“What’s up?”
“Can you snag me a bag of ice? I don’t want Coach to see me anywhere near the ice chest. Wait, not yet,” Lisa whispered. “Wait ‘til she goes out to the third base box.”
Sarah nodded and casually leaned forward against the fence.
Coach Spears opened the dugout gate and headed toward third base. Sarah leaped into action. She grabbed an ice pack from the cooler and handed it to Lisa.
“Thanks.”
“You okay?” Sarah asked.
“I think so. Don’t worry. You don’t have to suit up yet.”
Sarah blew out a relieved sigh.
Lisa placed the ice pack on the right side of her hand, but hid behind Sarah. The ice began to numb the pain. “Geez, I never knew ice could feel so good.”
She wasn’t able to ice her hand for long, because the Cougar batters went three up and three down quickly. She tossed the ice pack to Sarah who snuck it back into the ice chest.
Fortunately, the Hornets’ bats quieted down, and they didn’t score any more runs over the next four innings. Unfortunately for the Cougars’, their bats were also quiet, and they didn’t score any runs, either.
At the top of the seventh inning, the Hornets came up to bat still ahead by a score of 1-3.
Lisa pumped a fist after Marlee struck out the first batter.
“One down, Cougars,” Lisa yelled. “Stay tough. Let’s hold ‘em.”
The next batter smacked a grounder right at Kym, the Cougars’ third baseman, but she bobbled the ball, and the runner reached first safely.
“That’s okay,” Lisa called out. “We’ve still got one down. Infield, get two. Outfield, go three.”
Lisa set up for the next batter, but a sinking feeling grew in the pit of her stomach. Her team had to score at least two runs in the bottom half of the inning, or they would lose, and their season would be over. It didn’t look hopeful, either, because the bottom of the Cougar order was due up. Maybe they weren’t really a state championship caliber team. Maybe East Valley was the team that should have been there.
Lisa took a deep breath and tried to shake off her doubts. She called for a fastball. The runner on first took off for second. That ticked Lisa off so much that she grabbed the pitch and threw a strike to Johnna covering second base.
“Out.” The umpire threw one arm in the air.
“Yeah!” Lisa yelled. She pointed at Johnna to tell her nice job. Her hand screamed in pain, but she refused to feel it. The pain didn’t matter. She simply clenched and unclenched her fist to try to keep it loose, a task that was getting more and more difficult as the game wore on. “One more out,” she called to the team and set up behind the plate.
Even though there were two outs, the troubles for the Cougars weren’t over because the next two Hornet batters got on base. With runners on first and second, the next batter fouled off pitch after pitch until finally lining a single to center field. The runners took off around the bases. Lisa’s stomach fell to her toes. How many runs would score this time?
Jeri fielded the ball cleanly in center. The runner who had started on second base was rounding third and heading home. “Home, home,” Lisa yelled and set up slightly down the third base line. “C’mon, Jeri,” she willed. Jeri fired the ball from center field. “Let it go. Let it go,” Lisa called to Julie who had come in from first base to cut it off if needed.
Jeri’s rocket bounced twice in the infield and into Lisa’s waiting mitt. Lisa turned toward the runner and braced for impact. The runner slid. Lisa held on to the ball with all her might.
“Out at home!” the umpire yelled.
“Yeah,” Lisa jumped up and tossed the ball to the pitcher’s circle. She hugged Jeri on their way into the dugout. “Nice toss, center fielder.”
“Way to hang, catcher.” Jeri held the dugout door open for her. “How’s the hand?”
Lisa grimaced. “We’re totally not talking about that right now, okay?”
Jeri nodded and put her glove away. She grabbed her helmet and bat. “Hey, Cougars,” she shouted. “We’re not going down without a fight, now. Dig deep, everybody.”
“Yeah,” Lisa agreed. “I didn’t come here to lose, you guys. C’mon, we can do this.” She tore off her catcher’s gear and thanked Sarah for the bag of ice. She hid behind Marlee and waited for the coolness to ease the pain in her hand.
Corrie, the Cougars’ leadoff batter, must not have heard Jeri or Lisa because she struck out swinging in three pitches. Lisa’s stomach churned, but there was still hope because Paula, the Cougars number nine batter was up next and had already walked twice.
“C’mon, Paula,” Lisa called, “be patient.” She wiggled her way in between Marlee and Julie against the dugout fence.
