My hands were sweating as I held the metal bat in my shaky hands. I couldn’t believe what was happening, I have never made it this far, I couldn’t believe it. I looked at the red and light blue blur of my teammates. I have only known them for a few months, but it felt like I’ve known them for an eternity.

My day was horrible. I kept thinking, would my hitting be bad or would my fielding be bad? All I could think about was the F, filling my eyes with embarrassment. I knew everything on the project I just never had any time to finish it. I kept on swinging; filling with embarrassment during each swing I took. “Come on, Caitlin, you can do it!” Becca, one of my teammates, yelled. “Thanks.” I managed to squeak, holding back my tears. “If only that was true.” I kept on thinking.

I swear the ground was shaking or maybe it’s my hands. Coach was walking over here. His hazel eyes looking at me filled with sorrow and I predicted what would happen. I missed all of the yellow practice softballs and I felt defeated by my own anger. I could tell he was confused as I missed one ball after another and my teammates in the field were getting impatient.  I couldn’t concentrate every time I looked over at my parents, they were whispering and frowning. Finally I was finished hitting. I raced to the outfield, but before I got there Coach called me over.

“Caitlin I am going to move you to the bottom of the batting order.” He told me, his face sorry for me.

“Ok.” I whimpered, fighting back a tear. My face filled with heat and I’m positive I turned cherry red. I knew why Coach did it. My practice before the game so far was horrible. The sand clung to my dirty blond hair, while I stood there just thinking. I felt twice as embarrassed even though no one knew why.

Abby’s, one of my teammates, face was shielding a smile I knew she had. Her face was telling me she was sorry for me, with her brown eyebrows raised and her dark wood colored hair tucked back in a perfect braid. She was walking over to me and she knew the players at the bottom of the batting order were the worst players, most likely the ones who played recreational softball last year. Her fake smile drew up an anger I didn’t know I had. I felt furious, and then my face changed, my frown disappeared. I realized it wasn’t Abby’s fault, it was mine.

I was standing next to home plate. The rough white box stood out like snow in the summer and all I could hear was the “thump, thump, thump.” of my heart. One foot out of the box, one in.  I concentrated on my coach. One clap. Another clap. I knew instantly what it was. “Come on, Caitlin.” My coach told me. The pitcher wound up, reminding me of a windmill. In less than a millisecond the bright yellow ball was in the catchers big mitt with a “Thump.” I didn’t even catch a glimpse. “Steerike!” The umpire screamed in my ear. I swear the whole field shook.

As I took one foot out of the batter’s box my coach already started the sign.  Coach gave one clap. Did he give the signal? I didn’t think so. I was planning on swinging. The pitcher wound up for a second time looking confident on the mound. Then everything came back to me, my anger for my grades, my parents’ frowns and disappointment, and everything else I did badly. The ball was coming in. It looked like a turtle crossing the road and I knew this was the one pitch. This would be the pitch that would change me. I started my swing, remembering everything my coach taught me. Turn your hips. Keep your arms even. Turn your back foot, but most importantly, keep your eyes on the ball. My blue eyes stared at the moving softball and I swung. All of my bottled up anger came out in that one swing and before I knew it, I was past first base running as fast as a cheetah to second. The ball hit the fence and the outfielders weren’t ready, one was even fixing their hair, but I kept on running like my hair was on fire.

I was rounding third, my coach was yelling “Stop!” but I couldn’t the ball was still traveling in the outfield, one player to another. I sprinted to home plate. What I saw was amazing, it was like a glimpse of happiness and then I looked at the pitcher she held the ball in her strong arms and she threw a perfect throw. The ball hit the catcher’s mitt and my heart stopped. All I thought I heard were the yelling of my teammates telling me to be better. My happiness vanished. Then the most amazing thing happened, the ball hopped out of the catcher’s glove and on to the light brown dirt. I knocked the catcher off her feet with a strength I didn’t know I had. “SAFE!” The umpire shrieked. For once I was happy for the umpire to scream in my face.

I realized something if I worked as hard with my school work and my projects as I do with my softball I could accomplish anything. I felt in that small moment I could do anything. I tried so hard every day and even got a scholarship for softball to the college of my choice and it all started in that one moment