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2003 Conference Champions
Back in 2003, it was a hot and humid day outside and the Southport softball team had been playing a game of softball. It wasn’t any ordinary game to them, this was to decide who would be the Conference Champs. Nobody had wanted it more than them, they had also a lot to play for that night. They had worked long hours in 90 degrees in the hot and humid weather. They had to overcome injuries and dehydration to get to where they are now. Not only has our team been through a lot but we were playing against our rival, that Perry Meridian Falcons.
The game was close. Southport was up to bat in the 3rd inning. There was a Southport player on first and second base with the score 2-1. I need a single, so the bases could be loaded. I went up to the base ready to hit, what had seemed like forever the pitcher was getting ready to pitch the ball.
The pitcher had pitched the ball, they had thrown a curve ball to try and throw me off, but I wasn’t going to let it throw me off. The pitch wasn’t going to throw me off, when it had gotten close enough, I had swung the bat and had hit the ball. I had started sprinting and the ball had started to bounce a little bit out of the diamond, it was a single. Sophie was up next, she had to get a home run so we could get 4 runs. The pitcher had pitched the ball and Sophie had hit the ball so hard that it had taken three of them to go get the ball. We all had started sprinting as hard as we could. One person had scored, then two, three and four. We were up 6-1 and we just had gotten a big lead on them.
The next person who was up was our worst player but at times she could surprise us, we hope she would surprise us this time. She went up to the plate and the pitcher had thrown the ball, she had swung but missed the ball.
“STRIKE!”, the umpire had shouted.
We knew this wasn’t going to be good after the first strike. The pitcher had thrown the next ball and she had swung and hit the ball. It went flying, she had started to run and in the middle of her run, a person in the outfield had caught the ball.
“OUT!”, the umpire had shouted once more.
We had one out, we still had two more. We had time to get more runs. Everybody could see that the other team had started to hurry up and play more sloppy. Our team had started to take advantage of it, one of our better players was up next. She had swung and hit a home run. The other team was struggling on keeping up.
Eventually we had gotten three outs and the score ended up being 8-1 at the end of the third inning. We were pitching to start the fourth inning and Perry was ready to try and get the comeback in the game. The first three people that had hit for them had each gotten doubles, they were slowly making their way back into the game. By the time it was the fourth person in line, we were ready to use some of the tricks that we had up our sleeves. Riley had pitched the ball and the batter had swung and missed.
“STRIKE!”, the umpire had shouted once again.
Riley had pitched again and the same thing had happened again. One more time and Perry would get an out. Again, Riley had pitched the ball and they had swung and missed.
“OUT!”, the umpire had yelled once more with his deep raspy voice.
We had one out and we had need to get two more before we could go once more. The score was 8-2. The next two people who had gone up both got singles. There was one person on second and the other on first. Then the next play the batter had hit the ball and we had caught it and then we threw it to third. Right then there was the three outs. We had switched and the score was still 8-2. Before we could score again, we had gotten another three outs.
The fifth inning was under way, not only was it getting under way but it was about to get interesting. It was our turn up at bat. The first person went up they swung and it was caught, it was an out. Then the next person went up they swung and the ball had bounced and someone from the other team had came up and picked it up, then threw it to first base, it had been another out. We knew we couldn’t get an out but we knew they were going to try anything to get us our last out. It was Nicole’s turn to go, she had felt the pressure of trying not to get the last out. Perry’s pitcher, had pitched an 80 mile an hour curveball. Nicole had swung and had hit the ball and it had looked like it was going to be a home run, the ball had just kept flying. She kept running but right as it was going to be a home run, a person in the outfield was back their and had barely caught the ball. Only if it had gone a little bit further, it wouldn’t of been an out, it would’ve been a home run. Three outs only in three pitches, that’s the fastest we’ve been out all season.
It was Perry’s turn to go. Some of us had played with these people our whole lives so this meant a lot to beat them. They were up to the end of the line and we knew. We couldn’t let them beat us. The first two people who had gone both gotten a single then, then the third person came up to bat and had swung and the ball was up in the air. The ball was caught and we had immediately thrown it to second and then to third. Just like that we had gotten three outs and the crowd and our bench were both going crazy. There was two innings left and were still up by six.
