As everyone knows by now, J plays for the JV team at his high school. Unfortunately, J's high school does not have the strongest baseball program around, either JV or varsity. So far this season, both teams have only one win apiece. However, J is determined to make the best of things and approaches each game with the attitude that this game will be different. The JV team is young, has a new new coach, and to be honest, is a little rough around the edges. They've been working extremely hard though and last night their efforts paid off with their first win. They beat their cross town rivals 4-3 in a nail biter of a game. J's team led the opposing team for the first four innings, not allowing them to score any runs. In the fifth inning the opposing team fought back and managed to score three runs, leaving J's team with only a one run lead. Things were tense going into the 7th inning, but J's team managed to shut down the opponent and win the game, not even needing to take their final at bat as home team. Every player really stepped up their game and gave their all, earning the victory as a team.
J personally had an outstanding game, scoring two of the four runs, including the first of the game, going 1 for 2 with a walk hitting, and making a couple of great plays. My favorite was the diving catch he made of a foul ball while playing first base. He caught the ball as he hit the ground and came up grinning from ear to ear as he displayed the ball in his glove. He came off the field sweaty, covered in red dirt and grass stains, exuberant about the win. The coach presented him with one of the two game balls he gave out, citing J's strength at the plate and the excellent way he played two field positions, third base and first base. The other game ball went to the pitcher, who pitched an excellent game, with a high number of strikeouts.
I love when J has a game like this. I love seeing the pure, unfiltered joy on his face as he plays this game he loves so much. He was especially happy to get to play first base last night. He's a versatile player who can usually deliver wherever the coach needs him But first base is truly where his heart is and it's where he shines. He had added reason to play well last night. J loves a cheering section and he had a huge one for this game. Not only were hubby, N, A, and I there, but so were my parents and brother, which is usually the case. His girlfriend A was also in attendance, along with her mom, sister, and brother. My two friends, G and C came with their kids, and our friend D, who was in town from North Carolina, was also there. J was especially excited to have D there, since it was the first time he'd ever gotten to see him play. The only one missing was Coach C, who J had hoped could come since he's on Spring Break this week. However, Coach C's JV team that he coaches also had a game last night, so he wasn't able to head home until it was over. We'll be seeing Coach C this weekend at the TP parent/player meeting though, so I'm sure J will tell him all about the game then. All right, I confess to texting him the highlights last night, and hubby is probably blabbing as we speak since Coach C is now working at hubby's store on a part time basis over school breaks. But he'll still be glad to hear all the details from J and will be just as proud of him as we are.
J's school team has five games left on their schedule. After that, he'll be returning to the pool to swim for the club team for the rest of the spring and summer. And he'll be getting ready for the TP tournament season, which is right around the corner. First meeting this weekend, with practices likely to start in May once Coach C is home from college for the summer. If you live close enough or happen to be visiting this summer, plan on joining us for a game or two.
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