Tools of Ignorance: Lisa's Story
Page 10
The first Hornet batter that stepped into the box was left handed, so Lisa called down to Julie at first base, “Watch for the slap.” Julie nodded.
Marlee threw four pitches and quickly got behind in the count 3-1 on the first batter of the game.
“C’mon, Marlee. No lead off walks,” Lisa mumbled to herself. “They always bite us in the end.” She put her mitt closer to the middle of the zone. The batter swung at the pitch and popped up to Johnna at shortstop.
“One down,” Lisa called. “One-two-three inning. C’mon, Cougars.”
The next two batters grounded out and struck out in turn to end the top half of the first inning. Lisa tossed the ball back to the pitching circle and jogged off the field. A tall man with black hair and mustache said, “Way to go, Lisa.”
She looked at him and said, “Thanks.” He looked vaguely familiar, but she couldn’t place him. His black leather jacket was cool, though. Maybe he was one of her teammates’ dads, or maybe he went to the First Presbyterian church where her family went. Whatever. She didn’t have time to think about it.
She recognized a lot of familiar Cougar fans in the packed bleachers. Her own family was there and Marlee’s mom, too. Even Coach Spears’s roommate sat near the dugout. Lisa had no idea who most of the other two hundred or so people were. Apparently, a state playoff game was a big honking deal in the North Country.
Lisa called, “C’mon, Jeri. Just get on base.”
Jeri adjusted her helmet and stepped into the batter’s box. She smacked the first pitch into left field. The left fielder overthrew her cutoff, so Jeri took off and waltzed into second safely.
“Way to go, Jeri,” Lisa yelled and took off her shin guards. It looked like she’d be getting up that inning.
Lisa snuck a peek at Sam in the bleachers. Her golden hair framed her face in the late afternoon sunlight. Lisa’s heart sped up. Sam turned, and her face brightened when she realized that Lisa was looking at her. Sam threw her two enthusiastic thumbs up. When Lisa took a deep breath and blew out an exaggerated sigh, Sam clenched both fists in a “you can do it” gesture. Lisa nodded and looked back toward the game.
Julie stepped into the batter’s box.
“C’mon, Julie,” Lisa yelled.
Julie slapped the ball to the second baseman whose only play was to first. Jeri had been running on the pitch and reached third easily, so with only one out, the Cougars had a runner on third base.
Lisa took her practice swings in the on-deck circle while Johnna, the Cougars’ shortstop, took her turn at bat. Johnna swung and missed at a rise ball out of the zone. Lisa cringed. The scouting report from Coach Spears’s roommate said that the Hornet pitcher’s big money pitch was the rise. Unfortunately, Johnna popped up the next rise ball to the third baseman for the second out of the inning.
Lisa stepped up to bat and worked the pitcher to a two and one count. The fourth pitch looked good, so she swung and sent it whizzing past the pitcher into center field. Jeri scored, and Lisa pumped a fist from where she stood on first base. The big number one lit up on the scoreboard under the Cougars’ runs column.
“C’mon, Marlee,” Lisa called from first base. “Get me over. Nothing big. Just a little single.”
Marlee hit a hard grounder, but the third baseman fielded the one-hopper and threw her out easily at first to end the inning.
Lisa jogged back into the dugout. She said to Marlee, “At least we scored first, eh?”
Marlee blew out a sigh. “Yeah. Hey, let’s stick with the fastball-curve combo, okay?”
Lisa nodded and threw on her gear. Kerry, the backup pitcher, helped strap on Lisa’s shin guards.
The Hornets’ behemoth number four batter led off the inning. Lisa remembered the scouting report and set up on the outside of the plate. The batter swung and missed, so Lisa set up outside again. Another swing and a miss. Strike two. The batter then moved closer to the plate so Lisa changed the strategy and set up inside. The ball hit the inside corner for strike three and the first out of the second inning. Lisa loved scouting reports.
“Nice one, Marlee. A few more like that. C’mon number three.” Lisa yelled.
“C’mon number three,” Lisa’s father echoed from the stands.
Lisa smiled. Like father, like daughter.
