Little League Softball Champs

by Joe Jackson

Waiting at the bus station the next afternoon, her bag in her hand, Emilee learned from Maria Rodriguez that Coach Wilson had gotten a promotion at the mill.

  “It’s a better job than the one she was supposed to get,” Maria bragged. “You think Madelyn spoke to her father?”

  “I don’t know,” Emilee confessed. She knew definitely that Mr. Taylor had overheard Coach’s talk to her team. Maybe Madelyn’s dad must have re-considered what he had done and then decided to provide coach with a better opportunity. Regardless, Emilee felt very good about it.

  They went up to Fillmore and Madelyn shut out the Fillmore Redbirds, allowing one hit, and the Purple Panthers beat them by a 5 to 0 score. Hannah and Madison each hit home runs.

  In this game, a silent, grim team took the field against Fillmore. Madelyn pitched the greatest game of her life and had a no-hitter going into the sixth inning. Even the Fillmore crowd cheered her on as she mowed down the batters.

  The team gave her magnificent support all the way with no errors committed anywhere in the field. Isabella threw out the batter, who finally made the Redbird’s lone hit in the sixth to break up Madelyn’s no-hitter, at second base when she tried to steal.

  The Purple Panthers returned to Lake Forbing with two victories in the district playoffs and now only four teams remained out of the sixteen original competitors.

  On the way home, Destiny Johnson said to Emilee, “We’re still in it, Emilee. We still have a chance.”

  Emilee nodded. They had a chance, but their prospects of reaching the finals seemed as far away as that distant star, which had shined above Coach Wilson’s head when she gave her team speech.

  Emilee did notice a difference, however, in the players. Madison no longer looked at Sarah with open contempt. They were not friendly, but there was a difference. Even Hannah did not boast about her home run on the way back to Lake Forbing after the game. Instead, Hannah bragged on Madelyn’s magnificent pitching.

  Isabella even complimented Madelyn by saying, “She pitched great softball. I’ve never seen her pitch better.”

  There was a difference, but it was still not the tightly, knit team coach wanted. The spirit was not there, but it was a lot better than it had been. Emilee now hoped that a team, with one of the finest girl pitchers in the country and with some truly fine hitters, might make it, even without the team spirit or unity Coach Wilson said they needed.

  Four nights later, playing a tournament game on their own home field, they whipped a very good Blanchard team by a 4 to 2 score. Madelyn again came through with a fine performance.

  This time it was Emilee and Sarah who led the attack, each with two hits, and it was Sarah’s double in the sixth with two runners on that broke the game wide open, delivering the Purple Panthers the win.

  Madison had been on base when Sarah came through with that clutch hit and Emilee saw the expression on the redhead’s face as she crossed home plate with the final run. Moore had always questioned Sarah’s nerve, but Sarah had proved with that ringing base hit that she could stand up with the best of them in the clutch.

  They were in the finals of the district tournament now, with the town of Lake Forbing wild about its Little League team. The local paper was giving their games front-page coverage and the television sports news coverage was very positive. Bigger crowds were showing up, many from distant towns and cities to watch these finals.

  The district final between Lake Forbing and Port City, played on Port City’s field, drew double the crowd they had usually been getting. Coach Wilson, wishing to give the over-worked Madelyn Taylor a rest, started Destiny Johnson at pitcher, with Madelyn in the bullpen. Destiny surprised everyone by pitching a gem for five innings. In the sixth inning, Madelyn came in to relieve her with the score 3 to 1 for the Purple Panthers, two runs having come in on Jasmine Brown’s tremendous home run over the center field fence in the fourth.

  Madelyn put the Port City rally on ice and the Purple Panthers found themselves district champions, eligible to play in the sectional tournament. There were only eight section winners and that meant the Purple Panthers only had to win three more games to move into that coveted circle of teams that went to the regional tournament for the final play offs before the Little League Softball World Series.

  A joy-crazed Purple Panther team returned to Lake Forbing after the Port City win. All the way back on the bus that night the girls were shouting, cheering.

