After winning game one of a double-header in extra innings last month, the Cougars found themselves in a hole.
Down 6–1 at the bottom of the sixth inning against the defending conference champions, Dixie State, freshman infielder Christine Pinela stepped up to bat with the pressure on.
Whack! She made contact with ball and it headed straight to the third base coach.
It was a scene straight out of The Matrix, as head coach Carrie Webber made her best attempt to avoid getting hit by the foul ball.
Unfortunately, Webber’s arm wasn’t so lucky.
“My arm got in the way, and it hit and dropped straight down,” Webber said as she showed off her new soft cast.
What started off as fluke transformed the struggling Cougars into full attack mode, as Pinela reached base and the rally began.
With their coach behind the dugout being tended to by the trainers, the Cougars managed to score eight runs, which lead to the 9–6 victory.
“That night [Coach Webber] texted all of us that she had her first broken arm,” Pinela said with mixed emotions, as she felt bad about her coach’s injury but was excited about the win.
Coach Webber feels that despite the broken arm, her injury was the true catalyst for the come back and the win. She went on to state, “I never cried, not one tear was shed.”
Not a lot of coaches can say that they’ve stuck around to the very end to congratulate everyone before being rushed off to the emergency room.
Coach Webber is expected to make a full recovery.
