Camryn Dugan crushed a three-run homer to right center, and all the Jefferson-Morgan junior wanted to know is whether her dad heard the call.
Chris Dugan was in the hospital, dying of cancer, but he was listening to the WPIAL Class A first-round game on the radio.
And, yes, he heard it.
“It definitely choked me up a little bit but, I know I made him proud,” Camryn said. “In the days leading up to his final days, one thing stuck in my mind: I know he heard it. I know he was proud. That one was for him.”
Chris Dugan lived for his daughters, coaching them and their friends in softball as a seven-year assistant at Jeff-Morgan until cancer left him too weak to work first base. He died Friday, a day before his 46th birthday.
“He was a fighter,” Rockets coach Tony Barbetta said of his good friend, who knew this was a good group since the girls were 10. “I know he wanted to see this, see how it turned out.”
Chris would have been proud Monday to see Camryn start at second base and bat second in a 3-1 victory over Sewickley Academy in the WPIAL quarterfinals. She honored her father by playing the sport that bonded them.
“Everything that's happened, I've converted to softball,” Camryn said. “That's what kept my dad going for the longest time. That was the connection I had with my dad. It helped me to be able to cope with my loss. It's definitely an escape. I know he used it to escape from his cancer.”
Now comes the hardest part. The Rockets (13-2) will play in the WPIAL semifinals Wednesday, then say goodbye to their coach, to Camryn's dad, who will be buried Thursday. They will break the huddle, as they do, by shouting, “Do it for Team Dugan!”
Loud enough for all to hear.
Kevin Gorman is a staff writer for Trib Total Media. Reach him at kgorman@tribweb.com or via Twitter @KGorman_Trib.
