Cricket star aces 1st pitch at O’s game

US national women’s team member honored Sunday

Lisa Ramjit stood in front of the mound at Camden Yards with a baseball in her left hand, listening to the ballpark’s public address announcer read her cricket accomplishments to the crowd.

By the time he announced Ramjit’s helping the U.S. national women’s cricket team take down Canada in recent international play — she’s the first Maryland junior chosen for Team USA — players from both the Orioles and Astros applauded from their dugout spots. Some fans stood and cheered.

Ramjit waited, then put the ball in her right hand before winding up and delivering a solid strike to Orioles pitcher Tom Eshelman, who took a catcher’s position behind the plate.

Throwing out of the ceremonial first pitches before Sunday’s game at Oriole Park had Ramjit feeling a little nervous, she said. But she’s quite used to being in such a spotlight.

“I just went out there and I had fun,” said Ramjit, 14, an incoming freshman at Francis Scott Key High School. “It was so much fun to see the crowd and just hear everybody.”

Ramjit said her mom, Liloutie, told her about the month ago the Orioles wanted her to come to Baltimore for the first pitch honors.

“I was like, ‘That’s so amazing.’ They could have chose anyone to do the honor,” Ramjit said. “And I got chosen. I was really excited to do it.”

In May, Ramjit opened as Team USA’s bowler (cricket’s version of a baseball pitcher) against Canada and took the first international T20 wicket in the team’s history. A wicket is a set of three stumps that has a small stick, called a bail, on top. The bowler’s goal is to take a wicket, which is being defended by a batsman, by knocking the bail off the stumps.

Ramjit won her start, leading the Americans to a three-game sweep of their northern neighbors in Lauderhill, Florida, and helping the team move one step closer to securing a berth in the 2020 International Cricket Council women’s T20 World Cup in Australia.

Ramjit played on coach Sham Chotoo’s under-11 cricket teams that won state championships in 2015 and 2016. Her play in tournaments in Florida, Minnesota, and Canada drew interest from the national team, which invited her to train with its players.