  “You know what this means?” Madison Moore whooped. “We’ll be traveling on trains and planes now, playing in distant cities….”

  “Until we’re eliminated,” Hannah pointed out. “It may be after the first game.”

  “Oh, no, we’re not being eliminated,” Madison cheered. “We’re doing the eliminating. We’re going to the World Series.”

  Emilee sat up in the front of the bus with Coach Wilson. It still did not seem possible to her they had come through as district champions and were now scheduled to play for the sectional championship. The Little League divided the United States into territories covering several states, also known as regions. A Little League team, therefore, had to win it’s district, it’s sectional, and then it’s regional championship in order to earn the right to go to the host city for the Little League Softball World Series. Each year, a different city hosted the tournament. This year it was Libby Dell, Oregon, who everyone said was a beautiful place to play.

  Coach was saying, “Mr. Taylor gave me permission to take off all the time I needed for these play-off games and the parents of all the girls have agreed to let them travel, so we are all set to go. Our paperwork is in order.”

  “You think we’ll go all the way?” Emilee asked her.

  Coach smiled. “We have a great pitcher in Madelyn Taylor,” she said, “and a great team. We should go pretty far. Plus, we have the best team captain in the country.” Emilee blushed and a pretty smile spread across her face.

  The next two weeks were nightmares for Emilee. She could not remember what she ate or what she said, and she moved around the house in a dazed fog when the Purple Panthers were not playing or traveling to play other sectional winners.

  They edged out a dazzling Pearl View team in the sixth inning when Sofia Hernandez came home with the score tied on a perfectly executed squeeze play by Sarah Anderson. Then they won a crazy game by an 11 to 10 score, with Destiny Johnson run out of the pitching circle early and Madelyn Taylor coming in to hold off the enemy until the final out. It was a very offensive game on both sides and the game came down to who had the last bat. Fortunately, it was the Purple Panthers, but oh, how close it was.

  The sectional championship came around and it was another exciting ballgame. Madelyn pitched and allowed two hits and the Purple Panthers won by a 1 to 0 score. Isabella tripled in the sixth with Madison Moore on first and that represented the only run of the game. Now, just three more wins separated them from a trip to Libby Dell, Oregon.

  “This is a solid softball team,” Coach Wilson said with pride during a television interview after the close sectional championship win. “When we need hits we get them; when we need pitching, we get that too. You can’t whip a club like that.”

  It seemed they would not be beat either. They went on to win the first game in the regional play off rather easily for a change by a score of 6 to 2.

  Destiny Johnson said to Emilee after that win, “Do you realize we’re only two games away from the Little League Softball World Series in Libby Dell, Oregon?”

  “Keep your fingers crossed,” Emilee laughed nervously.

  It was true, though. If they beat two more teams, they would go to Libby Dell with the other regional winners in the United States and the International league to play in the Little League Softball World Series. It was almost inconceivable, but it was true.

  Emilee could feel the increased tension as they prepared for the next ball game. They were all feeling it now; heightened from the excitement around them everywhere they went. More and more buses were traveling with the
team when it left for out-of-town games; bigger crowds came to watch the home games and the crowds were so enthusiastic, making lots of noise.

  The team had its picture in the paper with a few of the games receiving local television coverage. Mr. Taylor provided each player on the team with a new pair of softball shoes, each shoe having the latest molded cleat design. Sofia Hernandez claimed her new shoes were going to make her run even faster. Mr. Taylor also sent a dozen new bats for them. He offered to send a trainer to accompany the team, to keep them conditioned, and coach laughingly had to refuse. Even Coach Williams, the former pro league player, called Coach Wilson to let coach know she would help any way she could if coach needed it.

  They nearly lost the next game, which would have broken the bubble and eliminated them from further play. It was another tight game and they were leading by a 2 to 1 score going into the last half of the sixth inning. Madelyn quickly disposed of the first two batters. With the bases empty and two away, the big Lake Forbing contingent that had accompanied the team started to make some noise.

