“Winning Ways”

By

Gerry Niskern

Do you enjoy the baseball games in the spring and summer? . I like to watch the five and six year old girls starting softball. I remember one opening practice game a few years ago.
First up was a chubby blonde. After every pitch the umpire had to signal time out to explain she didn’t need to brush off her socks when the catcher’s scuffling threw up some dust.
Next was a redhead. She was about 34 inches high. She connected for a grounder that rolled through three girl’s gloves. She decided there was enough time to stroll to first while her dad pleaded, “no, honey, run…run!”
The gaggle of boys watching the girl’s game were falling off the bleachers laughing.
The players waiting their turn at bat weren’t wasting their time watching the game. They braided each other’s hair, traded jewelry or played with someone’s baby sister.
When they took the field, our pitcher was sturdy and low to the ground. What she lacked in accuracy, she made up in power. The other teams’ hitters had to jump straight up, three feet back or just plain run for cover as she blasted balls towards home late.
Twins, playing center and left field respectively, had softball confused with keep-a-way. When one got the ball, she ran until she was tackled by her sister while the coach implored, “Please…throw the ball.”
I remember, a few year ago, watching my granddaughter’s game in an older girls league. A sharp crack of the bat brought me to attention. They were practicing their hitting. The pitchers were sending sizzlers down the sidelines. The confidence and determination of the thirteen to fifteen year- olds was exhilarating. Uniforms were regulation, including cleats.
It was obvious when they took the field; they had found their positions.
When our pitcher stepped into the pitcher’s circle, her windup gave us an Instamatic flash of form as her right arm started up, the left glove raised too. She was the picture of grace up on her right toe as her left foot left the ground and she turned on the power in true Joan Joyce style! The first baseman stretched out and snagged a wide throw from left field to rack up their first out. Nothing was out of her reach.
One of their opponents hit a sharp grounder between short and third. The red haired third baseman dove for the ball and on one knee managed a straight throw to first base.

The few hits the pitcher gave up were quickly taken care of by the catches of the fielders. They took turns circling the ball yelling, “I got it. I got it…and they did!
It was apparent the girls had developed a keen batters’ eye. In the last inning, the redhead was up first. She strolled to the plate and whacked the mud from her cleats while the fielders moved back. She swung at the first pitch…a crack…the ball jumped off her bat for a hot grounder past third. She dashed to first and then later, a bruising slide to second to avoid a tag. Later skinned elbows were ignored as she stole third.
The pretty blonde up next hit a hi- bouncer over the pitchers’ head and got on first.
The opposing pitcher was throwing mitt dusters when the sturdy pitcher came to bat. She swung…the high ball went off as if from a rocket launcher and sailed over the left field fence. This time there was no ridiculing from the crowd of young male fans. They were on their feet as the winning runs came in…whistles through the teeth and clenched fists thrust skyward.
The hugs and hi fives in the dugout couldn’t begin to match the smiles of triumph on the faces of older women in the stands who remembered when the ball diamonds were for Boys Only!