"Run Everything Out" - A True Story
It was a high school game. The home team was batting, down one run, with bases loaded and two outs. The count was 3-2 and runners were moving on the pitch. The batter, who was the home team's #2 hitter, got a fastball over the plate. He was expecting it, and "got all of it". He ripped a hard line drive right at the second baseman.
The batter, seeing the ball go directly into the fielder's glove, slumped over in disappointment half way down to first. He goes down to his knees with his face in his hands. He was basically "feeling sorry for himself".
In the meantime, he wasn't aware that the ball went through the webbing of the second baseman's glove. The second baseman turned around, saw the ball scooting toward the outfield and chased after it. The batter, with good speed, easily should have beaten it out. However, the second baseman recovered and easily threw the runner out, who was still half way to first.
The two runners, off on the pitch, had already crossed home plate, with what should have been the winning runs.
The moral: "Run everything out, don't assume anything, and don't think until you know".