  Suddenly, an enemy batter lined a triple to deep left field and the tying run was on third base. Coach Wilson called for time and walked out to the pitching circle to talk with Madelyn.

  After coach returned to the dugout, Madelyn threw one pitch to the next batter and the batter drove the ball deep into right field.

  Emilee turned to watch it go, her heart sinking into her new shoes. The hard hit ball sailed toward the fence with Hannah Miller chasing it on her short muscular legs. Hannah had her back toward the infield and it seemed to Emilee that she was running faster than Sofia Hernandez could, the fastest runner on the team.

  The opposing team was shrieking in the dugout as the ball started falling towards the low fence and then Hannah leaped, reaching up with one hand. The ball struck her glove, the tanned leather glove closed around the white ball, and then Hannah hit the fence, collapsing at the base of it with the ball still in the glove. The game was over.

  The Purple Panthers carried Hannah from the field that afternoon, grinning, bruised, the happiest girl in America. Hannah yelled at Mr. Taylor, “Thank you for the shoes.” Mr. Taylor leaned back laughing, pointing his glowing cigar stub at Hannah.

  Winning their regional title a few days later needed to be anti-climatic. They needed a much easier victory than the first two games of the three that they had won to reach the regional play off final.

  For the regional title game, Coach Wilson started Destiny Johnson and Destiny pitched steady, dependable fastpitch softball, allowing three runs. The Purple Panther bats were sizzling hot, driving in eight runs to give them an 8 to 4 victory.

  Ashley Jones shouted as they were climbing into the bus still flushed with the victory, almost a little stunned at their success,

  “We are on our way to Libby Dell, Oregon. We play in the Little League Softball World Series next week. Can you believe that?”

  They were hardly able to accept the fact. Next week in Libby Dell, Oregon, the regional victors from the United States and the International league were going to meet in two separate brackets, Pool–A Division and Pool–B Division. This double elimination format was different, unlike any other tournament they had played in. Each team would play a minimum of five games with the two finalists playing for the Little League Softball World Championship. Only five victories separated the Purple Panthers from the World championship. The ten finest Little League Softball teams in the world were going to play in Libby Dell, Oregon.

  Emilee rode home in a daze. They had nearly a week to get ready for the finals and Coach Wilson worked them each evening at their home field, stressing the fundamentals, practicing bunting, base stealing. Sarah and Emilee worked for hours around second base, perfecting the double play. Coach stressed to them constantly of the importance at keeping runners off second base. They worked on several pick-off plays designed to catch runners off the bags, with Isabella or Madison giving the signals. By the end of the week, they felt better than ever, positive, and ready to play.

  Madelyn was well rested and scheduled to pitch the first game. They had drawn a team from the West region for the opener of the series and as usual, the Lake Forbing buses rolled in filled with parents, relatives, and friends of the Purple Panthers.

  On the way to Libby Dell, Emilee had the sick feeling that their luck could not hold out. It seemed almost impossible that a team could go on winning against opposition like this, but still one team had to do it, this one team eventually emerging from the tournament, champions of the Little League Softball World Series.

  She sat with Coach Wilson part of the way on the bus and asked the Purple Panther coach, “You really think we have a chance, coach? There will be nine other teams down in Libby Dell, the best in this country and the world.”

  Coach shrugged. “They’re as much worried about us as we are about them. Remember, we are regional champions too, and we had to fight just as hard to get here. They put their pants on the very same way we do, one leg at a time. However, every team needs a certain amount of good luck or good breaks, whatever you want to call it, to reach the top and to win this championship. I do not think we have used up our share yet.”

  The next day, as Emilee walked out on the beautiful Little League Softball World Series diamond with the other Purple Panther players, the crowd gave them all a big hand and she hoped that luck would remain with them. It was two hundred feet from home plate to the fences, yet it looked so much bigger. The park looked like it could hold 10,000 fans. This was unbelievable and so surreal. They had drawn the West regional champions from California for the opening game, the first pairing of the Pool-A division teams, and as Emilee watched the California girls working out on the field her hopes sank a little. They looked a lot bigger and moved effortlessly.

