Things Falling Apart at the End of the Game?

Is anyone noticing that your team does pretty well through 4 innings and then starts to fall apart? Or that your pitcher can't finish out a game? Maybe it's fatigue that causes it, maybe it's a bad play or a bad call that begins the destruction, whatever it is that starts it, getting your players not to completely fall apart when things go wrong isn't easy. It takes strong focus on the part of your players as well as a good plan for pulling them out of it.

Here are a few of the factors that lead to an end-of-the-game collapse:

1. They're young - it's hard for younger players to focus for long periods of time and the fact they can do well for 4 innings says a lot about them. So, if you're coaching players 12 years old and younger than one thing to do is appreciate the good focus they can have for 4 innings.
2. Fatigue - even though the players may not say they're tired, it's very common for players to hit a little fatigue wall around the 4th inning. It might not be noticeable in their effort but it might really show itself in their ability to focus and finish plays. You'll also notice that umpires fatigue as well and their strike zone will change slightly around the 4th inning as well.
3. 2nd or 3rd Time through the lineup - by the 4th inning the opponents are making their way around the batting order for the 2nd and sometimes even their 3rd time. As a result they're more familiar with the pitcher and it's very common for them to hit the ball harder, making plays a little tougher to make.
4. Late game pressure creeps in - the more the game goes on the closer you get to the end - which for a lot of players means more pressure not to screw it up and lose.

OK, with this said, there are some things you can do to help them. I outline a ton of ways to tackle this problem in my books; The Ultimate Softball Practice Guide and A Coaches Guide to Creating Team Chemistry.