The Last Game of the Season
1My softball team, the Comets, had one last game before summer vacation. Families filled the bleachers, the long rows of metal benches beside the field. A gray dove cooed from the top of the fence. I sat in the dugout, a low shelter with a bench where players wait for their turn. My stomach felt fluttery. Then Coach Rivera clapped her hands. "Play hard, play fair, and have fun!" she said.
2Kayla started the game for us. Her first pitch zipped right over home plate. The batter on the other team swung and missed. "Strike one!" called the umpire. Kayla grinned, wiped her forehead with her sleeve, and got ready to throw again.
3By the last inning, the score was tied. Then a batter hit a high fly ball toward right field, where I was standing. I squinted into the bright sun and ran forward. The ball was dropping fast, so I dove for it with my glove stretched out. I landed on my belly in the grass. When I looked down, the ball was tucked inside my glove! The crowd cheered so loudly that the dove flapped off the fence.
4Now it was our turn to bat. I stepped up to the plate and held my bat tight. My first swing missed by a mile. I took a deep breath and thought about Coach's words. On the next pitch, I swung hard, and my bat smacked the ball. It rolled past second base, and I raced to first base safely. Then Grace hit the ball deep into the outfield, and I ran around the bases all the way home. We won the game by one run!
5After the game, both teams lined up and slapped hands. Coach Rivera passed out cold orange slices from a cooler. "You played like a real team today," she said. My legs felt as wobbly as noodles, but I could not stop smiling.