The next Hornet batter fouled off a couple of pitches before striking out on Marlee’s change-up. Two outs with no runners on. Five Hornets had gotten up to bat, and none of them had gotten on base. Lisa kicked herself mentally for even thinking about a perfect game for Marlee.
The next batter slapped a high-chopper to Corrie at second base. She fielded the ball cleanly, but the batter beat out the throw for a base hit.
“That’s okay,” Lisa called to her team. “We’ll get the next one.” And it really is okay, because now no one, including me, is thinking about perfect games or no-hitters anymore.
Lisa squatted behind the plate and flashed the sign for fastball. Marlee launched the pitch, and the runner on first took off for second base. Lisa bolted up, grabbed the ball, and rifled it down to Johnna waiting on second base. The runner was too fast, though, and slid in safely.
Lisa growled and readjusted her face mask. She hated when runners stole bases on her watch. That will not happen again, she vowed silently.
Marlee threw another fastball, and the batter walloped a line shot past Corrie into right-center field. The runner on second came all the way around to score and tied up the game 1-1.
Things didn’t get better for the Cougars as the inning progressed, because the Hornets scored another run to take the lead by a score of 1-2 with two outs.
“Time,” Lisa called and ran out to Marlee in the pitcher’s circle. She covered her mouth with her mitt. “Hey, it’s okay. They only scored two—”
“Only?”
“C’mon. We can get those back in a flash.”
Marlee covered her own mouth with her glove. “Why do we cover our faces like this?” She moved her glove around.
“I don’t know.” Lisa shrugged. “So the other team can’t read our lips?” Lisa laughed. “Anyway, they’ve got two outs already, and the last batter in the order is up. I think it’s time to unveil the rise.”
“And maybe the screw.”
Lisa jogged back toward home and said over her shoulder, “Maybe, but probably not.”
Just before she reached the plate, the dark-haired man with the mustache and leather jacket said, “You’re doing great, Lisa.”
She didn’t acknowledge him, but again wondered who he was. Maybe he was one of those bigwigs Coach Spears said might come to the game. She gulped. Maybe he was a college scout. Was he scouting her? No, she was only a sophomore. He was probably scouting Marlee. She didn’t have time to wonder about it as she settled back behind the plate.
She put her mitt on the inside corner. The Hornets’ right fielder swung hard, but fouled the ball back into Lisa’s unprotected hand.
“Mother f—” Lisa groaned and fell to her knees. Lightning bolts shot through her hand. She clutched it and rocked back and forth as the pain pulsed harder. Her hand was starting to swell already.
She finally caught her breath, and then felt a hand on her back.
Coach Spears leaned down. “Let me see.”
Lisa blew out a sigh and held up her hand, but pulled it back out of reach. “It was just a foul ball. It’s fine.”
“Just let me see.” Coach Spears grabbed Lisa’s forearm and pulled the hand to her. Lisa bit her lip as Coach felt all around. “It doesn’t feel broken. Let me put some freeze spray on that, and we’ll see how it feels.” She turned toward the dugout and motioned for someone to bring the medical kit.
The spray was arctic cold, but happily lessened the pain.
Coach Spears looked at the umpire. “Can she throw a couple?”
The umpire nodded and handed Lisa a ball. A sharp pain shot through the right side of her hand as she took the ball, but she did her best to ignore it. She tossed the
ball tentatively to Marlee trying to use all her fingers except the pinky. The pain wasn’t as sharp when she did that. The icy spray must have worked. Marlee tossed the ball back, and this time Lisa threw it all the way down to second base.
“It’s a little stiff from the icy spray, but I think I’m okay.”
“You sure?”
Lisa nodded and put her mask back on as if to end the conversation.
“All right, but you let me know the minute it doesn’t feel right.”
Lisa nodded again.
“Play ball.” The umpire invited the batter back in the box.
Watching Lisa get hurt must have rattled Marlee because she walked that batter and then hit the next one with a pitch to load the bases.
Lisa’s hand pulsed. She desperately wanted to get this last out and get some ice on her swelling hand. “Just one more you guys, c’mon.”
Unfortunately for Lisa’s hand, the next batter dinked a single on the left field line scoring another Hornet run. The Cougars finally stopped the hemorrhaging when Marlee struck the last batter out on three pitches. At the end of the second inning, the Hornets were ahead by a score of 1-3.