  “The bigger they come,” Hannah said succinctly, “the harder they fall.” Both teams had their batting and fielding practice, and then the Lake Forbing Purple Panthers took the field with the San Hernando Dust Devils at bat. Madelyn Taylor picked up the new ball, rubbed it a little, and began her warm up pitches.

  The first Dust Devil batter stepped up to the plate and the crowd roared. Madelyn threw and the Dust Devil slashed a single to left field. Emilee moved over to second to take the throw in and she saw the look on Sarah’s face.

  “They’re too big,” Sarah was thinking. “They’re too good.”

  “Let’s go,” Emilee snapped. “Let’s get two.”

  Madelyn kept the ball away from the second batter as she tried to bunt and the batter looped a foul into the air, which Isabella caught.

  The next Dust Devil batter hit a rattling ground ball down to short that Sarah fielded, flipping it to Emilee covering second. Emilee’s snap throw to first nailed the runner for a double play and they trotted in to the bench, the crowd giving them a big hand.

  “Just like any other game,” Coach Wilson grinned as they came into the dugout. “Ten players on each side and each team gets three outs an inning.”

  The Dust Devil pitcher was another tall girl, a right-hander with curly blond hair, and a tremendously fast pitcher. Like Jenny Kay Gipson, she consistently clocked pitches at 60 miles per hour, and from 40 feet away, it was the equivalent of a big league baseball pitcher throwing 91 miles per hour. She mowed down the Purple Panther batters for three innings until Isabella Lopez tagged her for a double in the fourth. Isabella advanced to third on Madison Moore’s infield out, and then Coach Wilson signaled for the squeeze play with Sofia Hernandez, the team’s best bunter, at the plate.

  Isabella started in with the pitcher’s first movement, barreling down the base path like a freight train. The Dust Devil coach yelled in alarm as the pitcher threw the ball. Sofia calmly poked her bat at the ball, bunting it out toward first, and Isabella was in with the first run of the Series.

  The Dust Devils came back to tie it up in the fifth on two hits and an error by Sarah at short. Madelyn struck out two batters in a row to end the inning and
the crowd gave her a standing ovation as she walked off the field to the dugout. The fans saw that Madelyn had not wilted under fire and Emilee saw the respect in Isabella’s eyes after Madelyn struck out that second batter, bearing down with everything she had and then giving it a little extra.

  “Let’s get another run,” Madelyn said quietly as she sat down in the dugout. “That’s all they’re getting off of me.”

  The Purple Panthers did not get the run until the sixth and last inning of the ball game. With two outs, the bases empty and the crowd beginning to anticipate an extra inning game, Madison blasted a ball over the left field fence and the Purple Panthers had made the first jump.

  The team mobbed the green-eyed redhead as she stepped on home plate, grinning. It was 2 to 1 for the Purple Panthers.

  Coach Wilson said in the dressing room, “That’s one. There are only four other un-defeated regional champions left after today. After tomorrow there will be even less.”

  “Wonder who they’ll be?” Sofia murmured.

  “Who do you think?” Madison laughed. “The Purple Panthers and who cares who else.”

  They drew a team from the Central region in the second pairing and Coach Wilson selected Destiny Johnson as the starting pitcher. Destiny had come a long way since the opening of the Little League Softball season. She had gained confidence in herself and believed she could hold top-ranking Little League Softball teams. Coach Wilson had worked with her faithfully all during the season to help her develop control and poise when pitching.

  This game was over quickly. The Purple Panther bats exploded for seven first inning runs and Destiny, with her comfortable lead, remained calm and relaxed, pitching a nice four-hit shutout. Emilee could not believe it. She pinched herself to make sure this was not a dream and she felt it. Three more games.

  In their third pairing, they drew a team from the East region. Coach started Maria Rodriguez and for good reason. This line-up of the Maryland Clam Bakers players out of the East region had four left-handed hitters. It was a beautiful call as Maria worked with Isabella, inside and out, her fastball spot on and her big curve breaking across two planes. Hannah Miller and Jasmine Brown each had a home run and the Purple Panthers set the Clam Bakers down rather easily.

