. I think almost every coach would appeal the call in a state semifinal game. I've seen some southeast Missouri coaches make similar appeals in baseball. Happens all the time.

Agree with jwhitlock about the umpire part also. The call is debatable, but without seeing it live no way for me to have an opinion on if it was the right call.

-- Posted by Dustin Ward on Sat, Oct 25, 2014, at 12:54 PM
After seeing the video I would put the umpires and the umpires only to blame for the call. It was almost impossible to see the feet touch the plate and after seeing the Homeplate umpire point that the run scored that should've made it a 1-1 game, with the go-ahead run just rounding third. A couple things crossed my mind when I saw the play- one why did the umpire allow players to get so close to plate? Two- if your players are adamantly asking you to appeal your first instinct is to appeal. The coach had very little time to make a gut wrenching decision. If it were fans that were yelling at me, I may ignore that but if my players are asking me then all things are out the window. Those players have gone to battle for that coach every day for the past three months And if he ignores their pleads for appeal, I would bet he would lose a lot of their respect. I have been on both sides of the process-umpire and coach. You also have to realize the umpire crew Is there to make sure all rules and regulations are followed correctly. If it was a regular-season game, we probably have all been there And had to make a call for an appeal or had to call somebody out. Congrats to Portageville on an incredible run and I'm sure their coach will use this as a life lesson. I've coached against him and he is a standup guy who will be able to take the situation and turn it into a positive.

-- Posted by deckerd31 on Sat, Oct 25, 2014, at 1:01 PM
I agree with deckerd31. I think the coach loses credibility if he doesn't make the appeal MortCooper42 .

-- Posted by Dustin Ward on Sat, Oct 25, 2014, at 1:15 PM
Dustin Ward that's the most ignorant thing I've ever seen watch the video and be quiet

-- Posted by Field of Dreams on Sat, Oct 25, 2014, at 1:17 PM
Here's the crazy thing about an appeal-they hardly ever overturn the call! That last post by me may have seemed like I was blasting umpires by I'm an umpire myself, and for me to overturn that call, it has to blatant! I've called playoff games at the state level (not high school) but it is very high energy and can be complete chaos-just think-a team was one out from going to the state championship and now they are most likely not. I really wish that the home plate umpire wouldn have would have done a better job of holding the Poratagville girls back until BOTH runs have scored. It's an exciting moment but they still have to touch the bases. For what it's with, we may never know what was correct.

-- Posted by deckerd31 on Sat, Oct 25, 2014, at 1:37 PM
99 percent of coaches would do the exact same thing. Coaches are paid to win games within the rules, regardless of what that takes. I am heartbroken for the young lady from Portageville, and I am ashamed that this was handled so poorly. The fact that the first base umpire overruled this, and worse yet that MSHSAA allowed it, is disgraceful. However, I believe it is a huge mistake to include the opposing coach as some sort of evil figure in this case. He has a team, and a job to protect.

-- Posted by No sir on Sat, Oct 25, 2014, at 1:50 PM
To play devil's advocate, as those of us on here don't know if home plate was actually touched or not, but say it clearly wasn't for argument sake, if the umpire clearly saw the plate missed, doesn't he have an obligation upon appeal to try to get the call right? Another question in play is why did the home plate umpire point at home when the player crossed?

-- Posted by whitey11 on Sat, Oct 25, 2014, at 1:58 PM
This is complete BS--- the first base umpire should have done the right thing and admitted that he had no way of seeing from his angle whether or not the girl touched the plate, yielded to the home plate umpire who motioned the girl safe! It's ok for umps to admit they didnt see the play clearly...thats human! But some umps wanna be a part of the limelight...this guy should be punished and banned from future games of this magnitude. Its a sad day for Portageville but also a sad day for officiating. This clearly arrogant ump couldnt separate himself from the game, and so MSHSAA should do the right thing and separate themselves from him. What a joke!

