It's the bottom of the final inning of a great playoff baseball game. Jim Thorpe holds a 1-0 lead over the home team.

Their pitcher has allowed just two hits while striking out seven. He walks the first batter, but then the next two strike out, putting the Olympians one out away from their biggest victory in years.Coach Derick Reis walks to the mound and takes the ball from his pitcher, who appears dumbfounded and angry. He has reached his maximum count of 100 pitches and by the new PIAA rule, he must come out of the game.The team's relief pitcher's first throw to the next hitter is belted high over the fence giving his team a dramatic 2-1 win over Thorpe.Reis has just described a hypothetical situation that could become a real event because of the new pitch count rule placed into effect this season to help prevent arm injuries.The official rule has several components. If a pitcher throws 1 to 25 pitches in a game, no rest is needed. For 26-50 pitches, one day of calendar rest is required. For 51-75 pitches, two days rest is needed. For 76-100 pitches, he must rest for three full days, and no pitcher must exceed 200 pitches in a seven-day week. In addition, if a pitcher reaches his game count in the midst of an at bat, he is allowed to complete throwing until that batter makes an out or reaches base safely."I think the new rule is overall a good idea. It's better than the old number of innings rule where kids might throw 130 pitches," said Reis, "but there is no perfect system. Personally, I'd like to see the number at 115 for a single game. You'd hate to take a kid out if he's in a groove."Pitch numbers are counted by designated individuals from each team for each game. If there is a discrepancy between the numbers, the home team's count is official. Coaches are required to enter their pitchers' numbers on MaxPreps or GameChanger websites so that all teams can keep track."We should check the pitch count numbers for upcoming opponents," said Reis, "but it's really a time-consuming task thrown on top of everything else we have to do as coaches."Reis said that his pitchers rarely reach 100 pitches in a game, especially with revised schedules having his team play as many as five games a week. To keep his pitchers' arms in good condition, he has them run two miles a day after they throw a lot of pitches to help break up the lactic acid that builds up in their muscles."When a kid complains of a sore arm, sometimes it's difficult to tell if he 's really hurt or not," he added.Reis blames arm injuries more on poor throwing mechanics, rather than numbers of balls thrown. He also contends the current surge in the popularity of travel baseball is significantly responsible for the increase in arm injuries."Some kids see baseball as their meal ticket, and they are throwing inside and outside all year long. They need to shut their arms down and instead go out and play other sports."Physical therapist Gina McArdle's experience with arm injuries causes her to believe the problem occurs from the repetitiveness of the pitcher's motion."The accumulation of pitches can cause micro trauma to the elbow and to the shoulder," said McArdle. "Of course throwing curveballs can place extra stress on the valgus angle of the elbow, too."To prevent rotator cuff and shoulder injuries, McArdle recommends that pitchers participate in offseason strength and conditioning programs. She is also a proponent of Dr. Walter Lowe's thrower's program which primarily emphasizes stretching exercises with resistance bands."Pitchers also need to shut down throwing with full force for up to three months to allow muscles and tendons to recuperate."On the diamond, the number of throws continues to be a basis for argument. Fifth year Palmerton head coach, Mike Svetik agrees with Reis that 100 pitches a game is too restrictive."With 100 as his limit, you're asking a high school kid to average less than 15 pitches an inning or five pitches to each hitter. That requires a lot of control and a lot of strikes thrown, something you don't always get at this level."In a recent game, Svetik had to remove his pitcher from the mound and prevent him from pitching a complete game victory because he had reached his maximum count."He had allowed only two hits, two unearned runs, and had one walk, and I had to go get him. Strikeout pitchers and pitchers with control issues drive up their counts, but in this case, my kid was pitching to contact and he still hit his limit. I'd like to see the number increased to at least 110."Svetik said that he and other coaches will use the new rule as a strategy to try and get an opponent's dominating pitcher out of a game.""If he's getting close to his max, I'll tell my kids to take more pitches to get him to his limit. We will do whatever we can to