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Baseball final forfeited because of girl at second base
The Arizona Charter Athletic Association state championship baseball game wasn't played Thursday night because Mesa Prep's second baseman is a girl.
Paige Sultzbach, a freshman, is playing baseball because her high school doesn't offer girls softball. But the school Mesa Prep was to face in the final, Our Lady of Sorrows Academy, said its boys would not compete against a team with a girl and forfeited the game - and the state title - to Mesa Prep.
"As a Catholic school, we promote the ideal of forming and educating boys and girls separately during the adolescent years, especially in physical education,” Our Lady of Sorrows said in a statement, according to CNN affiliate KTVK.
“It takes tremendous moral courage to stand by what it is you believe, and they are doing what they think is right,” Mesa Prep Headmaster Robert Wagner told KTVK.
But Sultzbach's mother, Pamela Sultzbach, said her daughter and the Mesa Prep team were being done a disservice.
"This is not a contact sport. It shouldn't be an issue. It wasn't that they were afraid they were going to hurt or injure her, it's that (they believe) that a girl's place is not on a field," Pamela Sultzbach told the Arizona Republic.
"I respect their views, but it's a bit out of the 18th century," Amy Arnold, Mesa Prep's athletic director, told the Republic.
Mesa Prep and Our Lady of Sorrows played twice during the regular season, but Sultzbach sat out, as they were away games for her team.
“It was on their field, and I felt the need to respect their rules,” she told KTVK.
The final would have been on a neutral field, and Sultzbach wanted to play.
Now, despite being hailed as state champions, Mesa Prep will feel like they've missed something, Pamela Sultzbach said.
"This team has worked so hard," she said. "They're undefeated. They had one game left. At our school, we're taught that when you start something, you complete it, and they weren't done."
@cnnbrk on Twitter
This makes me physically sick.
They didn't want to get beat by a GIRL. Hurrah for Mesa Prep !
No.....it's Obama's fault 😉 !
"..it's Obama's fault" Girls never wanted to play baseball before he socialized them.
Really? You're the sperm that won that battle?
He isn't Catholic you jerk
"He isn't Catholic you jerk" Who, Romney?
Agreed. Most things are. Well not anything good.
And the catholic church wonders why they have declining numbers. Its sick that would deprive their team of a chance to win. But ignorace and bigoty is the name of this game.
No – I'm sure there is a way they can blame Bush.
Not even the "smiley" saves a lame comment like this.
baseball is a contact sport
Just wanna point out that this is not a standard Catholic opinion, in catholic school we regularly did intermural soccer and baseball games. This is just a group of crazies who happen to be Catholic, it wasn't based on any actual teaching of the church.
I wish Rick Santorum would make a public comment about this. I wonder what he would say? hehe
I just spoke to God, god will be foregovimgnthe school administrators but everyone else is allowed to hold a grudge for such insanely foolish behavior. God is still reviewing Arizona and will get back to us.
There are actually US citizens living in Colorado City AZ, men claiming to be actual *Saints*. They own homes with several chimneyes, one for ea. wife. This has been going on there for over one hundred years according to Andersen Cooper 360. Lets make fun of Saudi Arabian women?
Absolutely disgraceful, especially since this church needs to think about how many people avoid anything to do with the church because of just this kind of foolishness. Shameful.
A win is a win. Put some girls out there, who can play. If the boys don't want to compete then it's a W. We can't keep arguing about this constant battle between the past thinkers and the present/future thinkers. Accept them. Move forward.
How bad is your school that you have a girl(freshman at that) make your team. Scrub prep leagues shouldn't even make the news.
Hahaha, she should feel happy and powerful. Most girls can actually pitch a softball (which weighs more than a baseball) much faster underhand, then boys pitch can pitch a baseball overhand.
Pathetic. Another religious indignation by bigots that take away from children's success. The school deserves the forfeit, and the administration of the school should be excommunicated for idiocy. I feel sad for the pupils though. They never got a chance to show their meddle.
In related news, an Arizona high school changed its name from "Our Lady of Sorrows" to "Our Dude of Sorrows"
Wait?! What?! Do these people live in the 21st century? Did they time travel from the 19th?