-- Posted by RedShirt on Sat, Oct 25, 2014, at 1:59 PM
Whitey-your second point is what makes this so bad in my opinion. Why in the world would you point to the plate if the plate was not touched?

-- Posted by jwhitlock on Sat, Oct 25, 2014, at 2:07 PM
Whitey, you're second question nails it-as an umpire, he made a direct motion that she touched home. I would have liked to have been in that conversation among the umps to see what was said and why he changed his call or if his point even meant anything?. As a coach, what does Pleasant Hope have to lose? He probably thought it was a Hail Mary to throw out an appeal and as a coach, if a player asks me to appeal something, 99%of the time I will just to show that I respect their paying attention to the game. Heck even in regular season games, I've seen people appeal obvious calls just to see If umpires are paying attention. We could go on and on about the umpire and MSHSAA, but the fact is, Portageville got 3rd which is a huge accomplishment.

-- Posted by deckerd31 on Sat, Oct 25, 2014, at 3:02 PM
Couple of things:

A. This is on the umpires. Period. Terrible call. You simply can't definitively say she missed the plate.

B. Why were the players around the plate anyway? This was not a walkoff homer, why were they around the plate in the first place? Don't think I've ever seen that unless it's an actual walkoff. May sound really crass, but Portageville's players had no business encircling the plate on a non-walkoff homer.

C. Probably the most unprofessional and classless article the Missourian has ever put out. Jon Rust should be embarrassed.

-- Posted by bam-bam on Sat, Oct 25, 2014, at 6:37 PM
Yes he should and so should Crader.

-- Posted by BIGELW on Sat, Oct 25, 2014, at 7:25 PM
We can't say what the 1B umpire saw or didn't see, because we don't know given the information we have. What we do know is the HP umpire pointed at home as the player crossed, usually an acknowledgement of "run counts." So given that information, in order for the runner to be called out on appeal, the HP umpire (who has first jurisdiction and made the original call) would have to admit he made a mistake and ask for help. If he doesn't do that, then it's he that should tell the coach, "no, she touched."

I think Portageville deserves an explanation of why the call was reversed.

-- Posted by whitey11 on Sat, Oct 25, 2014, at 8:51 PM
Rachel, hope you read Chris Popst colunm on game and see his is a more professional and mature position on the event.

-- Posted by indian73 on Sat, Oct 25, 2014, at 9:25 PM
it was a freaking HR.....I dont care if she didnt touch home (which she did) because it was a HR and shame on the "winning" team for their terrible conduct.

-- Posted by Jolly Dump on Sat, Oct 25, 2014, at 10:06 PM
Welcome to MSHSAA Softball State competition. This bad call is not the first, nor will it be the last, during State competition. I'm 99.9% sure that there were or have been numerous officiating calls made during district, sectionals, quarterfinal, and finals play that effected teams chances from advancing further and getting their shot to play for the state championship too.

That being said, I can give an example, to the best of my memory, from the State Finals in Columbia some 30+ years ago (only 3 classes of softball then). A local high school made it to the first MSHSAA Fall final four and had the championship rug pulled right from under their feet, also on a questionable call. The scenario was a little different though. In the semi-final game, this local high school team was leading by 5 or 6 runs in the top of the 5th inning when the rains came. The high school coach was told that the game was being suspended at that point, and would be resumed as soon as weather permitted. That occurred the next day and that was when MSHSAA and their umpiring crew came onto the field and told the local coach that the game would be started over. and of course the local team loses the game by a run and of course the local coach protested the game to no avail. Instead of getting the chance to play for the state championship, these young ladies had to settled for a 3rd Place finish that they never got to play for, due to the weather conditions.

The young ladies from that team took a bad experience and used that life lesson to grow up to become very successful women. Some became mothers and had daughters. They passed along their love for the game and taught their daughters how to play the game the right way. Area softball fans have been blessed to watch the daughters of these women play and succeed in the game their moms loved and played years before.

So don't let this bump in the road get you down, it was put there for a reason. Live and learn.