win the game."With the new rule in place, it's a daunting task for coaches to plan their pitchers around a five-game-a-week schedule. Svetik would like to see the pitch count number added to the game score sheet to make it easier for coaches to keep track.Tamaqua coach Jeff Reading calls the rule a "slap in the face" to all the coaches who have always been careful about preventive maintenance with their players' arms."We have this rule because a very few coaches have left their pitchers throw too many pitches and too many innings," he said. "Last year, we faced a team whose pitcher threw 123 pitches in the first game of the year."Reading agrees that most high school hurlers have difficulty keeping their counts under control."It's especially noticeable with JV pitchers," he explained. "An inexperienced pitcher might throw 65 pitches and he's only in the third inning."It's almost to the point where you have to have your position players practice pitching because you might need their arms."Reading described two situations in which the new rule could cause significant issues and compromise the integrity of the game."Before this rule, if we were winning by 10 runs after two innings, we'd call off the dogs so not to embarrass a team, but now we would try to win by mercy rule and get to15 runs in the third inning to end the game and save arms for the rest of the week."He also said he would never want to remove a pitcher who's throwing a no-hitter because he's reached his pitch limit, but that possibility exists.Another scenario would be a nightmare for rules administrators if during an important playoff game, the home team suspiciously or inadvertently allows the winning pitcher to exceed his limit and asks for a forfeit due to a pitch count infraction.Overall, coaches feel the purpose of the rule is valid, but the practicality of its application on the field is another matter.**********WAIT! ... A clerical error in Northwestern's meet against Saucon Valley on March 30 has been amended, and the Tigers are still undefeated with what is now a 76.5-73.5 victory. Northwestern's Madeline Consuelos won the girls 800 with Saucon Valley finishing second and third, giving the Tigers five points and the Panthers four in the event. Initial scoring had Saucon Valley winning the event and taking third, with Northwestern placing second, which would have given the Panthers six points in the race and the Tigers three. The original final score was 75.5-74.5 in favor of Saucon Valley. The Northwestern girls are currently 4-0 in the Colonial League.**********BLAZING ... Lehighton's Jada Whiteman ran a 58.1 in the 400 on Wednesday against Blue Mountain. That time tied the Times News all-time mark of 58.1 set by Pleasant Valley's Lauren Kelchner in 1999. The Lady Indians are undefeated this season at 4-0.**********UPON FURTHER REVIEW ... The Jim Thorpe and Pleasant Valley boys' track and field teams had meets end in a tie last week. The Olympians and Bears had meets against North Schuylkill and Easton, respectively, end with the score 75-75. But both Jim Thorpe and Pleasant Valley prevailed based on criteria. The Pleasant Valley girls also had a meet against Northampton end in a tie earlier this season. The Lady Bears lost on criteria.**********NO REST FOR THE WEARY ... Northwestern baseball will play a run of six games in eight days that will wrap up with games against Northern Lehigh on Tuesday and Moravian Academy on Wednesday. As it's scheduled, the Tigers won't go two days without a game until April 28-29.**********GIVE IT TO HIM ... Josh Inama tossed a one-hitter against Panther Valley on April 11 to lock up his first career varsity win.**********HOW FAST? ... Pleasant Valley's Jalurah Moore ran a 12.0 in the 100 on Wednesday against Pocono Mountain East. That time tied the Times News all-time mark of 12.0, set by Tamaqua's Tricia Plasko in 1988. Moore finished second in the race to Pocono Mountain East's Khyasia Caldwell (11.9).**********ACES ... Northern Lehigh's Katie Ziegler threw a three-inning no-hitter on March 30 against Moravian, striking out seven. Nick Porembo did the same that day against Notre Dame ES, using just 28 pitches and striking out six batters. Tamaqua's Jada Schellhammer used 11 strikeouts across four innings against Mahanoy Area to seal her perfect game performance on April 3.**********MILESTONE ... Northwestern catcher Brooke Wehr recorded her 100th career hit in a 1-0 loss to Wilson on April 13. Through Tuesday, she is hitting .600 with 18 hits, one home run, 11 RBIs, and five stolen bases.**********GRAND SALAMI ... During a Colonial League rout against Saucon Valley last Wednesday, Brooke Wehr and Emily Akalaitis each clobbered grand slams in the same inning. The Tigers scored 10 runs in the second frame for a 10-0 win.