CHAPTER 5
Practice Doesn’t Make Perfect
After the game, no one felt like hanging out. That night, Raisa texted Annie. They agreed to meet at the park the next day.
“I feel terrible,” Annie said when she arrived. “I lost the game for us.”
Raisa said, “You met me today for practice. You’re working hard. That matters more than one bad game.”
Annie nodded but seemed unconvinced.
They warmed up quickly. Then Raisa pulled on her glove and squatted behind home plate.
“Throw the ball to where my mitt is,” she said. She positioned it in front of her chest.
Annie tried, but the ball went wide.
She’s still learning, Raisa reminded herself. Be patient.
“You’re swinging your arm back before you swing it forward,” Raisa said. “That’s not how I do it. You shouldn’t, either. Plus, you’re not getting enough power. Look at how you’re planting your feet.” She showed Annie how to take the stance. “Do it just like how I do it.”
“My feet feel too far away from each other,” Annie argued, closing her stance. “I like it this way.”
“You’re new to pitching.” Raisa felt her patience slipping. “It’ll feel weird until you get used to it. This is what works for me and Kaitlyn. I know it will work for you too.” She punched her glove. “Come on, put one in.”
Annie sighed and pitched again. This time, the ball landed on target.
“See! What did I tell you?” Raisa exclaimed. She tossed the ball back.
Annie scowled. “It feels uncomfortable,” she argued. She shifted so her legs were closer together. “This feels better.”
“It’s not right,” Raisa told her firmly.
“But Coach Garcia—” Annie started.
“The Tigers have a chance to win a second championship,” Raisa said. “But only if we pitch well. The team is counting on us. Don’t you want to be a team player?”
“I do!” Annie said. “I’ll try harder.”
Raisa threw the ball to her. “Try it, just like I showed you, three more times,” she called. “Widen your stance! Push off with your lead foot! Dig your foot in!”
Annie tried to follow Raisa’s instructions, but her tosses were wild and off target. “This isn’t working,” she said.
She’s not trying hard enough, Raisa thought, swallowing her frustration. “Do it like I showed you, and you’ll be fine,” she said.
Annie scowled but tried again.
“You’re not getting enough speed and power in your throws,” Raisa said. “Let’s try the windmill motion together.”
Annie’s mouth pressed into a hard line, but she nodded.
* * *
All week, Annie and Raisa met to practice. Sometimes Julia, Kaitlyn, and Taylor met up to watch.
“She’s totally hopeless,” Julia said as they watched Annie throw balls at the target. “You’d think with all of this practice, she’d be getting better, but somehow she’s getting worse.”
Taylor folded her arms. “Our next game is against the Sharks, and if she pitches like this, we’re going to lose,” she said. “Raisa, you should talk to Coach.”
“Maybe she should try pitching the way Coach Garcia showed her,” Kaitlyn suggested.
Raisa shook her head. “You and I have the same pitching style. That’s what won us a championship,” she said. “We just have to be patient. She’ll get it.”
But truthfully, Raisa was as frustrated as her friends. She wanted Annie to have a chance to prove she could be a great pitcher. And Raisa wanted to prove she was a great coach.
Why can’t she just put more power and speed into her pitches? Raisa thought.
As they watched, Annie sent another wild pitch to the right of the target. Julia chased it down and tossed the ball back, but shot Raisa an I-told-you-so look.
“Taylor’s right,” Julia said when she returned. “Raisa, you need to talk to Coach and tell her Annie shouldn’t be pitching.”
Just then, Annie squealed. “I got it! I hit the target!”
Raisa clapped, but she felt terrible. Her friends were right. Annie isn’t a great pitcher, she thought, but how do I tell her that?