"You'll never get ahead if you don't take care of what you have." - Doris Waddell, RIP

The late Ralph E. Williams with "Heidi" - morris mn

The late Ralph E. Williams with "Heidi" - morris mn
Click on the image to read Williams family reflections w/ emphasis on UMM.

Thursday, April 21, 2016

MACA softball beats Benson-Hancock 5-3

The MACA softball team kept its winning ways going with a 5-3 triumph over Benson-Hancock Tuesday.
Click on the link below to read about the Tigers' doubleheader sweep over Sauk Centre, along with the win the next day over Redwood Valley. This post is on my companion website, "Morris of Course." Thanks for reading. - B.W.
http://morrisofcourse.blogspot.com/2016/04/brooke-gillespie-hits-4-home-runs-in.html
 
The game against Benson-Hancock was on a rainy day. It was B-H taking the lead in the first inning, 2-1. The Tigers failed to score against B-H pitcher Addie Forbord over the next three innings. Then in the fifth, MACA got going with the game-winning rally. It was good for four runs. B-H scored one run in the fifth.
Forbord pitched all seven innings as did MACA pitcher Brooke Gillespie. Thanks to the fifth inning rally, Gillespie got the 'W' next to her name in the boxscore. Gillespie scattered ten hits. She struck out two batters and walked one. One of the runs she allowed was unearned. Forbord gave up nine hits and struck out one.
The MACA offense had Ashley Solvie with a hit and two RBIs. Three Tigers each had two hits: Lindsey Dierks, Piper Gibson and Gillespie. Three Benson-Hancock batters each had two hits: Kamri Kalthoff, Presley Gonnerman and Kayla Crowell. Kalthoff doubled and drove in two runs. One of Gonnerman's hits was a double.
Benson-Hancock outhit the Tigers 10-9. But MACA presented better fielding with three errors compared to B-H's five. Oh, if you add up the hits among the MACA individuals, you get seven. But the line score in the Willmar paper has us with nine hits. Also, in the pitching stats for B-H, Forbord has five numbers listed but there are supposed to be six. So I can't be totally sure what each number stands for.
I have noticed many problems of this type turning up in the Willmar paper so far this spring.
I remember back when I wrote for the Morris and Hancock papers, I used the Willmar paper as my information source for B-H Legion baseball, on the suggestion of the coach. I sometimes wonder if I should have used the Willmar paper more as a source for my sportswriting. This has an up side for the coaches as they would be relieved of the task of dispensing information specifically to me. It would save them time and a hassle.
On my end, I would need a little change to dash over to Willie's or wherever in the morning to get the Willmar paper. That's fine. However, an ongoing system of relying on the Willmar paper would have problems. Some Morris fans would instantly react: "What, you need another newspaper to do your job?"
On many weeks this system would be quite serviceable. However, two problems would eventually emerge. One, we'd find that certain games just wouldn't get covered in the Willmar paper, for various reasons. If I'm looking for coverage and it isn't there, I'd be in a mad scramble to contact the coach, most likely at a time when he's in class.
Second, sooner or later we'd find game coverage in the Willmar paper with serious errors in it. And if I were to use that coverage, two consequences: 1) Everyone would realize I'm using the Willmar paper, and 2) we would simply look bad, and fans would find colorful ways of describing my laziness, stupidity and incompetence.
Then again there's always a "silent majority" out there of people who don't give a rip if there's any sports in the Morris paper at all. Heck, I don't actually read any sports coverage in the Morris paper. A former Morris principal once told me that the only reason sports parents look at the Morris paper's sports section is that they are eager to criticize it. They'll question the paper's sports priorities, which anyone can do.
We had an editor who told me in writing that UMM sports should be our highest priority. At first I just didn't believe it. Eventually the whole roof just came in on me anyway, in this town of horrible social cliques and political recriminations.
The average man on the street just looks at the sports section and goes "ho hum."
As far as UMM is concerned, is there really a substantial faction of devil worshipers out there? Might they try to recruit our local high school youth? If this current news at UMM is just a big joke, there should be a big headline in the Morris paper assuring us of that. I know some people are scared. I overheard some talk at the recent Sons of Norway gathering.
- Brian Williams - morris mn minnesota - bwilly73@yahoo.com

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