Opening Day for the Waco Co-ed Softball League

The second time Cliff stepped to the plate in the inaugural game of the 2005 season of the Waco Co-ed Softball League, the crowd (or “peanut gallery” as we will see they may better be called) cheered raucously, “Do it again, Babe Ruth!” How did we get to this point? What happened during Cliff’s first at-bat that caused this uproarious response? It is something that will be long remembered in the Robinson Church of Christ softball lore.

Nineteen people are signed up to play on the Robinson Church of Christ softball team, and the ten run mercy rule usually ends the game after the fourth inning; so that means that each player sees about two innings of action. Cliff cheered from the bench during the first two innings, but in the bottom of the third, he stepped to the plate for the first time. The first pitch looked okay, so he swung…hard. The ball shot off the end of the bat and rocketed toward the center field fence. Cliff bolted for first base, hoping to stretch the hit into an in-the-park home run. For some reason, however, the girl standing on first base paused. She must have thought that the outfielders were world-class sprinters setting personal best times in the 40-yard dash, because that is what it would have taken for them to catch that ball. But for whatever reason, she paused, and by the time she started toward second, Cliff was rounding first at a full gallop (think Clydesdale). Stride for stride, they rounded the bases on a collision course for home plate. Once she passed third and turned toward home, the stands could finally see the expression on her face. She was running hard, yes, but she didn’t seem to be thinking about baseball at all. The expression was not one of intense effort given in the heat of competition, but rather pure, unadulterated fear. If you’ve ever seen clips of Spaniards running with the bulls, you can imagine what her face looked like. She could hear the footsteps behind her, and she feared the stampede.

The story ends on a bittersweet note. Spurred on by fear, the girl safely crossed home plate. Cliff, on the other hand, was tagged out before scoring.