Lupe Throws Like A Girl

During the tournament, Coach Ferguson kept a close eye on Lupe’s pitching. She played five of the seven innings in the first two games, and they won, moving forward in tournament play. During the third game, Lupe gave up hits to several batters. The coached pulled her from the mound in the fifth inning.

“My arm is still good, Coach,” Lupe grumbled in the dugout.

“It’s not your arm I’m worried about,” Coach Ferguson said. “We’ve got this one. Give someone else a chance to pitch, and get your head together.” Lupe didn’t want to give someone else a chance to pitch. That was her position, and she wanted to be the star who took the team all the way.

The team finished two runs ahead, without Lupe’s help. She wanted to take a trophy home and show it off to her kids during her Saturday game. She wanted to brag to someone else, too.

Game 4 was a narrow loss for the team. Lupe felt it was the coach’s fault for pulling her midway through the game, even though she had let several runners get into scoring position by just the third inning. Luckily the other leading league contenders lost a game in the same round when multiple errors allowed a stolen base that eventually turned into a run.

“I don’t know what’s breaking your concentration, Lupe, but that team’s loss was a gift to us,” Coach said in front of the entire team. Lupe’s face burned with embarrassment and anger. Coach called her out in front of everyone. She never wanted to be pointed out as the weak link again. But it was the coach’s favorite word, sharp, that jogged the memory of David saying to her, “Stay sharp, little sister.”