We had just made it through half of our line and we still had some decent players ready to bat. Kylie and Michelle had went and both gotten doubles. The score was 9-2 with a person on second. Sammy was up to bat, and had hit a single. It was up to Jennifer to get a home run to know that we would win the game and not only the game but to be the Conference Champions. She went up and had hit a triple. Which would make the score 11-2. Becca was up and ready to hit, the ball had came slowly and had felt like a million years before it had came to the base. She had swung and they had caught it and immediately threw it to home, where they had caught it before Jennifer had gotten their. Before we knew it, the score was 11-2 in the sixth inning with two outs.
When Jennifer and Becca we’re heading back to the dugout, one Perry’s players had came up to Jennifer and tried to start something with her. Jennifer kept on walking without saying or doing anything. The Perry player was grabbing her shoulder and swinging it back while yelling at her to try and get a reaction. Nothing was working on her.
“HEY! GET BACK HERE!”, the Perry player had said.
That was probably one of the nicest things that she had even said to her. One of the refs had eventually came over and had gotten the Perry player away from Jennifer. Jennifer had walked into the dugout and the coach was walking past her in the opposite direction and patted her on the shoulder and had mumbled something only she would be able to hear.
“It’s ok, it’s ok.”
The whole situation had ticked off our whole team but someone else in the dugout had finally said something and all of us could hear them out on the field. I didn’t think she knew all of us could hear what she was saying but it was definitely motivating us.
“ARE WE GOING TO LET THEM TALK TO US LIKE THAT? ARE WE GOING TO TAKE THIS? I CAN TELL YOU THIS RIGHT NOW! I AM NOT GOING TO TAKE THIS! I WANT TO WIN EVEN MORE NOW AFTER THAT! DO YOU? LET’S SHOW THEM THAT THEY DON’T TALK TO US LIKE THAT BY WHAT WE CAN DO OUT THEIR!”
Honestly it kinda scared us out on the field, but we all had agreed to what she had said. We couldn’t allow them to do what they had just did and get away with it. Carly had went up to base heated, wanting the urge to win. The ball had came up to the base and she had swung, there was no question that the ball had went over the fence to make it a home run. The next four people that had gone, had gotten a homerun, making the score 16-2. We had made it to the people who were at the start of our line again. The first 3 people had gone as well and they had also scored a homerun before we had gotten our last out. The game had also gotten more intense from the tone that had been set. Before we had switched the score was 19-2. We had just gone a 10-0 run and 8 of them was because of what happened. Not wanting them to win, we took the intensity that had been set and had raised it a few notches.
After Perry’s first four people had gone, they had gotten three outs and no points. The last inning was getting ready to go under way. We were still mad about what Perry had done and kept motivating ourselves to win. The last inning we had started to make an even bigger lead on Perry. After many, many hits later the score was 32-2. We had switched and Perry had wanted any chance they could to win. We hadn’t kept our standards high enough or something because Perry had scored a few times, to make the score 32-8. Perry was trying to come back but we couldn’t let them score anymore. They had someone on first and second base and then another player came up to the base and swung, and had gotten another out. The next person had gotten a single.
The bases were loaded, we had started to slow down the tempo so they wouldn’t score anymore. The next person had swung and had gotten a double, to make the score 32-10. They were on an 8-0 run, something had changed but we had to get it back to how it was before. We all took our time before we had pitched the next ball, to ice the hitter. Being up twenty-two in the seventh inning in the conference championship, is something that was never heard of before, we had wanted to leave us winning by twenty two. We didn’t come this far for no reason, we couldn’t use anything from the past as an excuse. We weren’t going to let Perry score anymore. The next person was up to swing and they had gotten three strikes. They just needed one more out before we would win. The last person in their line came up to bat, they were their worst player. We had this in the bag.
Our coach had started signaling to our pitcher what to do, she had it locked. She had pitched the ball, it was a 90 mile an hour double curve ball. It had went right, then left, then straight, their was no way they knew where to hit.
“STRIKE”, the umpire had shouted.
We needed two more. Again we had done another amazing play, but they had actually hit the ball, we had caught the ball.
“OUT!”, the umpire shouted once more.
We couldn’t believe that we had won this. Everyone came running out of the dugout and everyone came out of the field and had surrounded the pitcher, screaming while jumping up and down. It couldn’t of felt any better to win conference like this. We had played as a team, who had cared for something. Not only had we won but we had won by twenty-two, something that has never been heard of before.
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