  Now, the Purple Panthers could take a little time off and they needed it, especially the pitching staff. According to the rules, a pitcher could not pitch more than seven innings per day and if she did, she was required to rest one day. Any pitcher who pitched in three or more innings in a calendar day had to rest a minimum of one day. Studies had determined the pitch count and rest rules were reducing the risk of shoulder injury to Little League pitchers between ages eight to thirteen by fifty per cent. You certainly kept track of the pitch count because you did not want to risk injury or lose a game due to protest. Jasmine’s mother had kept track faithfully all season long of the pitch counts for the Purple Panthers. After all, a team could lose a game from a later protest if they did not adhere to the pitch count rule.

  Who would they play next Emilee wondered when she turned off the light in her hotel room? She knew the two teams playing for the right to play the Purple Panthers again were playing each other at that moment. Coach had imposed an early curfew and she did not want any of the players watching the game or even reading the newspapers. Her reasoning for shutting them in was to keep them focused. Emilee guessed coach was right again, after all, it was hard enough to focus without any added drama. “Which team will we draw,” Emilee said silently as she dozed off to sleep.

  The next morning the Purple Panthers heard during the team breakfast, they would be playing the team from Canada. Hannah promptly snorted, “We will just have to show those girls how good we are too.” Of course, everyone understood because the Purple Panthers had not lost a game yet, that this team from Canada, who called themselves the Blue Jays, would have to beat the Purple Panthers just to stay in the tournament. Isabella said loudly, so all could hear her in perfect French,

  “avec nos lanceur et nos cogneurs, il juste ne va pas se produire!” She laughed at her teammates astonished eyes then translated for them, “With our pitchers and our hitters, it just is not going to happen.”

  Emilee realized at that moment this team had become one unit. The players were completely relaxed, yet spirited. Madison sat next to Sarah while Isabella sat between Madelyn and Hannah. They all could not wait to play ball again.

  Coach chose to start Destiny Johnson again as the pitcher against the Blue Jays from Canada. Destiny had won once already in this tournament with a superbly pitched game. Could she do it again? In her first game, Destiny received a healthy supply of runs. Would the Purple Panthers be able to do that for her this game?

  Destiny was nervous, however, at the start, walking the first two batters to face her. Two hits followed and the Blue Jays went up 2 to 0. Coach Wilson called for time and went out to speak to Destiny. Emilee trotted in also, and they discussed the matter rather calmly.

  Coach said, “It’s up to you, Destiny. If you think you can get them, go ahead.”

  Destiny Johnson looked at Emilee nervously. Out in the bullpen Maria Rodriguez and Samantha Smith were warming up. Emilee said quietly,

  “Don’t quit on us, Destiny.”

  Destiny bit her lips. “Okay,” she murmured. “I’ll get them, coach.”

  She continued to pitch, working herself out of the jam by giving up no more runs. A very grim and very determined Purple Panther squad came in to bat.

  They got two runs immediately, Sarah and Emilee singling and Jasmine driving them in with a long double. They added another run in the third inning, giving them a 3 to 2 lead, with Destiny Johnson working nicely after the bad start. In the fourth, Hannah hit her second Series home run and the Purple Panthers had a comfortable 4 to 2 lead.

  Destiny held the Blue Jays through the fifth and into the sixth and last inning. The two-run lead really felt good now. Once the sixth inning started, though, the Blue Jays came to life again. Two hits in quick succession put the tying runs on the bases.

  Destiny Johnson got one batter to pop up to Isabella, but the following batter rifled a single to left, scoring one runner and making the score 4 to 3. There was another conference in the pitcher’s circle, but Destiny was determined now, anxious to finish the battle. On the Purple Panther bench, Madelyn was yelling to her to stay in.

  Coach Wilson said, “Okay, Destiny. You are the girl. We are behind you. Let’s get ‘ur done.”

  Destiny’s face flushed and perspiration appeared as she toed the rubber to pitch to the next batter. With runners on first and third with one out Emilee hoped and prayed for a double-play ball, but Destiny struck out the next batter, making it two away.

