Here's dirt in your eye. Freak pitch strikes airborne clod, and Oregon softball catcher pays price
Associated Press
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — As Oregon's catcher, Emma Cox knows All-American Lyndsey Grein throws lots of filthy pitches.
Grein outdid herself Friday night at the Women's College World Series when she kicked up a clod of dirt with her cleats during her pitching motion against Mississippi. The clod was in the air when it was struck by the ball, breaking it into pieces.
The 67-mph pitch ended up in Cox's glove and one of those dirt chunks in her eyes. She immediately came out of her crouch and went to her knees, reaching for her eyes through her mask. She was able to stay in the game.
'I thought it was dirt from my glove that must have hit me,' Cox said in an interview with an Oregon in-house reporter Saturday. 'And I was like, 'OK, whatever.' And then the umpire was like, 'No, it was a bug that flew into it and then the ball hit you, or the bug hit you in the face.' '
The dirt-in-the-eye pitch was one of those freak moments that probably couldn't be repeated, akin to Randy Johnson hitting a bird with a pitch in 2001.
"I didn't believe it until I saw the video,' Cox said in the interview.
The Ducks won 6-5 in 10 innings and will play Oklahoma on Sunday in an elimination game.
___
AP college sports: https://apnews.com/hub/college-sports
recommended
in this topic
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Associated Press
24 minutes ago
- Associated Press
Man City midfielder Kovacic has Achilles surgery and is out of Club World Cup
MANCHESTER, England (AP) — Manchester City midfielder Mateo Kovacic was ruled out of the Club World Cup after undergoing surgery on an Achilles injury, the English team said Monday. 'Mateo will spend the summer rehabilitating from the operation,' City said, 'and everyone at the club wishes him a speedy recovery.' The expanded 32-team Club World Cup starts on June 14, with City in the same group as Juventus, Al Ain and Wydad Casablanca. City's first match is on June 18. Kovacic will also miss Croatia's World Cup qualifiers against Gibraltar and the Czech Republic over the next week. City has Ballon d'Or winner Rodri back to fitness to add to manager Pep Guardiola's midfield options for the Club World Cup. ___ AP soccer:
USA Today
34 minutes ago
- USA Today
Eagles' salary cap: Breaking down Philadelphia's $55 million in dead money for 2025
Eagles' salary cap: Breaking down Philadelphia's $55 million in dead money for 2025 The Eagles have $27 million in available cap space right now, but could have a ton more if not for a $55M dead salary cap hit that puts Philadelphia among the top seven in the NFL, per Over The Cap The Eagles have $27 million in available cap space right now, but could have a ton more if not for a $55 million dead salary cap hit that places Philadelphia among the top seven in the NFL, per Over The Cap. It wasn't the official start of summer in the NFL, but June 1 was a massive date around the league, and that date played a crucial role in several players moving on or teams taking a risk on a considerable trade. In NFL terminology, June 1 is the final day that teams see all future prorated money accelerate as 'dead money' if a player has been released. Teams like the Eagles and others around the NFL gained salary cap space, as any player designated for a post-June one release earlier this year moves from the active roster to the dead money side of the books. What, exactly, is a dead money charge? A dead money charge is a charge on an NFL team's salary cap for a player no longer on the roster. It represents any remaining signing bonus proration that was not accounted for before the player's release or trade. It is not a cash payment but rather a cap charge resulting from the rule that allows teams to prorate a signing bonus evenly over as many as five years. If a player is released before the end of those five years, all remaining signing bonus proration accelerates onto the team's salary cap for the current year. With the second week of OTAs underway, we're examining the hefty dead money hits. Jason Kelce Dead money: $16,438,000 Year two of retirement sees the future Hall of Famer carrying a hefty bulk of the Eagles' cap. Josh Sweat Dead money: $16.4M Sweat took his talents to Arizona, but a reworked contract from 2024 adds to the cap hit. Fletcher Cox Dead money: $10.1 million Year two of retirement for the dominant defensive tackle sees his final dead-money cap hit. Cox returned to the Eagles last spring on a one-year, $10 million contract. The contract was fully guaranteed, with four void years structured for a post-June one release in 2024. Cox's retirement will save Philadelphia $1.5 million while adding $4.2 million in dead salary cap space. The Eagles will also have $4.2 million in dead money from Cox's contract in 2025 and 2026. C.J. Gardner-Johnson Dead money: $4,620,000 Mekhi Becton Dead money: $3,484,706 Zack Baun Dead money: $1.9 million Devin White Dead money: $1.9 million Dylan McMahon Dead money: $139K