“This is a sucky birthday,” Marlee said and stuck out her lower lip.
“Sorry, Marlee,” Julie said.
“Hey, you know what?” Lisa said. “One of my famous Yankees said, ‘It ain’t over ‘til it’s over.’”
“Yogi Berra,” Marlee said. “He played for the Mets, too, you know.”
“Way back in the sixties, right?”
“Yeah.”
Lisa nodded. “And another one of your famous Mets said, 'You gotta believe.’”
“Tug McGraw.”
Lisa nodded again. “So, let’s believe.” Lisa bumped fists with Marlee and then with Julie. She put her hand to her mouth and called. “C’mon Cougars. Never say die. C’mon Paula.”
For the third time that day, Paula walked to reach first base safely. Jeri stepped into the batter’s box, and Julie grabbed her helmet and bat and ran into the on-deck circle.
Lisa called, “C’mon Jeri, You’re due.” She laughed. “Actually, she’s gotten on base every time, but who cares? We need a hit now.”
An inside screwball brushed Jeri back off the plate.
“Oh, man,” Marlee said. “That was close.”
“Dead.” The umpire put both hands in the air and pointed toward first base.
Lisa leaped in the air. “She got hit by the pitch. We’ve got two runners on.”
Julie stepped into the batter’s box and worked the count full. Lisa clutched the fence with her good hand until the knuckles turned white. “C’mon, White Girl. It’s all about you.”
Lisa cheered when Julie dinked a single over the shortstop’s head. All base runners advanced safely.
Lisa pulled away from the fence. “Crap, bases are loaded, and I’m on deck. Where’s my bat?”
“Lisa,” Marlee grabbed her arm, “chill out. Take a breath.”
Lisa looked her pitcher in the eye and did as she was told. “Okay, I’m calm.” She found her bat and helmet.
Johnna stepped into the box and got ready for the pitch. Lisa stood in the on-deck circle and swung lightly. If Johnna got a hit and Paula scored, they would only be down by one run. She gritted her teeth when Johnna fouled out to the catcher on the second pitch to make the second out.
Johnna slammed her bat on the ground in disgust and headed toward the dugout with a scowl on her face. “Pick me up, Lisa. You’re our last hope.”
Oh, no pressure there,
Lisa thought and stepped into the box. The bases were loaded, but there were two outs. The odds were against them, but Lisa was determined not to make the last out to end their season.
She dug her heels in and took a quick practice swing. The first pitch was a screwball inside. Ball one. The next pitch fell under the strike zone for ball two. She took another deep breath and did her best to ignore her throbbing hand. She decided to swing only if the pitch was nice and meaty. The Hornet’s pitcher took her signal from the catcher and put her hands together. She started her windup, and Lisa readied herself for the release. A change-up meatball was coming right down the center of the plate. She hesitated for a split second and exploded with her bat. The ball sailed high in the air down the left field line.
Lisa ran toward first base. “Stay fair, stay fair,” she yelled as she ran. She had almost reached first base when the ball bounced off the fence and back onto the left field grass. She pumped a fist when Paula scored from third making the score 2-3. She knew Jeri would score, too, but hoped she’d hit it far enough for Julie to score all the way from first base.
Lisa headed for second base as Jeri rounded third and sprinted home. The Hornet’s left fielder had just reached the ball in left field. Jeri crossed the plate safely to tie the score at 3-3. Lisa stopped at second base and watched Coach Spears wave her arms frantically for Julie to head home. The Hornet’s shortstop took the relay throw from her left fielder and rifled the ball to the catcher waiting for the throw. Julie slid. Lisa held her breath.
“Safe!” The umpire threw her arms out to the side.
Lisa leaped in the air and sprinted toward her teammates mobbing Julie at the plate. The Cougars had just won their first playoff game. The people in the stands stomped their feet and cheered louder than she’d ever heard. When she reached her teammates, they left Julie and turned on her. Jeri hugged her tightly, and Marlee pounded her helmet so hard, she thought she might get a concussion.
It was hard to hear with all the pounding, but it sounded like Jeri said, “Nice hit.”
“Thanks.”
Lisa wriggled out of Jeri’s grasp and away from Marlee’s helmet pounding.
Marlee said, “You are so friggin’ awesome, Lisa. What an awesome birthday present. God, I love you.”
“Ha!” Lisa laughed. Too late, Marlee. I’ve moved on.
