It is not Over Until It's Over

All spring I have been telling my good friend, Doug Pearson, head football coach at Toledo St Johns, that I was going to see a St Johns' baseball game. I have watch Doug's son Nate play football, but never baseball. Yesterday, I watched Nate's last high school baseball game.

Fremont Ross was playing St Johns for the Three Rivers Athletic Conference post season tournament championship. Good day for baseball. A one hour drive, but the AC felt good.

Both teams were playing well, for the most part. We had to be back to Upper Sandusky by five o'clock. After 4 and 1/2 innings, St Johns was leading 3-0. Nate had been to bat three times with no hits. He was hit twice and walked the third time. I texted Coach Pearson that he had had three chances and that we had to get back to Upper Sandusky.

Although  I knew that Fremont shortstop, Tyler Wolf quarterbacked the Little Giants in the fall, I had forgotten that he played baseball in the spring. Tyler looks the part and is a very good baseball player, as well as, a very solid quarterback. Fun to watch him compete.

As my adult kids will testify to, I hate crowds at the end of games. In fact, I hardly ever stay until a game is completed. For the longest time, my kids never realized that there was such a thing as a fourth quarter. Yesterday was no exception.

I called Coach Pearson last night and the first thing he said was that you should have stayed. Fremont came back and scored four runs to take the lead, 4-3.

In the bottom of the sixth, Toledo St Johns loaded the bases and Nate Pearson came to bat. No place to put him, so they had to pitch to him. Remember, the 6'0-245 pounder had walked once and been hit twice. Nate hit a ground rule double that bounced over the fence. Final score 6-4.

Maybe someday I will stay and watch four quarters. I applaude the determination of Nate Pearson. He gave me a lesson. I drive 60 minutes and can not stay til the end and miss one of the biggest hits of his senior year. I guess I will have to catch a University of Toledo baseball game next spring to watch him again.