Chapter 9
Jo stared out the window of her dad’s car as they drove toward the softball field, eyeing the clouds for any sign of rain. Things were looking up lately. A lot of the girls were still meeting up in the afternoons to practice in the park, and the Sonics had won three of their past four games.
Today was their rematch against the Red Angels, and Jo couldn’t decide whether she was more nervous or excited.
I can’t take another delay, she thought as they drove.
Luckily, the clouds held off, and the game started on time. The Red Angels were up to bat first. They scored a run in the first inning, but the Sonics’ extra practice paid off and they held them there.
Nobody managed to score for the next seven innings, though. Lucy hit a double in the third inning but was left stranded on base. Delia hit a grounder to third in the fifth inning, but she was tagged out while running after the next batter’s hit went straight to the Angels’ center fielder.
Jo was starting to get nervous. Even if they fielded perfectly for the rest of the game, the Angels were still on the scoreboard, and the Sonics were not.
We have to get some runs on the board, she thought.
In the eighth inning, Jo was up to bat. There was one out and no one on base. She took a deep breath and forced herself not to think about the score, the Angels, or anything else. Nothing but the pitch coming toward her.
The pitcher let the ball fly. It sailed to the outside of the plate.
“Ball!” the umpire called.
Jo shifted her stance and waited. The next pitch came straight down the middle, a little on the low side, but hard and fast.
Jo saw it arc perfectly, almost like it was in slow motion. With one smooth swing, she brought the bat around and hit the ball with a satisfying CRACK!
The ball sailed over the outfield as Jo took off running. The Angels’ outfielders fell back and back until they’d hit the fence.
Did I really just hit a home run? Jo thought as she raced around the bases.
Back at the bench, her teammates were going crazy. The Sonics jumped up and down, shouting her name at the top of their lungs and cheering.
Jo jogged past home plate and over to her team, who mobbed her with high fives and hugs.
“Nice work, Jo,” her coach congratulated her. She let the team celebrate for a moment. “Okay, girls, have a seat. We still have another inning to go. And the Angels aren’t going to make it easy for you. We all need to stay focused.”
“Yes, coach,” the girls said. They sat back down on the bench, but grinned at Jo again when the coach turned away.
The next two Sonics at bat struck out, and then the Angels were up to bat again. Jo knew they were just as determined to win as the Sonics.
We can’t afford to make any mistakes, she thought determinedly.
The Sonics’ pitcher managed to strike out the first Angel up to bat. Unfortunately, the second batter hit a ball into left field for a single.
The next batter sent a fly ball soaring into center field. Delia caught it easily for the out, but the runner on base made it all the way to second before she could throw the ball in to Jo.
The next at-bat was a big one. If the batter got a hit, chances were good that the Angels would score.
The Sonics would be down a run once again. And this time, they’d only have one more chance to score.
The Sonics’ pitcher let the ball fly, and the batter hit it hard. The ball flew straight toward first base, where Lucy was ready and waiting. She caught it with a loud smack!
The Sonics all breathed a quick sigh of relief. Then they headed toward their bench for their final at-bat, the score still tied 1-1.