Nonetheless, A Good Game

Ashley Kim

On March 8th, the Dalat baseball and softball team traveled five hours to KL to play against the ISKL teams. After the girls played during the day, the boy’s baseball team put on a magnificent display as the sun just started to set.

It was DALAT's inning. Jack Cura, an 8th grader, came striding up onto the mound for pitching. The field lights illuminated him, deepening the dark lines of his face. Over to the top, the KLCC tower blended in symphony with the maroon, blue hues of the sunset. As the hum of the soft lights embraced the field, the girls’ softball team slowly gathered around the edge of the field, plopping themselves up against the fence side-by-side.

"YEAH! THAT'S MY DORM BROTHER!!!" cheered Grace Bae (9), her legs dangling on the field fence, her minuscule hands tensed hard up against the field net.

G. Bae remarked, "I feel better when they cheer up after I cheer for them. I liked how we improved and received encouragement from one another."

As the referee bellowed, "Batter UP!", the ISKL batter secured himself squarely on his spot, swaying back and forth with a tensed cadence. A sudden hush followed, and everyone held their breath and swallowed the stillness of the air.

As Jack drew his ball into his chest, all eyes darted towards it. He raised his leg and swiftly snapped forward, sharply releasing the ball. It whipped across, landing with a satisfying thud into Eli Davis' (8) gloves.

"STRIKE!"

Eli, the catcher, playing on his 11th season explained the thrill, "I feel like I'm in charge and in control as the catcher.”

The tension of the air released. "YEAH!!!! YOU GO JACK!!! YOU CONTINUE LIKE THAT!" affirmed Coach Summer Davis. A slight smile broke on Jack's face, and rolling his shoulders, he regained his position.

Crouching in a ready position, Jack slashed down again a second after; but this time the throw was followed by a loud clang. "FLYBALL!!! CATCH!!! CATCH!!!"

Across the base, the third baseman reached up for the ball, which seemed to hang in the black air. But as the ball came plummeting down, he arched his neck and stretched his gloves; the ball was once again met with a satisfying thud.

"OUT!!!"

The cycle of cheering, tension, silence, and release continued until darkness morphed the maroon, blue hues. At the end of the tension, however, the game ended unfortunately with the DALAT boys at 4 and the ISKL boys at 12. Everyone dragged along their gloves, caps, and jerseys and retreated to the bus in a melancholy tone, the adrenaline still lingering in the air. Despite the loss, it was a good game.