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Ok, I want to preface this rant by saying I have never pitched in any capacity, softball or baseball, in my entire life before last night. I understand pitching in softball is not as difficult as pitching in baseball, but there's more to it than throw it up there and let them hit it. My team's first, second, and third pitchers all were not at our game last night, so I was asked to pitch. I said sure because I wanted to help out, informing everyone that I had never pitched before. Out of 13 innings (doubleheader) I had 7 innings where I gave up 0 runs. However, in the other 6 innings I gave up 24 runs. I know it's softball and you're going to give up runs, and I had the second team defense playing behind me, but I had a shortstop backing up on grounders and stabbing at any backhanded play, letting multiple grounders through for hits and runs. I had a third baseman that couldn't figure out that he needed to get his glove all the way down on grounders because they weren't going to hop up to him (the ball was staying down ALL game). I had a first baseman who dropped more than five throws that were easily catchable. I was getting the ball to come off the bat the way I wanted, but my defense was not picking me up.

Net result I look like a hack out there because my defense couldn't come up with a bunch of easy plays with any consistency.

And I know I know it's softball but hey I'm competitive and wish my defense could have been on it's game the whole time.

Why would you look like a hack, and are you talking about looking like a hack to your to or to the other team? In any case if either team is made up of people that know the game they know that most of the blame should be on them/defense if they were missing and booting balls all night long.

I wouldn't go too hard on anyone new to softball who struggled defensively. I played softball one year in medical school and I must have dropped half the throws to me over at first base. When you've been catching a baseball your entire life, suddenly dealing with that huge, ridiculous ball is incredibly hard to get used to.

I never blamed the pitcher for giving up runs in softball. I did blame the fielders plenty. Outs are hard enough to come by--you don't need to give the other team freebies.

cpebbles wrote:I wouldn't go too hard on anyone new to softball who struggled defensively. I played softball one year in medical school and I must have dropped half the throws to me over at first base. When you've been catching a baseball your entire life, suddenly dealing with that huge, ridiculous ball is incredibly hard to get used to.

That's why if you're playing softball I suggest you buy a glove MADE for playing softball.

I always used softball gloves, but when you've been catching the smaller ball your entire life you don't have the glove as wide open. It's hard to get used to, believe me.

In relation to what Popeye said if your team booted as many balls as you say they did you're lucky to only give up 24 runs in 2 games. The other team must have been pretty crappy as well. Many of the teams I've played against if you give them 4 or 5 outs an inning they would drop 20 runs on you in a game pretty easily.

Is it a competitive league? Or a beer league?

cpebbles wrote:I always used softball gloves, but when you've been catching the smaller ball your entire life you don't have the glove as wide open. It's hard to get used to, believe me.

I sometimes have similar struggles in the OF, especially around dusk. When you're used to seeing a baseball up there, it's a bit harder to properly judge distance with a bigger ball. One of those "objects in air are further than they appear" things.

Popeye_Card wrote:

cpebbles wrote:I always used softball gloves, but when you've been catching the smaller ball your entire life you don't have the glove as wide open. It's hard to get used to, believe me.

I sometimes have similar struggles in the OF, especially around dusk. When you're used to seeing a baseball up there, it's a bit harder to properly judge distance with a bigger ball. One of those "objects in air are further than they appear" things.

When I switched from softball to baseball 2 years ago it took me about a month of practices to start to track the way a baseball carried as opposed to a softball.