As a father of three daughters I am often asked if I regret not having a son. The honest, simple answer is a loud "NO". I am very proud of my daughters, of who they are and what they have accomplished. The only other proud moment (other than carrying on the family name) a son may bring is a sports award. For those who may not have a daughter - get over your son, 'cause my daughters (at least two of them) play fast pitch softball. They are the reason my wife and I are at the field when others are asleep or we travel miles (and miles) to tournaments, living off of the host team's BBQ menu, sunflower seeds, and water. Being a softball dad is also the reason I found myself traveling to Orange, California to watch the Lady Oaks of Menlo (alma mater of my oldest daughter, Amanda) take on the Panthers of Chapman University (ranked #8 in Div. III).

Menlo head coach Kelly Miller had a challenge putting the game's lineup together as many of the players were injured or in need of physical rehab. The Oaks' lineup card for game one had Pamela Marchese on the mound, with Ku'ulei Padaken catching. At the end of game one the scoreboard display showed Chapman over Menlo 9-1 on eleven hits and no errors. Menlo had three hits but were done in by four errors.

Game two started after a brief delay (for teams to rest) with Megan Kincaid scheduled to pitch and Padaken once again behind the plate. Kincaid opened up the 1st inning and reached first base on a throwing error. Alisha Vegas then sacrificed, moving Kincaid to second. Susanne Thomson singled, stirring the fans with thoughts of a long (and scoring) inning. However, the Chapman defense took down the next two batters, stranding Kincaid. For the bottom half of the inning, the Panthers sent six batters to the plate and managed two runs on one hit. Menlo's offense struck in the 2nd inning as Tara Richardson and Amber Fruiht singled. Two outs later Kincaid also singled followed by a double from Vegas. When the dust settled Menlo had three runs on four hits and one Chapman error. Menlo's 3-2 lead was short lived as Chapman entered the bottom of the inning. Kincaid had moved to the pitching lineup due to injuries suffered by other players. Chapman took advantage of the opportunity by scoring thirteen runs on eight hits and four Menlo errors. In the 3rd inning the Oaks sent four batters to the plate without scoring a run, while taking down the Chapman batters 1-2-3. Four Oaks faced Chapman in the 4th inning, with Kincaid hitting a double, but no runs were pushed across. However, the Panthers also went down in order, still leading 15-3. With time running out on them, the Oaks started off the 5th inning with a single by Brittany Whitaker. The Panthers stiffened their defense and took out the next three Menlo batters. The game was called and the Menlo players said their goodbyes to family and friends who had come to watch the Nor Cal school play. It was a tough weekend for the Oaks and the ride home would be a long one.