Haley Maynard had reason to be excited about the Division 3 semifinal game between her Sanford Meridian softball team and Millington on June 15 at Michigan State University.
Maynard, the center fielder, was leadoff hitter the bottom of the first.
But then, for Maynard, misfortune took over.
She was hit by the pitch which allowed her to take first base.
But it was a costly hit by pitch. She was hit in the back of her hand.
Maynard played all four years on varsity. She received all-conference honors for her career. This season, she batted around .300.
Maynard may not have batted as well as last season, but still had some key hits for the Mustangs team, including a two-run home run in the regional final. She had three home runs this season.
In the state semifinal final as SM’s leadoff hitter, Maynard was attempting to slap bunt.
“So I pulled back,” she said. “The third pitch, it nailed me in the arm. I tried to back up and it hit me in the (back right) hand.”
It was painful physically, but for Maynard, the pain of having to leave the game was awfully tough to take.
“I did shed some tears, but that was because I couldn’t play,” she said.
Maynard was scheduled to get surgery on June 19 on the hand. She’s planning on playing travel summer ball although she might be sitting the bench because of the injury.
In the fall, she’ll be attending college at Albion, where she plans to play softball. Maynard indicated it will take six weeks for her hand to heal.
SM lost to Millington 5-3.
“We did pretty well at the beginning,” Maynard said. “We wanted to get together as a team and see what works.”
When the postseason started and all teams were back to 0-0, the Mustangs turned it into high gear.
“We played our best games and made it far,” Maynard said.