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Bruce wouldn’t have had a snowball’s chance to beat Richton.
I honestly don’t mean this in a demeaning manner, but analytically speaking, Richton would have likely 10-runned the Trojans if the MHSAA would have lost the court appeal from Bruce parents after the pitching rule violation forced the team to forfeit its 6-5 win against Hamilton in the Class 2A North title game a couple of weeks back.
Bruce didn’t show up in mass crowds at Trustmark Park, but a handful did. One or two of that handful were rude and showed zero class by the way they were drawing attention to themselves cheering against Hamilton.
But as I found throughout last week though, Bruce supporters aren’t the only tunneled-vision viewers of this most unfortunate situation.
Here are a couple of points missed by those who so blindly look at the situation.
First, look at when violating pitcher Caleb Hanley was pulled. There were two outs in the fifth. Hamilton then loaded the bases. Bruce escaped the inning, but in the seventh, Hamilton hit back-to-back solo jacks off of Bruce relief. What could the Lions have done with the bases loaded and no outs if Hanley is pulled in the time allotted by the rules? Sure, they may have grounded out three times, but they also may have hit four straight doubles or a grand slam. We don’t know. And Bruce is to blame for that, not Hamilton.
Secondly, what if Hamilton would have completely ignored a rule that the 23 of the 24 schools playing that week clearly knew and pitched Dylan Earnest in Game 3? You know that guy with two recent perfect games and like 4,000 strikeouts and six walks. Bruce likely wouldn’t have even scored.
Which begs an even better question. If Earnest had pitched, would you, Bruce, not have reported the violation?
I thought so…
Brandon Speck is sports editor of the Monroe Journal newspaper.
As long as opinions are being thrown around, mine is that who knows, Bruce could have won by 10 runs over Richton. Thats the funny thing about opinions and speculations - no one really knows WHAT would have happened because they didn't get the chance to find out.
I am not condoning Bruce's coaches judgement or the few irrate fans (I do not even know where Bruce is), but I do have close ties and am friends with many Hamilton residents. If the same thing had been done to Hamilton, then unless attitudes just suddenly changed this year, the outrage would have been FAR worse. If you do not think so then you do not live in Monroe County.
"Which begs an even better question. If Earnest had pitched, would you, Bruce, not have reported the violation?"
Well in that case why DIDN'T he pitch in the third game? He still had innings to give to be able to pitch. If he HAD pitched then by your reckoning Hamilton would have LEGALLY won and there would have been no problem. Hindsight is 20-20.
The one truth of the matter that IS known is that as good as the North Half teams were this year - the South Half was better overall.