Baseball Memory

From Tee-ball to Majors, I pioneered as the solo girl on my Hillsborough Little League teams. By the time I was ten and in Majors, I was the only girl left. My most memorable baseball experience occurred in a regular season game of my last year in Little League in which my team, the Cubs, faced the rival Giants. When I arrived in the batters box in the second inning, I was determined to make my first at bat a good one. The pitcher, a former teammate of mine, was a solid one. He and his twin were known for their nasty curveballs and change-ups. On the second pitch, I eyed a fastball down the middle and swung with all my might. When I made contact, I knew the ball was going far. As my eyes followed it into right-center field, I took off towards first. It wasn’t until I rounded the base that I realized the ball had landed on the other side of the fence. I slowed to a jog, grinned with happiness, and bathed in the cheers of the fans. My first Majors homerun. When I arrived at the plate, my entire team jumped all over me, slapping me on the back and cheering, “That was awesome!” It was one of the happiest moments of my baseball career. When I left the diamond at the end of the game, still smiling, I could hear the pitcher’s twin taunting him, “A girl hit a homerun off you! A girl hit a home run off you!” I’ll never forget my first homerun.