In the 10 years I’ve covered baseball in the NW I have covered all different levels except high school. Last night was really only the second or third high school game I have been able to go and cover. Now I have covered high school age through travel ball games but there is just something different about covering school teams.
I made my way down to Ridgefield to one of the best complexes in the area, to cover Ridgefield vs Mark Morris.
One of the first things I noticed with both teams was the attitudes of the players. There was a level of excitement and joy that I’ve also noticed at the college games so far this year. Players know what they lost last year and are enjoying what they have this year.
This understanding played right into the game as both teams stepped onto the field giving their full effort on each play. Even as Ridgefield pulled away during the game it didn’t stop Mark Morris from trying to take advantage of every opportunity they had.
The defense from both teams was one thing that impressed me. Now neither team was perfect defensively, there were a few miscues, but overall there was some great defense. Mark Morris’ 2nd baseman made a few highlight worthy plays, and Ridgefield’s center fielder truly gave max effort on what was nearly one of the best catches I’ve seen a high school aged player make.
Offensively it was fun to see guys lower in the lineups come up big with key hits as well as seeing the energy on the basepaths that both teams had.
Ridgefield would win the game 11-4 (I think that was the final score) but both teams had reasons to be encouraged and things to build on moving forward.
All photos from the game can be found here: Mark Morris vs Ridgefield April 12th
