20 pitch at-bat with a blown call in the middle, a breakdown
What Happened
In a dramatic 20-pitch showdown, Hannah Gammill, the third baseman for the Arkansas Razorbacks, steps up to the plate with two outs and runners on first and third. Gammill, batting fifth in the lineup, boasts an impressive .377 batting average and .515 on-base percentage, along with 18 home runs on the season. The at-bat begins with Gammill facing off against the Texas Longhorns' pitcher, who is primarily throwing a screwball around 60-61 mph. Gammill lays off the first few pitches, working the count to 1-1. As the at-bat continues, the pitcher sticks to the same screwball, and Gammill continues to foul them off one by one, seemingly a step ahead of the pitch. The battle intensifies as the pitch count reaches double digits, with the fans on their feet, cheering on Gammill's tenacity. On the 14th pitch, a controversial call occurs, as Texas claims the ball hit Gammill, but the umpires rule it a foul ball, despite Gammill's insistence that she didn't make contact. The umpires confer, but ultimately decide the play is not reviewable. Gammill continues to grind out the at-bat, fouling off pitch after pitch, as the Texas catcher repeatedly shouts "Cage all day. To the hitter. No home run." On the 19th pitch, Gammill waits for the ball to come outside and puts the ball weakly in play, leading to a force out at second base to end the inning. Throughout the intense battle, the broadcasters marvel at the sheer endurance and determination displayed by both Gammill and the Texas pitcher. They note that in the world of softball, where pitchers can often throw multiple games in a day, pitch counts are not as crucial as they would be in baseball, allowing the two players to engage in this epic duel. As Gammill walks back to the dugout, her teammates and coaches applaud her tenacious effort, knowing that she has set the tone for the rest of the game and the series between these two powerhouse programs.
Full Transcript
Click timestamps to jump to that momentWe had a long, long at-bat in this Arkansas versus Texas game.
Hannah Gammill, third baseman, bats fifth, 377 batting average, 515 on base percentage,
18 homers.
She can hit.
There's two outs.
There's runners on first and third, and she is trying to add to her team's lead.
This is 20 pitches long.
First pitch, catcher likes it.
Let's go.
It's a little screwball up and in, 61.
Good take, good take, good take, good take, good take, Hannah.
1-0, next pitch.
That's called strike, so 1-1, and she's just throwing this same pitch.
I think it's a little screwball.
That's what the broadcasters are saying.
Inside, it's around 60, 61 miles per hour, and she's way ahead of it.
She moved up in the box to get ready for it, and she's just ahead of it, ahead of it, ahead
of it, ready to hit, ready to go, umps not even ready.
She's like, oh, my bad.
Okay, I'll wait for you.
I just would really like to hit.
That's up and in.
And fouled back.
We're at pitch number seven now, same exact thing as pitch number six.
Fouled back.
Pitch number eight, pretty much the same exact thing.
Straightens this one out a little bit.
Goes for a run just in case.
Gets back to the box, head back in it.
Okay, going to need to wait on this pitch a little bit more.
Pitch number nine on its way, and off-speed pitch.
So that was the first one that was a little change-up, 53 miles per hour.
And she is, like, even more sped up on it, which is odd.
Just got the head there, maybe recognized it, and then tried to put it in play.
Anyway, nine pitch at bat, long at bat.
At this point, it gets even longer.
Goes back to that screwball in foul.
Next pitch, same exact thing.
That guy checked his watch.
Like, okay, how long am I going to be here?
This at bat is taking a full inning.
But the other fans, they're getting on their feet.
They're like, damn, this is a battle.
We are at 11 pitches, going on 12, and that is a ball.
Wanted that one for strike three.
It's ball three, pitch number 13, fouled.
Down the left field line, into the net.
Okay, focus, focus, focus.
Now that guy's checking his phone.
He's got somewhere to be.
The 3-2, swung on, ripped foul.
I mean, a little more straight, and she's like, okay, getting there, getting there.
They're clapping.
They're filming.
They're cheering.
Pitch number 15 on its way.
What are they going to go with?
Oh, got her?
No.
So here's where it gets confusing.
They ruled that a foul ball, but Texas says, no, it hit her.
She swung, and it hit her.
Now, she knows that she didn't even actually hit it.
So they're going to get together and say, we're going to go replay this,
because Texas is saying that hit her.
Even though she swung at it, it hit her.
It didn't hit the bat.
And they're right.
It definitely didn't hit the bat.
By that time, the bat is way ahead of the ball.
I know we don't have an angle here, but, like, the physics wouldn't make sense that it would make contact there.
If you saw the side view, the ball is by her shoulder, and the bat's way ahead of her.
And it hits her shoulder, they're saying.
Not her bat, but she swung.
So it would be a strike three.
But the umpires, they're going to get together.
And this is, like, really weird.
I don't really understand.
What happened here?
But according to the broadcasters, the umpires get together.
They review this.
They don't have many angles of it.
And they say, sorry, that's actually not a reviewable play.
We can't review hit by pitches.
Which, okay, but review if she fouled it or not.
So video review, this is what they put on the screen, that you're allowed to review batted balls, fair or foul.
So that's, like, very much what we're trying to look at here.
But the way they.
Phrased it was, we think that hit her.
Which then would mean you're trying to review a hit by pitch, which is not reviewable.
Which makes no sense at all.
Like, why would that not be reviewable?
And why wouldn't you just say, okay, review that it didn't hit the bat?
I don't really understand.
But the at-bat continues.
Hannah's lucky.
And she fouls that one back.
And now we're on to pitch number 17.
Going to be coming her way.
That one fouled down the line.
So we're just doing the same thing.
Pitch number 18.
Same thing.
Same thing.
I throw a screwball.
You hit it down the third baseline.
Pitch number 19.
Same thing.
And now they're like, let's really get up.
Come on.
Let's really get up.
And go outside with it.
She waits on it.
And the second baseman makes a great play.
I got you.
I got you.
And the pitcher, let's go.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Let's go.
Excited about it.
And she's going to give out.
That was a lot of pitches.
Now, the good thing is, look at this play.
A little back pick right to the bag to get the force.
I got you.
I got you.
In baseball, this would be damning.
But in softball, their arms can go forever.
They can pitch two games in one day.
Pitch count doesn't really matter.
But in baseball, you'd kill the whole pitcher's outing.
So look at the difference between the pitch right before this,
which is the one that she's been fouling off.
According to miles per hour, it's the same speed.
But instead of coming inside, she goes outside.
And I think Hannah, like,
purposely did wait or she wasn't going to swing at it
because she thought it was outside and then thought,
oh, shit, maybe I should swing at that
and puts weak contact on there.
Huh.
And I really like the catcher for Texas who does this
every single pitch.
Cage all day.
To the hitter.
No home run.
The at bat.