[Over The Fence]

Most serious softball players play travel ball. If you look at a typical tournament, it's two pool games plus the double elimination so the girls are accostomed to playing multiple games. The catcher does take most of the brunt, but generally is isn't unbearable. The only thing unbearable at this state tournament was the condition of the fields. The temp was 95 and the winds were about 20 mph. The field crew didn't water the infields at all on Friday. There were several times the umps had to stop the games because of the dust. If a ball went in the dirt, the catchers had a difficult time picking it up. For a state championship tournament, the fields were a joke.