The Shrimpiest Shrimp Plays A Game

Aubs with her pal Ruby.

Aubrey's first softball game was so much fun.

We arrived Tuesday night in Gold Hill, about 25 minutes north of Ashland, to play the Gold Hill Marlins. Like our team, they are ages 9-11; however, we learned that they're mostly 11.

For the record, Aubrey was the shrimpiest shrimp out there.

She and the other Grizzle girls held their own, though.

Although we looked little and lanky, our few 11-year-olds were good leaders and our new players stepped up and played with heart!

We lost the game 7-12, but the girls had great attitudes. They got walked plenty of times, we witnessed numerous errors, they stole some bases, and it was an overall jumble of awesome softball learning and effort.

Miss Aubs hit the ball her first at-bat. She was last in the lineup, but she was the first to actually hit the ball! She told me later she was scared when she got to the plate (see post below), but that she was ready to give it her best. Mick and Dane and I were all there, yelling and cheering as she ran those little legs down the first base line to beat the throw to first.

She sat out the first inning, but played center field the second inning. No action out there for her, but those of us who watched her from the grandstands laughed and chuckled as she bounced around in the outfield with this visible giddiness and "I'm ready!" attitude. She might not have been doing kartwheels out there this year, but you could tell kartwheels were in her heart.

Later, she played second base and was equally ready then: leaning over, mitt hanging between her bent knees, still bouncing. She got a chance to bauble the ball a few times, and it was just pure joy to watch all that learning and effort going on.

She and her Grizzlies play the Marlins again tomorrow night here in Ashland. That'll be my first night as Base Ump (I was scorekeeper Tuesday night), so there'll be two of us out there a little nervous. If anything, though, we know this sport is character-building and we're up for it.