My life has always revolved around softball. My social life? Softball. My weekends? Softball. It was more than just a sport; it was my heart.

Nothing compared to the excitement of standing on the field. The cool breeze whispered secrets through my hair as I waited for a ball to come my way. The crack of the bat against the ball sent a tingle down my spine.

My softball team was my family. We were so close, and we loved each other. Out of school, we spent all our time together. The bond, as strong as steel, forged us into an amazing team.

"Tennesse is where we will have nationals," Coach G declared, his voice booming like thunder. His determination was what made the team so fierce.

We are going to work harder than ever!

Coach G was tough. We put 100% into practice to show our improvement in games. Win or lose, he was proud of us as long as we worked our hardest. That was his biggest mentality.

Nashville

Soon, it would be time to go to Tennessee. Months of practice would soon be worth it when we won. We left in the morning, and the dew in the air traveled across my face. My smile grew, and I knew this would be a good trip.

Once all of my teammates arrived at the hotel, my team had so much fun that we forgot we were there for softball. Maybe that’s why things almost ended differently...

“‘Alright girls, listen up. Our first game is tomorrow,” Coach G’s voice cut through the loud talk of chatter. “If we win, we can play the next day, but if we lose, we play right after. If we lose both games, we go home. We are not going to lose the first game." Knowing that we could be knocked out of the tournament on the first day was stressful. 

...

All that night, it rained. PIT PIT PIT. The rain crashed on the roof of our hotel, making a pattern so beautiful it was like a piano. There was so much, you could smell the rain inside the hotel rooms. 

Once morning came, our first game was delayed. The dirt was as wet as a pig’s puddle. Instead of playing first thing in the morning, my team had bonded at a breakfast diner. 

Once we finally got to the fields to warm up, we saw our competition. The biggest girls were on that team, and we were certain we would get crushed. They were like giants in a fairytale. I reminded myself that my team was strong.

20

0

Once the game started, we quickly got destroyed. It wasn’t our fault, but we played our hardest. The dark gray clouds loomed overhead, reflecting on our frustration. “Remember,” whispered my friend Jules. “We can’t give up. We’ve been training for this, and we’re going to win the next game.” The next game was in an hour.

Gather up girls. We need to win the next game. Don’t get so down on yourselves; we’ve been practicing for this for months.

Just as he finishes his sentence, lightning strikes, and water starts pouring out of the clouds.

“The games are postponed.” An old man growls from behind us. “Go check the website. Good luck to you guys,” he spits at us and waves goodbye.

11:00

In the car, my mom checks the website. Our next game will be at 11:00 at night.

After dinner, my team rested for our next game. Once it was time to warm up, we arrived and got ready. Waiting for the game to start took longer than expected once lighting continuously struck.