The ultimate in sportsmanship

Here’s a story that has been making its rounds lately. There is this girl named Sara Tucholsky who plays for Western Oregon’s softball team. She comes up to bat against Central Washington and finally connects with a ball, hitting her first ever home run. She starts to take her trot around the bases, but as she’s rounding first, she tears her ACL and falls to the ground.

Here’s the thing: In softball the rule is that her teammates cannot help her out, otherwise the runner is out. A pinch runner could be called in, but it would result in just a single instead of the home run. Instead, opposing player, CWU’s Liz Wallace–their first baseman and career leader in home runs for their conference,–realizes she’s hurt and, instead of helping her off the field or getting her help, picks her up and carries her around the bases all the way to home plate. Her short stop Mallory Holtman helped out, thereby awarding her a home run. That home run sent Western Oregon to a 4-2 victory, and ended Central Washington’s chances of winning the conference and advancing to the playoffs.

Here’s the picture:

And if you want to see the interview with the three, there’s also a video.

That is, I feel like, what sports is all about. It’s like the perfect Hollywood story. I am, after all, a sucker for sports movies. Miracle was one of the greatest movies of all-time. Friday Night Lights. Heck, even Facing the Giants had me tearing up.