On a day in the sports world where everything seemed to go from bad to worse, the Paris Lady Eagles attempted to play their scheduled home game versus the Perryville Lady Mustangs. Almost immediately on cue, the rain began with the first pitch of the game. Perryville jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning. The Lady Eagles responded with four runs in the bottom of the first before play was halted. What started as a light rain quickly turned into a down pour, and the Lady Eagles moved quickly to cover the field with their infield tarp. When play was halted, Paris was at bat with two outs in the bottom of the first, ahead in the game 4-1.
Tbe rain became so heavy at one point that it was necessary for this reporter to leave the field to protect photography equipment. As I left the field, the rain had stopped and the Paris coaching staff was using squeegees to remove pools of water from the tarp to eventually remove the tarp and see if the infield was playable.
The field was eventually deemed unplayable and the game was postponed. As of the publication time of this article, it is not clear as to when the game will be made up. Today’s rain out, amid greater concerns and actions being taken at the state level regarding the postponement of high school athletics in Arkansas, all combined to make one of the strangest days in the sports world in this reporter’s memory.
Resident Press will begin the process of unraveling the issues involving the COVID-19 virus and its effect on the remainder of the high school sports season. The AAA has been slow to react today, and it is not clear as to what action they will take regarding the seasons that are currently underway. There is an unconfirmed report that the AAA sent an email to member schools this afternoon announcing the suspension of play in all sports until April 6. Resident Press will attempt to confirm this and will let our readers know as soon as possible.
As soon as more information on the complexity of issues facing Paris and all high school sports is known, Resident Press will publish updates for our readers.
In the meantime, take care of yourselves, and stay safe out there.