Lisa ran into the dugout. “Hey, Sarah.” Sarah was the backup catcher who usually only went in if the backup pitcher Kerry was in the game.
“What’s up?”
“Can you snag me a bag of ice? I don’t want Coach to see me anywhere near the ice chest. Wait, not yet,” Lisa whispered. “Wait ‘til she goes out to the third base box.”
Sarah nodded and casually leaned forward against the fence.
Coach Spears opened the dugout gate and headed toward third base. Sarah leaped into action. She grabbed an ice pack from the cooler and handed it to Lisa.
“Thanks.”
“You okay?” Sarah asked.
“I think so. Don’t worry. You don’t have to suit up yet.”
Sarah blew out a relieved sigh.
Lisa placed the ice pack on the right side of her hand, but hid behind Sarah. The ice began to numb the pain. “Geez, I never knew ice could feel so good.”
She wasn’t able to ice her hand for long, because the Cougar batters went three up and three down quickly. She tossed the ice pack to Sarah who snuck it back into the ice chest.
Fortunately, the Hornets’ bats quieted down, and they didn’t score any more runs over the next four innings. Unfortunately for the Cougars’, their bats were also quiet, and they didn’t score any runs, either.
At the top of the seventh inning, the Hornets came up to bat still ahead by a score of 1-3.
Lisa pumped a fist after Marlee struck out the first batter.
“One down, Cougars,” Lisa yelled. “Stay tough. Let’s hold ‘em.”
The next batter smacked a grounder right at Kym, the Cougars’ third baseman, but she bobbled the ball, and the runner reached first safely.
“That’s okay,” Lisa called out. “We’ve still got one down. Infield, get two. Outfield, go three.”
Lisa set up for the next batter, but a sinking feeling grew in the pit of her stomach. Her team had to score at least two runs in the bottom half of the inning, or they would lose, and their season would be over. It didn’t look hopeful, either, because the bottom of the Cougar order was due up. Maybe they weren’t really a state championship caliber team. Maybe East Valley was the team that should have been there.
Lisa took a deep breath and tried to shake off her doubts. She called for a fastball. The runner on first took off for second. That ticked Lisa off so much that she grabbed the pitch and threw a strike to Johnna covering second base.
“Out.” The umpire threw one arm in the air.
“Yeah!” Lisa yelled. She pointed at Johnna to tell her nice job. Her hand screamed in pain, but she refused to feel it. The pain didn’t matter. She simply clenched and unclenched her fist to try to keep it loose, a task that was getting more and more difficult as the game wore on. “One more out,” she called to the team and set up behind the plate.
Even though there were two outs, the troubles for the Cougars weren’t over because the next two Hornet batters got on base. With runners on first and second, the next batter fouled off pitch after pitch until finally lining a single to center field. The runners took off around the bases. Lisa’s stomach fell to her toes. How many runs would score this time?
Jeri fielded the ball cleanly in center. The runner who had started on second base was rounding third and heading home. “Home, home,” Lisa yelled and set up slightly down the third base line. “C’mon, Jeri,” she willed. Jeri fired the ball from center field. “Let it go. Let it go,” Lisa called to Julie who had come in from first base to cut it off if needed.
Jeri’s rocket bounced twice in the infield and into Lisa’s waiting mitt. Lisa turned toward the runner and braced for impact. The runner slid. Lisa held on to the ball with all her might.
“Out at home!” the umpire yelled.
“Yeah,” Lisa jumped up and tossed the ball to the pitcher’s circle. She hugged Jeri on their way into the dugout. “Nice toss, center fielder.”
“Way to hang, catcher.” Jeri held the dugout door open for her. “How’s the hand?”
Lisa grimaced. “We’re totally not talking about that right now, okay?”
Jeri nodded and put her glove away. She grabbed her helmet and bat. “Hey, Cougars,” she shouted. “We’re not going down without a fight, now. Dig deep, everybody.”
“Yeah,” Lisa agreed. “I didn’t come here to lose, you guys. C’mon, we can do this.” She tore off her catcher’s gear and thanked Sarah for the bag of ice. She hid behind Marlee and waited for the coolness to ease the pain in her hand.
