The
first Guildford Mavericks Softball game took place last Tuesday, at Christ's
College in Guildford. The two teams - the Guildford Jazz and the Mighty
Millers (well, those weren't really the names, but the best I could come up
with after the fact….author) - fought out a 5 inning affair over the course
of 90 minutes, with the Jazz finally running out victorious by a score of
24-19.
With mixed Slow-pitch Softball being a popular format of the game in the UK, the Guildford Baseball Club has been keen to incorporate it into it's programme, especially with the nearest softball leagues being in the Windsor/Maidenhead area or central London.
The
game differs from baseball in that is played on a smaller diamond (65ft as
opposed to 90ft), uses a larger ball (12" circumference, as opposed to 9"),
and pitching is underarm. The term slow-pitch (as opposed to fast-pitch,
which is another form of the game) comes from the fact the ball is delivered
to the batter in an arc-like trajectory, and so has to be thrown slowly in
order for the ball to drop sufficiently. Because of this, and contrary to
baseball where pitching dominates, Softball is game where batting and
fielding dominate.
Traditionally, in the UK, teams are mixed and usually composed of 10 players (1 more than baseball), although the game can be played with a couple less, and also with one or two more. Ratios are usually 5:5, or 6:4 in favour of the men.
On Tuesday, in a
bright, if somewhat cooler evening than recent days, numbers were slightly
down compared to the anticipated turnout, primarily due to horrendous
traffic conditions in around the Guildford area as result of traffic
congestion on the A3. However those that did make it, very quickly
acclimatised to the game. There was a mix of players from both the baseball
club looking for a more social and relaxed game, as well as players either
new to the club, but with experience having
played
softball before, or completely new to the game in any format. The great
thing about softball, is that it is very easy to pick up and doesn't require
players to be exceptional athletes.
Both teams found that playing the outfield positions, meant a lot more running than is normal in a baseball game. Owen will testify to the fact that even though the ball is the size of a grapefruit, it can still travel pretty quickly and take bad hops far into the left field…..his lip should be back to normal size in a few days time. Jeremy Abel hit the first softball home run…and a grand slam at that, as he homered for the Jazz. Newcomer Brian Drammis had perfected his underarm, backhand flip pitch, causing several hitters to sky the ball much higher than intended, and Jazz captain….errr Jazz, unveiled a new celebration dance for doubles, after lining one into the gap, in the outfield. Several Mavericks baseball players, discovered that throwing a softball is not quite the same as throwing a baseball, and may well be nursing sore shoulders and arms the following day. Hitting the softball is not always as straight forward as might be assumed. Although travelling much slower than a baseball, the trajectory of the pitch caused many a batter to mis time their swing, whilst the simple fact that it was travelling slower, meant more than one hitter was guilty of a lack of patience at the plate, and ended up lunging at the ball.
A local Guildford softball league may still be some way off, but if more players can be attracted to the club, then certainly entering some tournaments in the not too distant future, may well become a reality.
The next game is in 3 weeks time on Tuesday 10th June, and more players are needed. If anyone is interested, they should contact Michael Burdett on 07798 927072 or email softball@guildfordmavericks.co.uk