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Missy Patton takes a break with teammates in the dugout during Tuesday's All-Star games.
Missy Patton didn't set out to be a softball pioneer, but by taking the field this week in the Gold Country Senior Softball Association's 50-60 year-old All-Star game she became the first woman to do so. She and her husband, Ray, who played in the 61-and-over All-Star game, also became the first couple to take the All-Star diamond. Patton, a retired English teacher, fielded more than the softball Tuesday night. She also caught five questions thrown at her by Sports Editor Brian Hamilton.
Brian Hamilton: How long have you been playing softball?
Missy Patton: “I've been playing since the fourth grade. I have an older brother and I was always playing with the boys. But being on the All Stars is obviously new to me. Don't think I'm not terrified.”
BH: So you played ball growing up?
MP: “I grew up in the San Francisco Bay area. I've been on ball fields all my life. My dad was a big part of a Little League park in Pinole, California. And I was his ‘bat boy,' so I've always been on a field.”
BH: Have you also played in women's leagues?
MP: “Yes ... I also play for a Reno team called the ‘Old Bats' and we just played a team called the ‘Hot Flashes.'”
BH: You're not the only woman to play in this league, right?
MP: “No. There are two women in the league. And we play in the Saturday league. Judy Packham played before I did. And I think there was actually another woman before her.”
BH: These guys aren't just out here to have fun, though. Aren't they pretty competitive about it?
MP: “That's what is so cool about these guys. They're lifelong ballplayers. And I think that's what we have in common. They love the game and so do I.”
— Brian Hamilton, sports editor
Brian Hamilton: How long have you been playing softball?
Missy Patton: “I've been playing since the fourth grade. I have an older brother and I was always playing with the boys. But being on the All Stars is obviously new to me. Don't think I'm not terrified.”
BH: So you played ball growing up?
MP: “I grew up in the San Francisco Bay area. I've been on ball fields all my life. My dad was a big part of a Little League park in Pinole, California. And I was his ‘bat boy,' so I've always been on a field.”
BH: Have you also played in women's leagues?
MP: “Yes ... I also play for a Reno team called the ‘Old Bats' and we just played a team called the ‘Hot Flashes.'”
BH: You're not the only woman to play in this league, right?
MP: “No. There are two women in the league. And we play in the Saturday league. Judy Packham played before I did. And I think there was actually another woman before her.”
BH: These guys aren't just out here to have fun, though. Aren't they pretty competitive about it?
MP: “That's what is so cool about these guys. They're lifelong ballplayers. And I think that's what we have in common. They love the game and so do I.”
— Brian Hamilton, sports editor
