Sweat running down my face;
Dust clinging to the sweat.
The heat is excruciating.
Grass on my knees,
Dirt under my nails.
I look to the sky;
Not a cloud in sight.
Thick wood,
Hard and heavy in my hands.
I'm up to plate now.
They all move in,
It's because I'm a girl.
I hate when they do that.
A person on first and second.
I can't get "out"
I have to hit the ball,
If I don't,
I'll lose the game for the team.
My team. The Crusaders.
The pitcher throws the ball.
I know that I can't hit it,
So I get out of the way;
It almost hit me.
"Strike!" the umpire cries.
I want to yell at him;
To tell him off.
But I know that I can't.
The pitcher throws the ball again.
"Strike!" the umpire screams.
It gets on my nerves.
It's bad enough
That I'm nervous as it is;
And it's hard for me
To do things when I'm nervous.
The ball is thrown again.
This time it's a "Ball".
I'm glad for that.
Once more the ball flies
Away from the pitchers' mound.
This time it's right over the plate.
I place my hands into position,
Then I watch and I wait.
At the very last second.
I bunt the ball.
As the ball slowly rolls
Away from the home plate,
I run to first base.
Everyone else is either running
Or cheering me on;
Screaming "Go home. Go home."
To the players ahead of me
And "Go, go, go." to me.
I feel completely ecstatic.
I pass second base when I realize
That the third baseman
Has the ball in his mitt;
And I can't get back to
second base.
They keep throwing the ball
Back and forth to each other.
I realize that we can't keep
Playing "Goose Hunt" all day.
I think of a plan.
I fake right, fake left,
Then fake right again.
I go around the baseman
And I run to third base.
I hear a "Good job."
From someone in the dugout.
I look and see the coach,
Who is also my Mom, standing there.
I feel so proud.
The next person to bat
Is Todd What's-His-Name.
I know that he's going to hit a homerun
So I don't worry about it.
He hits the ball.
It's going, going, gone;
Right over the fence and into the field.
He starts to go around the plates,
And I walk on to home.
Later, after the championship,
I find out we had won third place.
We head back home,
Celebrating the victory of the Crusaders.