May 30 – May 31, 2009 was a fun & busy weekend for the Pleasant Hill Babe Ruth Rookie Majors. Activities were planned that included two competitive games and a team campout.
Saturday afternoon’s game was a new experience for both the Pleasant Hill Billie’s and South Eugene Axemen. The players on these Babe Ruth Rookie Major teams were to experience their first games this season where the players were to pitch instead of batting against a pitching machine. Each of the 9-year-old players that would be old enough to play AAA next season had an opportunity to pitch. As a result there were several changes among the pitchers adding to the excitement as we watched the game. As the boys batted they also found this to offer new challenges that they had not yet experienced this season. At the end of the game the Billie’s took home another win.
With the end of the game the excitement was far from over. Following the game players headed for a campout at the Pleasant Hill home of Coach Forest Tomlinson and his wife Miriam. A number of parents stayed around for a while to talk and watch the excitement. Assistant Coaches Eric Pruitt and Jason White along with Dodgeball Kevin Weinheimer pitching machine operator had the duties of helping Forest and Miriam chaperone the campout.
Mothers Heather White, Christina Hassler and Miriam Gage prepared dinner for the crew of hungry boys and adults. Sunday morning Kirk Miller arrived early to fix a pancake breakfast for the team. Yours truly Team Grandpa Terry enjoyed watching the young and old have a good time before I headed home to spend the night in my own bed instead of a tent.
During the campout all 12 boys and some of the parents had an opportunity to participated in activities from baseball to basketball, air hockey, water slide, water balloon wars, a walk in the Willamette river to much more before it was time to hit the tents for a bit of rest before Sundays game with the Junction City rookie majors team.
Sunday afternoon all 12 tired boys became quickly energized and ready to take on the Junction City Rookie Majors. This was to be their second day of pitching and the boys were really excited about the opportunity, as was Dodgeball Kevin still somewhat asleep and glad that he would not be required to dodge any balls.
Sunday’s game went well and up through the top of the fourth inning the Pleasant Hill Babe Ruth Rookie Majors held a win over the Junction City Babe Ruth Rookie Majors. At the bottom of the fourth inning Junction City took the lead and the umpire called the game on the basis of time. Unfortunately we will never know how who the true winner of the game would have been had the umpire allowed the game to be played out through the 5th inning but this was his call to make.
As this fun and busy weekend ended we all headed home for an evening of rest. As one mother put it, “I bet my son will not argue with me tonight about bedtime.” How right she likely is along with some tired parents who will also be hitting the bed a bid earlier themselves.
