Mesa Softball secured an unusual win at home against the Grossmont Griffins, 9-3 on April 11.
Once the game began to get competitive, the unexpected happened. In the sixth inning a player from Griffins was in motion to catch a ball from the air when she fell over a teammate from behind her, catching the ball but falling on what appeared to be her neck/head.
Trainers ran to her side as umpires called a timeout to check her injuries. She was ultimately walked off the field, but the timeout didn’t end there. Players from both teams were instructed to wait in their dugouts while Mesa head coach, Jaclyn Guidi conversed with Grossmont head coach, Doug Hartung and officials.
Unfortunately, after an extensive timeout officials and coaches agreed to end the game in the sixth inning.
Guidi explained in a brief interview that Grossmont did not have enough players to continue the game fairly. She explains that they had already used their substitutes and after taking out their player that was being checked for a concussion, they could no longer compete according to the rule book.
Guidi says, “They wanted to call a forfeit, but I didn’t want to call forfeit right away because when you do, stats don’t enter and its not claimed as a game, which right now, were so close to playoffs and every win counts.”
Although it wasn’t a traditional win, players like sophomore first/second baseman Savanah Wallace and freshman third base/shortstop Chelsea Gonzalez really dug deep to compete and finish strong.The Olympians had a rough start trailing the Griffins 3-0 in the first inning. It appeared challenging trying to gain momentum. Nonetheless, the women persevered and added a win to their 19-10 record.
The Olympians are scheduled to play Palomar college on April 24 at 3 p.m.