Corrie, the Cougars’ leadoff batter, must not have heard Jeri or Lisa because she struck out swinging in three pitches. Lisa’s stomach churned, but there was still hope because Paula, the Cougars number nine batter was up next and had already walked twice.
“C’mon, Paula,” Lisa called, “be patient.” She wiggled her way in between Marlee and Julie against the dugout fence.
“This is a sucky birthday,” Marlee said and stuck out her lower lip.
“Sorry, Marlee,” Julie said.
“Hey, you know what?” Lisa said. “One of my famous Yankees said, ‘It ain’t over ‘til it’s over.’”
“Yogi Berra,” Marlee said. “He played for the Mets, too, you know.”
“Way back in the sixties, right?”
“Yeah.”
Lisa nodded. “And another one of your famous Mets said, 'You gotta believe.’”
“Tug McGraw.”
Lisa nodded again. “So, let’s believe.” Lisa bumped fists with Marlee and then with Julie. She put her hand to her mouth and called. “C’mon Cougars. Never say die. C’mon Paula.”
For the third time that day, Paula walked to reach first base safely. Jeri stepped into the batter’s box, and Julie grabbed her helmet and bat and ran into the on-deck circle.
Lisa called, “C’mon Jeri, You’re due.” She laughed. “Actually, she’s gotten on base every time, but who cares? We need a hit now.”
An inside screwball brushed Jeri back off the plate.
“Oh, man,” Marlee said. “That was close.”
“Dead.” The umpire put both hands in the air and pointed toward first base.
Lisa leaped in the air. “She got hit by the pitch. We’ve got two runners on.”
Julie stepped into the batter’s box and worked the count full. Lisa clutched the fence with her good hand until the knuckles turned white. “C’mon, White Girl. It’s all about you.”
Lisa cheered when Julie dinked a single over the shortstop’s head. All base runners advanced safely.
Lisa pulled away from the fence. “Crap, bases are loaded, and I’m on deck. Where’s my bat?”
“Lisa,” Marlee grabbed her arm, “chill out. Take a breath.”
Lisa looked her pitcher in the eye and did as she was told. “Okay, I’m calm.” She found her bat and helmet.
Johnna slammed her bat on the ground in disgust and headed toward the dugout with a scowl on her face. “Pick me up, Lisa. You’re our last hope.”
Oh, no pressure there, Lisa thought and stepped into the box. The bases were loaded, but there were two outs. The odds were against them, but Lisa was determined not to make the last out to end their season.
She dug her heels in and took a quick practice swing. The first pitch was a screwball inside. Ball one. The next pitch fell under the strike zone for ball two. She took another deep breath and did her best to ignore her throbbing hand. She decided to swing only if the pitch was nice and meaty. The Hornet’s pitcher took her signal from the catcher and put her hands together. She started her windup, and Lisa readied herself for the release. A change-up meatball was coming right down the center of the plate. She hesitated for a split second and exploded with her bat. The ball sailed high in the air down the left field line.
Lisa ran toward first base. “Stay fair, stay fair,” she yelled as she ran. She had almost reached first base when the ball bounced off the fence and back onto the left field grass. She pumped a fist when Paula scored from third making the score 2-3. She knew Jeri would score, too, but hoped she’d hit it far enough for Julie to score all the way from first base.
Lisa headed for second base as Jeri rounded third and sprinted home. The Hornet’s left fielder had just reached the ball in left field. Jeri crossed the plate safely to tie the score at 3-3. Lisa stopped at second base and watched Coach Spears wave her arms frantically for Julie to head home. The Hornet’s shortstop took the relay throw from her left fielder and rifled the ball to the catcher waiting for the throw. Julie slid. Lisa held her breath.
“Safe!” The umpire threw her arms out to the side.
Lisa leaped in the air and sprinted toward her teammates mobbing Julie at the plate. The Cougars had just won their first playoff game. The people in the stands stomped their feet and cheered louder than she’d ever heard. When she reached her teammates, they left Julie and turned on her. Jeri hugged her tightly, and Marlee pounded her helmet so hard, she thought she might get a concussion.