“Way to go, Amazon,” Sam called from the fan side of the fence. “You’re my hero.” Sam batted her eyelashes.
Lisa pumped a fist in the air and pointed at her. “Don’t go anywhere.”
Sam shook her head and pointed to the ground as if to say she wouldn’t move from that spot.
Lisa made her way to the end of the high-five line. After highfiving the Hornets, she headed toward the dugout. Just as she reached the door, the tall dark-haired man with the leather jacket and dark mustache said, “Nice job, Lisa. I’m very proud of you.”
“Oh, thanks.”
But shouldn’t you be talking to Marlee?
She decided to ask him if he was a scout, but then her mother walked up to the fence and said, “Great job, Lisa.” She held a sleeping Bridget in her arms.
“Thanks, Mom. Geez, I thought we were goners there.”
“You almost were.”
Her father called from the stands. “Great job, Lisa.”
“Thanks, Papa,” she called up to him and laughed because her father was having a hard time getting Lynnie to close her book so they could leave.
“Are you taking the bus home?” her mother asked.
“Yeah, we’ve got more celebrating to do.”
“Okay, we’ll see you at home. I’m proud of you, honey.”
Her mother turned away, and Lisa looked for the scout, but couldn’t find him. She shrugged and headed to the dugout to celebrate their first round victory. The Cougars had beaten the odds and conquered the Overton Corners Hornets by a score of 4-3. The quarterfinals were in two days.
Lisa found Sam still leaning against the fence where Lisa had left her. Lisa answered Sam’s grin with a grin of her own. She smiled inside, too. Although her hand hurt like hell, she was the luckiest girl on the planet.
Chapter Eleven
Tools of Ignorance
LISA SAT UP in her bed on Tuesday night too wired to sleep. The school day had dragged on and on and then practice after school was long and intense. Coach Spears must have been feeling the pressure, because if they lost the quarterfinal game against Whickett High School the next day then their season would be over. Lisa wished she could sleep in the next morning until it was time to get on the bus for the three hour ride to the game, but Coach Spears was making them go to homeroom and then first period. After that they’d head to the locker room to change into their uniforms, get their gear, and get on the bus that would take them through the Adirondack Mountains all the way to Warrensburg.
She opened her journal to the last entry and laughed. The last time she had written in it was on April 27, over a month and a half before. She rooted around in her drawer for her favorite blue gel pen, but couldn’t find it. She settled on a cheap green ball point instead and uncapped it.
June 12
I can’t believe I haven’t written in this journal for so long. My last entry said I thought Sam was flirting with me. Well, yeah, she was. We’ve been together exactly one month today. We got together on May 12. I wish I could have seen her today, but we both had school. East Valley’s way too far away. If I had my license, we could hang out more. Especially because the time we do hang out goes by way too fast. I miss her all the time.
I thought I was in love with Marlee at the beginning of softball, but I think I was just lonely or depressed or something. Tara hadn’t been calling me, and in the back of my mind I knew she was going to break up with me. But who cares? Tara’s a thing of the past, I’m way over Marlee, and Sam is awesome.
Sam, Sam, Sam. Her full name is Samantha Rose Payton. She’s as pretty as her name. She doesn’t seem to mind that I’m, like, five inches taller than she is. She plays second base for East Valley. And speaking of second base, we went there again this weekend. I can’t believe the way I feel when she touches me like that. I can tell she likes it when I touch her, too. I’m so freakin’ nervous about third base. I think Sam is, too. I almost went there with Tara, but I got too scared. I think I could go with Sam. She makes me feel so…
Lisa’s heart pounded as she thought about the last time they went to the Clarksonville CCC softball field. She chewed on the end of her pen. It was hard to articulate how Sam made her feel. Wanted? Loved? Needed? Yeah, all of those.
Sam makes me feel so many things. I think I love her. Ahhh! I can’t believe I just wrote that. This is so scary. I think about her all the time. Sometimes I pretend we live together in a cute little house, and we have babies and dogs and cats and a fenced in yard with flower gardens everywhere. Our friends come over for barbeques in the summer, and we have game nights in winter. Sam met Mom and Papa already. They like her, and I think she likes them, too. Bridget adores her and so does Lawrence Jr. Lynnie’s coming out of her shell around her, too, which is awesome. Lynnie’s halfway through all those Harry Potter books Sam brought her. I haven’t met Sam’s parents yet. That’ll be scary.