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Reply to "Freshman Future Is Now"

I was the starting pitcher in the second game of a dbl header (two 7-inning games) for the very poor college baseball team I was on against the always powerful Lewis-Clark State.  Was down 4-0 in the first inning before I'd even warmed up. L-C State had scored 10 (!) runs in the top of the 7th in the first game, so they were probably exhausted. Anyway, we scratched our way back into the game and tied it in the bottom of the 6th.  I go out in the top of the seventh and the first guy up hits this towering fly ball to left.  Our Left fielder goes back to the fence (one of those chicken wire deals with dark green balsa wood slats.  We unrolled it out in the spring, and then rolled it right back up again in May.)  reaches high as he can and leans back as far as he can and snags the ball.   One out. Next guy up hits this screaming line drive to left center that our centerfielder, who was freaky fast, catches at the fence at full speed and then literally breaks THROUGH the fence, sprawling to the ground.  The ball stayed in his mitt!  It took a few minutes to patch up the fence and then I turned to face this Paul Bunyan-esque guy.  He smacks a double  to right center.  Three pitches, three rockets.  Coach comes out and says, "You've about had it, haven't you?" "Nah, I can get this guy. No problem."  "Really?" "Yeah. I'm keeping the ball."  All the while I'm thinking, "Take the FREAKING BALL.  Get me outta here!"  But he couldn't read my mind, and he left me in.  I needed just one more out to give us a fighting chance to win in the bottom of the 7th.  I decide to throw the guy nothing but changeups.  Catcher comes out after the third one got me to a 2-1 count.  "What the hell are you doing?"  "I'm not gonna throw a fastball. You saw what happened to the last three fastballs?"  "Ok, well, you got nothing to lose except the damn game."  "No fastballs." 

Next pitch was the slowest I could throw and still have the ball reach the plate. Guy took this swing like he was trying to chop down a tree and completely missed it.  Now he was very unhappy and all thirty people in the crowd were going wild.  Then I did throw a fastball and miraculously tied up his swing. He popped out to first for the third out.  We got up, our leadoff guy hit a triple, and the next guy hit a sac fly walk off.  It's the only game I won in college that  I really remember.  Remember the losses much more clearly.

Last edited by smokeminside
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