By Our Reporter
Shillong, Dec 5: The 3rd edition of the Meghalaya Open Softball Championship 2023 is set to captivate both Men and Women participants, organized by the Meghalaya Softball Association (MSA).
Scheduled to take place from December 11 to 13, 2023, the championship will unfold at the 2nd Ground, Polo.
The MSA extends a warm invitation to all enthusiasts to come, witness, and delve into the intricacies of theSoftball game during this prestigious event.Softball, a bat-and-ball sport played on a diamond-shaped field, shares similarities with baseball but features a larger, softer ball and underhand pitching. The primary objective is for a team to score more runs than its opponent by hitting the ball and navigating around the bases.
Enjoying popularity globally, Softball spans various competition levels, ranging from recreational leagues to professional and even Olympic levels.
Originating in Chicago, Illinois, in 1887 as “indoor baseball,” Softball transitioned to its current name in the early 1900s. The equipment used in Softball closely resembles that of baseball, involving bats, gloves, and balls.
However, Softball employs a larger and softer ball, and the pitching distance is shorter. A standard Softball game comprises seven innings, with each inning divided into two half-innings, one for each competing team. The team scoring the most runs in an inning emerges victorious for that inning.To score a run, a player must touch all four bases consecutively: home plate, first base, second base, and third base, before returning to home plate.
Advancement around the bases can occur through hitting the ball, receiving a walk (awarded for four balls thrown by the pitcher not swung at), or running when another player progresses a base.On the defensive front, teams aim to prevent the opposing team from scoring by catching the ball, tagging out runners, or forcing runners out of line.