I twisted my foot, and watched the ball all the way to my bat as I swung. Crack!!! The ball went flying and I went running. I drove the ball right through the center of the field, and I ran as fast as my legs could carry me. I had made it to first base. The ball had hit the ground when I left first and two outfielders ran for it. I kept running and made it to third right as the ball was being thrown in. I felt the adrenaline rush through my body and I sprinted for home plate. Right then, the ball was coming my way. I slid into home right before the ball hit the catcher’s mitt. Phew! I was safe!!!
When I ran back into the dugout, my team high fived me and cheered. I couldn’t have been happier with the outcome of that hit because it was my first time hitting that far and I was pumped! I knew, the moment I had hit that ball, that I was going to remember exactly how it felt forever, and keep doing it. Two of my teammates hit home runs after me and our score went from 2, up to 5. We were playing Payette and it was definitely the best game of the season by far. Every single one of us had our head in the game and we were giving it our all. My team continued to bat until we reached six runs and then we switched. The score was 5 to 3. I got my catchers gear on as quickly as I could and ran out onto the field. That game was everything I  hoped it would be. I had the chance, to catch my best game in history. After two weeks of hardcore practice, I was more than ready.
I warmed up my pitcher and she was marvelous! I could feel the excitement everywhere. I knew that if we gave this game everything we had, we could win. First batter was up. I nodded at my pitcher, took a deep breath, and put my heart into it. When the ball left her hand, it flew a little too low. Ball one. I threw it back to her and she focused hard on the center of my mitt. When she released the ball it was heading directly toward the center of my mitt. Perfect pitch! It was the first strike. I looked over at Hadlee, my pitcher, and she smiled bigger than I’d ever seen her smile. The next pitch was a second strike. The batter started getting a little frustrated, but I could see the determination in Hadlee’s eyes. She was going to strike this girl out if it was the last thing she did. She focused once again on the middle of my mitt and released the ball at the perfect angle and I framed it. Strike three! That batter was out! We had one out so there were still two more to go. Hadlee was glowing as she took the ball and prepared for the next batter. I squatted down into my position and waited for the perfect pitch to hit my mitt. I was confident in her. She was the best pitcher on the team and she wasn’t about to let us down. The first pitch was too high, but the second was a strike! I could feel my legs begin to burn as we went on, but I didn’t care. This game meant everything to me and I had to focus. Hadlee’s next two pitches were both delightful strikes. Two outs! There was only one more to go! The next two batters hit the ball but didn’t score. I shook my legs out and gave Hadlee a thumbs up. The next batter was a smaller girl with black hair who had determination in her eyes. The first two pitches were both beautiful strikes! I have to admit, I was impressed with her. Her next pitch was spot on. Three outs! They had only scored once so the score was 5 to 4. Hadlee did amazing! I was so proud of my best friend who was also my pitcher. We were committed to that game!
We ran into the dugout and got our helmets to bat. I was the third batter up and I kept remembering my last hit. I had to that all over again. Our first batter was Hadlee, and she was one of the best batters on the team. She made sure she was toward the front of the batter’s box and she bent her knees. The first pitch was a strike, but the second pitch she nailed! That ball flew past the outfielders and into the other field. It was a fantastic home run! The score was 6 to 4. Lauren was our second batter who played second base and she was incredible! The pitcher got a little wild and threw four balls so she got to walk to first base. I was up next. I took a a few practice swings and positioned myself in the batter’s box. I had a habit of always watching the first pitch go by no matter if it were a ball or a strike. Strike one. The second pitch was a ball. It flew over my head so I just repositioned myself, and got ready for the next pitch. I held my breath as the third pitch came my way. It was going to be a strike. I could see it coming so I twisted my foot and followed through all the way. I hit the ball to the left and it went into the outfield. I dropped the bat and ran to first base, then second. Two of my teammates in a row got walked so Lauren and I scored a point each. The score was 8 to 4. We were winning! We had the last bat. My cousin Tarah was last to hit, and she hit the ball barely past first and made it. That was six runs! We defeated Payette! We were all excited and happier than we had been after any other game. Our hard work had payed off!
Two games before Payette, we had struggled with batting. But after two weeks of hard three hour practices, we had improved a ton as a whole. Not one person on my team struck out, and our pitcher threw some remarkable pitches. That was our last game and we had played better than ever. Joy filled our hearts and we ended the season with a team hug and a picture. I couldn’t be more proud of our improvement as a team.