The Great Softball Heist
Oh no! The shiny Golden Softball Trophy has vanished from the main trophy case right before the championship game! A sneaky thief swiped it. We must look at the clues, solve the math, and find the culprit before the final strike is called!
Possible suspects
Cross off a row as each clue rules it out. On screen, tap a row.
| Name | Signature Pitch | Lucky Gear | Batting Stance | Helmet Hair | Pitching Weakness |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Homeplate Hannah | screwball | weighted bat | lefty stance | braids | inside pitches |
| Jocelyn Alo | screwball | grip spray | righty stance | braids | inside pitches |
| Monica Abbott | riseball | weighted bat | lefty stance | braids | inside pitches |
| Alisa Gomez | riseball | neon visor | lefty stance | ponytail | low pitches |
| Haylie McCleney | riseball | weighted bat | lefty stance | braids | low pitches |
| Umpire Abby | curveball | weighted bat | righty stance | braids | low pitches |
| Outfield Olive | screwball | weighted bat | righty stance | pigtails | low pitches |
| Fastpitch Fiona | changeup | weighted bat | lefty stance | braids | inside pitches |
| Cat Osterman | dropball | sparkly cleats | lefty stance | pigtails | high fastballs |
| Pitcher Paige | dropball | neon visor | lefty stance | pigtails | low pitches |
| Coach Bailey | riseball | neon visor | righty stance | pigtails | inside pitches |
| Jennie Finch | screwball | weighted bat | lefty stance | pigtails | low pitches |
| Shortstop Sam | riseball | sparkly cleats | righty stance | ponytail | low pitches |
| Glove Gabby | screwball | neon visor | lefty stance | ponytail | inside pitches |
| Batter Brooke | riseball | lucky glove | righty stance | pigtails | low pitches |
| Catcher Chloe | changeup | grip spray | righty stance | pigtails | low pitches |
| Keilani Ricketts | curveball | sparkly cleats | righty stance | braids | high fastballs |
| Firstbase Faye | changeup | lucky glove | righty stance | braids | low pitches |
| Slugger Sue | curveball | neon visor | lefty stance | pigtails | low pitches |
| Dugout Daisy | curveball | sparkly cleats | lefty stance | braids | inside pitches |
| Secondbase Sally | dropball | lucky glove | lefty stance | braids | inside pitches |
Addition
The umpire counted the extra softballs in the equipment bag. Adding the green balls to the yellow balls gave us a clue about the thief's gear.
Solve each problem to learn its letter. Then write that letter in every box that shows the same number, and read the secret clue.
Rounding
The radar gun behind home plate got hit by a wild pitch and now it only shows rounded speeds. We rounded the pitch speed to the nearest ten to find a clue about the thief's batting style.
Solve each problem to learn its letter. Then write that letter in every box that shows the same number, and read the secret clue.
Subtraction
The concession stand started with a big crate of sports drinks. Subtracting the bottles sold during the third inning revealed a clue about the thief's batting weakness.
Solve each problem to learn its letter. Then write that letter in every box that shows the same number, and read the secret clue.
Multiplication facts (1-12)
The groundskeeper looked at the rows of bleachers. Multiplying the number of rows by the seats in each row led us to a clue about the thief's hair.
Solve each problem to learn its letter. Then write that letter in every box that shows the same number, and read the secret clue.
Division facts (1-12) — the last clue
The team shared a big box of orange slices after the game. Dividing the slices equally among all the players left us with a clue about the thief's signature pitch.
First solve each problem. Then find each answer in the list below and cross that sentence out. One sentence will be left — that's exactly what the villain did!
Name the culprit
Choose the one suspect left standing.
Answer Key — The Great Softball Heist
- Clue 1 (Addition): "THE BANDIT DOES NOT USE A LUCKY GLOVE"1128 + 1871 = 2999 (T) · 2442 + 5592 = 8034 (H) · 2107 + 3830 = 5937 (D) · 5662 + 3255 = 8917 (L) · 6755 + 2920 = 9675 (N) · 2994 + 2690 = 5684 (K) · 1645 + 2560 = 4205 (O) · 2911 + 1789 = 4700 (V) · 2519 + 4573 = 7092 (Y) · 3351 + 3371 = 6722 (C) · 4171 + 3998 = 8169 (I) · 2644 + 5216 = 7860 (S) · 4654 + 3378 = 8032 (A) · 3422 + 1896 = 5318 (B) · 3489 + 4214 = 7703 (E) · 1549 + 3383 = 4932 (U) · 2767 + 5321 = 8088 (G)
- Clue 2 (Rounding): "THE THIEF STOOD IN THE LEFTY BOX"Round 2,952 to the nearest thousand = 3000 (T) · Round 17 to the nearest ten = 20 (F) · Round 170 to the nearest ten = 170 (E) · Round 5,182 to the nearest thousand = 5000 (O) · Round 1,584 to the nearest thousand = 2000 (L) · Round 227 to the nearest ten = 230 (H) · Round 2,304 to the nearest hundred = 2300 (B) · Round 434 to the nearest ten = 430 (Y) · Round 1,125 to the nearest hundred = 1100 (N) · Round 127 to the nearest ten = 130 (I) · Round 944 to the nearest hundred = 900 (D) · Round 113 to the nearest ten = 110 (X) · Round 298 to the nearest hundred = 300 (S)
- Clue 3 (Subtraction): "THE SUSPECT STRUGGLED WITH INSIDE PITCHES"10848 - 3312 = 7536 (T) · 8926 - 3339 = 5587 (R) · 6818 - 323 = 6495 (C) · 5469 - 1994 = 3475 (W) · 9638 - 786 = 8852 (I) · 7100 - 2347 = 4753 (H) · 5963 - 2728 = 3235 (G) · 6503 - 251 = 6252 (S) · 7897 - 3891 = 4006 (U) · 5529 - 4071 = 1458 (D) · 8518 - 2722 = 5796 (E) · 8382 - 1757 = 6625 (P) · 9140 - 3705 = 5435 (N) · 9791 - 3855 = 5936 (L)
- Clue 4 (Multiplication facts (1-12)): "WE FOUND A HAIR FROM SOME BRAIDS"11 × 5 = 55 (W) · 1 × 1 = 1 (O) · 10 × 7 = 70 (S) · 6 × 5 = 30 (N) · 11 × 1 = 11 (U) · 7 × 8 = 56 (M) · 7 × 3 = 21 (A) · 7 × 11 = 77 (B) · 10 × 10 = 100 (I) · 7 × 2 = 14 (F) · 5 × 3 = 15 (E) · 8 × 1 = 8 (R) · 8 × 8 = 64 (H) · 8 × 4 = 32 (D)
- Clue 5 (Division facts (1-12)): surviving statement (box 5) → Homeplate Hannah18 ÷ 9 = 2 · 3 ÷ 3 = 1 · 11 ÷ 1 = 11 · 108 ÷ 12 = 9 · 56 ÷ 8 = 7 · 72 ÷ 6 = 12 · 12 ÷ 3 = 4 · 10 ÷ 1 = 10 · 15 ÷ 5 = 3 · 18 ÷ 3 = 6 · 40 ÷ 5 = 8
About this mystery
- Grade level
- Grade 4 math
- Math topics
- Addition, Rounding, Subtraction, Multiplication, Division
- Reading level
- grades 3-4
- Theme
- The Great Softball Heist — set in Diamond Valley Park
- Format
- Interactive online & printable worksheet with answer key
- Solution
- One unique, verified culprit among 21 suspects