Hard Work

Bottom of 1^st inning I hit my second double of the season. Top of 2^nd inning I pitched, not letting a single girl get on base. That top of the inning went by fast. 

Now it’s top of the 5^th inning, score is 7-5, us losing. We’ve beat Slinger all three times we’ve played them; we can beat them a fourth time, I told myself. 

I’m catcher and don’t let a single ball pass my glove. You’re not stealing a base on my watch!

3 outs; now we hit. Ellie is up first and gets out. Lilly is next and hits a single. 

Now I’m up to bat. I had no idea what was going to happen next. I hit the ball hard down center field. I’m running to first. Coach tells me to keep going. Sweet! A double! Dad, at third, is telling me come by him. A triple? That’s a first! Now Dad is telling me to keep going. A home run?! I stomp my feet on home plate. I can’t believe it. I’m this close to tears. My first home run.

I go to the dugout, and my teammates tell me that they’re gonna lose their voices with yelling and screaming so much. 

I look at the scoreboard. 7-7. 

Next batter gets out.

2 outs.

Aubrey hits a single.

Paityn is up to bat. She hits the ball hard, making it all the way to third. That’s it. That’s game. We won, 8-7. Take that, Slinger! The Jackson Hornets have done it again! Coach gives me the home run ball. Paityn and I break it down. “One, two, three, RALLY HEADBAND!”

That’s probably the most I’ve ever smiled in my life. The only way I got to that home run is 5 years of practice. 5 years of practicing in the front yard when no one is watching. 5 years of going to softball practices and games, doing my best. If hitting home runs were easy, everyone would do it.

Hard work pays off. Just keep working at what you love and it will pay off. Never give up on your dreams. They’re worth chasing.