VA Girls Takes Third in State Skills Contest

<p>From Staff Reports
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<p>Trinity Needham, an 8-year-old student at Van Alstyne Elementary School, recently took third place at the state Pitch, Hit &amp; Run competition in Arlington.
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<p>Trinity, who plays for a Van Alstyne Sports Authority softball team, won the local competition in Sherman in late May.
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<p>She followed that by grabbing the sectional title in Wichita Falls to advance to the state championship June 27.
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<p>The contest, which is the official skills competition of Major League Baseball, requires participants to compete in three skills tests: Pitching, hitting and running.
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<p>In the pitching section, participants must throw strikes to a designated strike zone target.
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<p>In the hitting section, participants hit balls off a tee for distance and accuracy.
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<p>In the running section, participants are timed as they run from second base to third and then to home plate. Points are awarded in each section and participants advance based on total points.</p>