-- Posted by Softballfan1215 on Sun, Oct 26, 2014, at 5:30 AM
I'm reminded of the blown 1st base call during the I-70 series years ago; nearly 30 years ago. Mistakes like this live forever and get passed down through generations. Unlike the infamous blown call that cost the Cards a World Series, this particular event doesn't seem like a blown call so much as a thrown game. It speaks volumes to the lack of integrity of those who allowed it to happen. Sadly, sports are full of people who compromise integrity for the almighty "W".

-- Posted by Stan Crader on Sun, Oct 26, 2014, at 8:26 AM
For what it's worth, I don't know where I stand on this issue. I can see both sides. However, I feel very strongly that blogs of this type are exactly what semoball needs. Look at the post dispatch. Columnists write their opinions on a daily basis. And people flock to read them. Blogs are meant for strong opinions. That's what brings viewers. The best part is that their are multiple columnists working for the same company that have different opinions. And that's what makes it great. I have no problem with this blog and I actually love it. If you want to read the story, read the article. If you want an individuals opinion, read the blog. Rachel, I don't know if I agree with 100% of your thoughts, but I enjoy hearing them.

-- Posted by lseed on Sun, Oct 26, 2014, at 10:15 AM
From a high school softball player, I find this article very disrespectful and high rude. I understand why they are mad, but Portagville did the same thing to us during a game. Dissing one team because they questioned a call is ridiculous. This is no where near professional. I find that this article is quite heartless. Both teams played as best as they could to get to the top. From a high school softball player all my respect has been lost for semoball from this article. It's awful and such an awful way to put a game because a team lost. Be happy you made it to state. It's an amazing experience and you should have not been so disrespectful to another team and MSHAA.

-- Posted by kelly16 on Sun, Oct 26, 2014, at 12:08 PM
Seed-I agree with you. Although I think there are several points in the blog that are off base or just flat wrong, I agree that there's nothing wrong with the article being written. We are supposed to be able to agree to disagree! Because there's plenty to disagree about!

-- Posted by jwhitlock on Sun, Oct 26, 2014, at 2:45 PM
I am a parent of one of those Pleasant Hope players that I believe this article refers to as being "classless". I also assume by the title of the article that our team is supposed to feel ashamed. My daughter was a senior playing in her last year for Pleasant Hope in these state playoffs. There is so many things that I would like to respond to in this article that are inferred.

First, to compare our game and this "call" to a game where a player got hurt and the other team showed support by helping and supporting an injured player is unbelievable. I just can't understand how the article could call in to question the "character" of our head coach, and infer that he would tell our players to stand down and not help another injured player and they would be celebrating if that helped us win is beyond unprofessional and classless. It is reckless.

Ironically enough, our own team this year experienced a similar call that lost us a game when one of our freshman pinch runners did not touch home plate and her run was erased. It was the winning run. We certainly did not wish ill of the other coach and hoped he could not live with himself or sleep at night. It is a coach's responsibility to support his players. The players asked for the call to be appealed. I sincerely empathize that this was no ordinary game. It was the state semi-finals. So our coach is supposed to not appeal a call just because it is the state semi-finals and our team is villains because we appealed a call.

My daughter is a competitor and has played at the state level three of her four years for Pleasant Hope. She honestly did not like how the game ended. She was not wildly celebrating. She empathized with the other team. It was not a pretty ending. But I will never tell her she should be ashamed of her team and coach in that her coach "robbed a high school athlete of a moment she not only earned but deserved in order to boost his team". Again just completely reckless statement.

I am sure the writer of the article based on their tone would be happy to know our team was soundly defeated in the state championship game so we don't have to live with an "*" of our accomplishments this year. We were greeted in the state game with players from Portageville holding up signs in the shape of home plate with slogans like "can't touch this" while they cheered while we lost and the head coach made a point to congratulate the other team in front of everyone. We also saw other signs waved around with "cheaters" on it. Not sure how classy that is either.