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Max Verstappen blames frustration for a 'move that was not right' after colliding with Russell
Red Bull driver Max Verstappen of the Netherlands steers his car during the Spanish Grand Prix Formula One race at the Barcelona Catalunya racetrack in Montmelo, near Barcelona, Spain, Sunday, June 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Joan Monfort) Red Bull driver Max Verstappen of the Netherlands steers his car during the Spanish Grand Prix Formula One race at the Barcelona Catalunya racetrack in Montmelo, near Barcelona, Spain, Sunday, June 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Joan Monfort) Red Bull driver Max Verstappen of the Netherlands during the Spanish Grand Prix Formula One race at the Barcelona Catalunya racetrack in Montmelo, near Barcelona, Spain, Sunday, June 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Joan Monfort) Red Bull driver Max Verstappen of the Netherlands during the Spanish Grand Prix Formula One race at the Barcelona Catalunya racetrack in Montmelo, near Barcelona, Spain, Sunday, June 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Joan Monfort) Red Bull driver Max Verstappen of the Netherlands steers his car during the Spanish Grand Prix Formula One race at the Barcelona Catalunya racetrack in Montmelo, near Barcelona, Spain, Sunday, June 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Joan Monfort) Red Bull driver Max Verstappen of the Netherlands steers his car during the Spanish Grand Prix Formula One race at the Barcelona Catalunya racetrack in Montmelo, near Barcelona, Spain, Sunday, June 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Joan Monfort) Red Bull driver Max Verstappen of the Netherlands during the Spanish Grand Prix Formula One race at the Barcelona Catalunya racetrack in Montmelo, near Barcelona, Spain, Sunday, June 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Joan Monfort) Max Verstappen said Monday that frustration caused 'a move that was not right and shouldn't have happened', a day after he initially seemed unrepentant over his collision with George Russell at Formula 1's Spanish Grand Prix. Verstappen had been asked by his Red Bull team to give up a place to Russell following an earlier incident between the two drivers when he hit Russell's Mercedes. Advertisement The race stewards ruled Verstappen had 'suddenly accelerated' before the collision and Russell said it 'felt very deliberate'. The stewards gave Verstappen a 10-second penalty which dropped him from fifth to 10th and left him 49 points off standings leader Oscar Piastri, who won Sunday's race. 'We had an exciting strategy and good race in Barcelona, till the safety car came out. Our tire choice to the end and some moves after the safety car restart fueled my frustration, leading to a move that was not right and shouldn't have happened,' Verstappen wrote on Instagram. 'I always give everything out there for the team and emotions can run high. You win some together, you lose some together. See you (at the next race) in Montreal.' Initially in the aftermath of Sunday's race, Verstappen had said that 'next time I will bring a tissue', responding to Russell claiming he set a poor example for young drivers. Advertisement A series of setbacks The collision followed a series of setbacks for Verstappen, who had been in third and pressuring the two McLaren drivers in front before the safety car came out. Red Bull decided to bring Verstappen into the pits for fresh tires, even though the only ones he had left were slower hard-compound tires, a type that no other driver used. At the restart, Verstappen lost grip and was overtaken by Charles Leclerc, whose Ferrari made contact with Verstappen's Red Bull. Neither driver was ruled at fault for that. Verstappen then went off the track while defending against Russell and Red Bull asked Verstappen to give up the place to Russell, apparently because the team expected Verstappen would be given a penalty. The stewards later ruled they wouldn't have taken action against the Dutch driver for that incident. Advertisement Risking a suspension Verstappen needs to be careful in the next two races because the penalty for the collision with Russell also brought him penalty points on his licence, taking him to 11 in the last 12 months. Drivers get a one-race suspension if they hit 12 points in a year. Two of those points expire at the end of the month, but until then Verstappen needs to get through the Canadian and Austrian Grands Prix without any further penalty points. ___ AP auto racing:
