Valley, Richmond play make-up game following MPA ruling

With one high school softball game still being played Thursday, the Maine Principals’ Association nearly delayed releasing the final softball Heal point standings until today.

Both baseball and softball standings were eventually released on the MPA Web site Thursday, but not before the Valley of Bingham and Richmond softball teams wrapped up their regular seasons Thursday afternoon because of a game that was – or wasn’t – played last weekend.

The last countable game was scheduled to be played Wednesday. Thursday was set aside only for postponements from the previous day.

Even though the game in question was played Saturday, May 27, it wasn’t considered a legitimate, countable game because Valley didn’t have enough players to start the game.

Valley principal Julie Richard said the MPA gave both schools permission to make up the game Thursday.

“They told us, OK, if that’s the only open date possible,” she said.

Jeff Sturgis, an MPA assistant executive director and staff liaison to the association’s softball committee, said the committee talked earlier this week and decided to allow Valley and Richmond to play Thursday.

Richmond wound up with a 12-0 win in five innings. The game was played at Lisbon Falls High.

Richard said the two teams were scheduled to play Saturday, May 27 in a makeup game of a rainout earlier in the month.

Both the Richmond baseball and softball teams traveled to Bingham for the game, but Valley was able to field just eight players – one of which was actually a Richmond player who switched teams for the game.

Richard said the Valley team was unaware that the rule set out by the National Federation of State High School Association states that teams must start games with nine players, although teams can end games with eight players in case of an injury.

The MPA told Valley and Richmond to make up the game Thursday, which was the only open date for both schools because of rainouts and other pre-planned activities.

According to the rules section of the MPA softball bulletin, games may only be postponed for reasons related to weather, field conditions, death, or “any other reason deemed appropriate by the committee chair.”

The rule also states that games may not be rescheduled into the last week of the regular season without permission from the softball committee chairperson.

In the case that a team doesn’t show up for a scheduled game, the officials are told to declare that there will be no game, and the game will be rescheduled. Teams are not allowed to forfeit.

Sturgis said the MPA imposes a two-year ban from participation for a school that has a forfeit in even one game.

That was one of Valley’s biggest motivations in trying to get the game in by the end of the season. In the case of a forfeit, both teams are issued a loss.

“It’s tough for us,” Richard said. “We only have 110 kids in the whole school. We’re trying to field the best team we can with potentially 55 girls. … But we have a strong eighth grade class coming up. Hopefully things will change.”

Eleven Cavalier players traveled to Richmond Thursday.

“We marshaled all of our forces and made sure all of those kids were on the bus,” Richard said.

Richmond wound up with a 12-3 record and the No. 2 spot in the Western Maine Class D Heal point standings. Valley wrapped up its season at 4-11, sixth overall in the classification.

The top five teams advance to the playoffs in WM Class D. Teams must play at least 12 regular-season games.