Girl Umpires: junior program debuts at Alta Vista
by Garth Meyer “Choke up!” yelled the coach. The batter paused, taking no action. “On the bat,” said the coach. “Fists up.” No action was taken as the softball umpire stepped away from the catcher for a moment, calling time. The young batter moved her hands up on the grip and the umpire stepped back into position. The age 8 & under Redondo Sunset league championship game May 13 resumed, with an eighth-grade girl as home plate umpire. Part of a new program in which kids ages 11-16 officiate the little kids’ softball games, Grace Murray commanded the plate. A pink-helmeted batter hit an RBI-single and the umpire clicked her clicker, phone in her back pocket. Later, a controversy rose at the end of an inning. “I have three,” said the home plate umpire, as an adult USA Softball ump walked in from the base paths. “So, 7-2?” said a coach in green. Fans converged at the fence. The home plate umpire said three runs. It was three; three runs in the inning for a score of 7-2. The adult ump was there only because Murray’s scheduled partner, 13-year-old Parras Middle School classmate Izzy Casaña, had to be at a club soccer game – her team advancing in the playoffs. The teenage umpires, 13…
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