not just a game

Everything was like a dream. They had won. He glanced at the ball resting upon his palm, and then looking back at the diamond, everything flowed back to him in an instant.

They were down all the way till the fifth inning. 6-2. Everything seemed to be slipping away from their fingers. Slowly, but surely. The crowds were leaving. They were letting go of the few strands of hope that were left, thinking that there was nothing the team could do to turn the tables. The reserves in the dugout were still clinging on, silently praying. They had to hold their opponents down, or their odds of winning would be much slimmer. Much, much slimmer.

He stood right there at the circle, gazing seriously at the target. He had been trying his best for the last few innings, and there was no reason for him not to continue doing so. He let his mechanics take over and pitched the ball in. His aim was true, and the ball shot right into the glove for a strike. One, he thought, let's give him another one then. Once again he pitched, and he was greeted by a loud sound. The batter had hit the ball right to the 3rd baseman, who almost immediately threw him out.

One down. Two more to go.

He went back into the circle. The next batter had come up. Just do it, he thought. Before he knew it, he had struck the batter out. A loud cheer came from among the spectators. Maybe there was still hope after all.

Two down. One more. Just that one more.

Again he went on to pitch. One strike. One ball. Subsequently, another strike and two more balls came in. Full count. No way he was going to let the batter win the battle. He looked around him and saw many grim faces upon his teammates. He had to win this.

He pitched.

An iron grip gripped him as the batter turned on the ball and made contact. What had he done? He turned around and saw the center fielder going for the drive. Could he make the catch?

The center fielder ran and ran, tracking the ball down, catching the ball on the run.

The stands almost erupted. He let out a huge sigh of relief, silently thanking God in his heart. He had no religion, but he believed that there was an almighty being watching over them.

To the bottom of the inning, and they had to give chase. Never did they know that it was going to be the greatest chase of their lives.

The 7th batter was leading off, and truth to be told, he was right in the middle of a slump. He had not even gotten a hit for the past three games, and he was considered extremely lucky even to be playing. His past few games were a nightmare. Error upon error filled his statistics, and the number of k's on the scoresheet had increased by a considerable amount.

The first pitch came in, and he made contact. The ball sailed steadily over the infield, hitting the ground just before the outfielder could grab it. A single. The crowd cheered.

The 8th batter was up. He hit the ball too, much to the spectators' delight. The runner, taking the chance, ran to 3rd base and dived. He was safe on the play. Now chasing up on the runs felt all too possible. All too possible.

It was disappointing when the 9th batter grounded out, but the run on 3rd base scored.

One run in. Three more to tie.

The 1st batter went up and greeted the pitch with a flawless swing. The ball drove it's way right into the outfield, evading the opponent's defense. An RBI double. The opponents were beginning to lose confidence.

Two runs in. Two more to tie.

The 2nd batter, much to the crowd's dismay, grounded out. The runner was still stranded on 2nd base.

Two down. Two more runs. Was it possible?

The 3rd batter went up all ready to hit. He guarded his zone all the way until a full count, and finally hit a slow roller to 3rd base. They thought it was the end. The 3rd baseman threw the ball, and it was dropped by the 1st baseman. The game was still alive. The opponents' morale was rock bottom now.

Then the 4th batter came up. One hit was all he needed. He swung on the first pitch, and hit a drive. The shortstop missed it and it went all the way to center left. A 2 RBI double.

Four runs in. The game was tied.

The fifth batter came up and picked up a k, but that did not matter the smallest bit. They had tied the score. After that, everything was a blur. They had beat their opponents in the tie-breaker.

Reality sank in, as once again, he set his gaze upon the ball.