Sophomore catcher Courtney Shea took Auburn’s loss to Oklahoma in Game 3 of the WCWS harder than almost anyone, but ESPN personality Scott Van Pelt tried to pick her up in a cool way.
Shea had the tough job of being asked to pinch hit with two outs in the top of the seventh inning against Oklahoma’s Paige Parker with her team down 2-1 in the final inning. Representing Auburn’s last out of the season, Shea battled Parker and fouled off multiple pitches. She eventually hit a hard grounder to second, but the Sooners made a nice defensive play to get her out.
Shea immediately had a pained look in her face and apologized to her teammates. Cameras caught her mouthing “I’m sorry” to them.
…and she fought, it wasn't meant to be.
Congratulations to Oklahoma and to that Warrior Courtney Shea#COURAGE pic.twitter.com/t3anggS90O— joeyg (@JoeAno1) June 9, 2016
Van Pelt noticed that and reached out to her via Twitter to try helping her through the moment:
@courtneyshea93 looked like you said "I'm sorry" when it ended. After that at bat? That season? Nope. Nothing to apologize for. #WarEagle
— Scott Van Pelt (@notthefakeSVP) June 9, 2016
Van Pelt also congratulated Parker on the Sooners’ victory.
@paigeparker008 congrats to you and your teammates. We've watched every game of the final. Two great teams. #BoomerSooner
— Scott Van Pelt (@notthefakeSVP) June 9, 2016
Shea was taking the loss so hard that her mouth was quivering as she cried after the game:
A big mark of success for athletes is their abilities to forget failure and put it in the past. That’s what Shea and Auburn need to do, even though it won’t be easy. They had a fantastic season, came in second in the country, and they should be celebrating their excellent year.