  The Purple Panther infield was talking it up, chattering, everybody behind the courageous right-hander as she prepared to face the last batter. The Canada Blue Jays team was on the dugout steps, calling for that big base hit which would tie up the ball game.

  Destiny walked the batter after getting a three-two count on her. Now, with bases filled and two down, a contagious excitement moved quickly through the park.

  Emilee had a look at Destiny Johnson’s father in the seats behind the Purple Panther dugout. Mr. Johnson looked nervous. However, Destiny was not quitting. Gamely, she continued to fire the ball towards the plate, getting a strike on the batter, then another called strike on a beautiful curve ball. She had the batter in the hole with a 1-2 count. On her next pitch, the batter lifted a twisting ball toward short right field, along the foul line.

  Emilee started for it. Jasmine Brown, playing first base, turned and sprinted after the ball. Hannah tore in from her right field position, her powerful legs pumping like pistons, her softball cap flying off her head.

  The three players converged on the twisting, falling ball that appeared to be falling fair just inside the foul line. Emilee strained every muscle of her body, knowing the three runners on base had been running with contact and were sprinting round the ba
ses for home with precious runs. Someone had to catch this ball.

  She had a glimpse of Jasmine Brown, covering lots of ground with her longs legs, and then Emilee heard Jasmine yell loudly, “I got it. I got it. IT”S MINE…”

  Coach had taught them to yell loudly for each fly ball to prevent dangerous collisions on the field. Emilee immediately pulled away and as she did so, she saw Hannah still driving in, eyes glued on the ball in the air. Hannah was not going to stop.

  “Hannah!” Emilee screeched. “Nooooo!”

  Hannah did not hear her. Hannah had not heard Jasmine’s cry, either. There was a lot of noise in the park, everybody in the stands on their feet, screaming. Jasmine lunged desperately at the ball, clutching it in her first baseman’s mitt, and then Hannah hit her on a dead run.

  The impact was sickening, two bodies colliding at full speed. Both girls twisted repeatedly on the turf, Jasmine clinging to the ball as if it were a diamond. She lay there on the turf, almost unconscious, head rolling from side to side.

  Hannah was moaning, rocking back and forth on her back, clutching her right leg. Jasmine had held the ball, however, and the game was over, another win for the Purple Panthers, but both players seemed to be badly hurt.

  Emilee crouched beside Jasmine first. Her voice choked as she spoke, “Jasmine, Jasmine! Are you all right?”

  The crowd was quiet, very quiet as the players and coaches came running over, gathering ‘round them. The Para-medics arrived and after a brief examination of both girls, recommended they go to the local hospital for a more thorough examination. Jasmine was shaken up and incoherent from the collision while Hannah’s right knee was hurting her so much that she could not walk on it.

  Back at the hotel that evening where the team was staying, they waited for the news from the hospital. Coach Wilson had accompanied the two girls, along with their parents, and coach arrived just before dinner with the news.

  “Fortunately, they are not badly hurt,” the Purple Panther coach told the group of silent girls. “The doctors were afraid Jasmine might have a concussion at first, but she seems to be coming along fine.” She will be okay after a few days rest. Hannah should be walking as good as ever after a week or so. Her knee is still swollen, but there is no cartilage damage. A bad sprain, that is all.”

  “That’s great,” Emilee managed to smile. “I’m so glad they were not seriously hurt.”

  “Of course,” coach said, “they won’t be playing in the finals. Hannah can’t run and the physician refuses to let Jasmine play for some time.”

  Emilee stared at the Purple Panther coach and then at the rest of the girls in the room. Here they were on the eve of the Little League Softball World Series Championship game and the Purple Panther’s were going to have to play without the services of two starters, their two home run hitters.

  No one said anything for some time, each girl thinking her own thoughts; then little Sofia Hernandez put it into words for them,

  “I don’t care about them not playing,” Sofia murmured. “I’m just glad they weren’t seriously hurt.”

  BLOWING UP