Beware to those sitting behind backstops at youth and high-school baseball games. A good idea would be to survey the backstop to make sure there are no holes in the fencing that a ball can get through and hit a spectator.
It happens.
Somehow, an overthrow, a wild pitch or a batted foul ball finds a way through if an opening is big enough. The photo with this blog shows such an opening, and certainly big enough for a baseball to roll through, at the base of the backstop on the South County Middle School field in Lorton.
A screaming foul ball nearly did just that, surprising a couple of unsuspecting spectators, during a recent high-school game played on that field. They then moved over a few feet where there weren’t any backstop holes.
So a good rule when sitting behind any backstop any place on any field, is to check for holes. Then move elsewhere if any are discovered. Because balls will find their way through.
– Dave Facinoli
dfacinoli@sungazette.net