Pleasant Hope and Portageville both had amazing season that extended into the state playoffs. I wish the Portageville team only the best in the future. They had a very good team. I would ask that those not at the game and those that do not know our coach or team respectively not attack us or make comments about their character.

-- Posted by khillenburg on Sun, Oct 26, 2014, at 4:47 PM
Like many have said, this whole fiasco is on the umps and no one else. To make that call you have to be 100% certain that she missed the plate. There's way to tell on the video that Rachel posted, but I would be certain she did. Bad on the umps.

To blame Pleasant Hope's players, coaches, and fans for this is asinine and classless. As horrible of a way as that was for Portageville to loss, say the girl did miss home and Pleasant Hope doesn't appeal it. That is just as horrible of a way to lose.

Also why am I not shocked that Rachel wrote such an inflammatory article without actually being there to witness the game?

-- Posted by Showstopper on Sun, Oct 26, 2014, at 5:15 PM
Kihillenburg, I promise you that most people in our area do not agree with the manner in which the article was written. Your kids and coaches did nothing wrong. And I say that wishing Portageville had won the game.

-- Posted by jwhitlock on Sun, Oct 26, 2014, at 5:55 PM
The comparison to the D2 softball game is not a particularly strong one. As the vast majority of folks here have indicated, placing blame on the opposing coach is laughable at best. Slanderous, character assassination is the best way to put it. Very, very disheartening to read. The writer's other blog entries are pretty good. This one is just bizarre. I am at a loss for words.

-- Posted by PH on Mon, Oct 27, 2014, at 12:43 PM
I am a parent of a Portageville Softball Player. I would just like set the record straight on one thing mentioned in a previous post. The Portageville team planned on attending the championship game before they even left for Springfield. Of course, they intended on playing in that game but if that didn't happen they wanted to watch it no matter which teams played that day. They chose to cheer for Fatima and I'm sure no one would blame them for that. The team was trying to be respectful but they were angry and rightly so. And if they cheered a little louder for Fatima than they may have under normal circumstances, big deal!! I was there the entire game and yes I cheered for Fatima as well. You may not have liked it but get over it just like we had to get over the ump's ridiculous call.

I did see the sign shaped like home plate with "can't touch this" written on it. I didn't see the sign with "cheaters" or would have told them to put it away. There were a lot of fans from Portageville there that day and we can't control the actions of everyone who attended. To try and make these girls look like they were bad sports or classless is ridiculous just as blaming the game decision on the Pleasant Hope girls is.

I don't know what you think you saw but the head coach and assistant coach went to the bus with their families when the game was over. Even if one of them did congratulate another coach on a win.....when did that become wrong????

-- Posted by semofanxxx on Tue, Oct 28, 2014, at 2:09 PM
Semofanxxx, to clarify we did not see any players with signs that said cheaters on them, but did see signs in the crowd like that so that was disappointing. I actually do understand why your girls would want our team to get beat.

Actually it seems it is people who were not a part of either team and who were not even at the game that are the ones to make the most vicious comments.

Just been very hard as a parent to watch our coach and players attacked about a "game" but I guess we will all learn from the experience.

Wish your daughter and the Portageville team only the best as I stated before.

-- Posted by khillenburg on Tue, Oct 28, 2014, at 9:59 PM
I once saw my son lose a shutout and a sure win when he threw a comebacker to homeplate (bases loaded and one out in the bottom of the last inning and leading by a score of 1-0). My son, the pitcher, through the ball to homeplate for a force out and the catcher threw on to first to complete the double-play and the win. But the umpire ruled the catcher took his foot off homeplate too soon. So the tying run was allowed to score. We ended up losing the game in 10 innings. Was I upset and mad? Yes I was. I had a great seat and did not see the catcher come off the plate too soon. To this day I beleve the umpire cheated (he was a hometown product). But life went on and my son, later that year, was the winning picher in the state semi-finals for the state championship. Moral of the story - what doesn't kill you makes you stronger.

-- Posted by taxpayer parent on Tue, Dec 2, 2014, at 11:11 AM

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