Intimidating Adversity: Day 15

Word Total: 90,025

Year to Date: 780,110

Summary of Events:

Lane thought about the media sensation the championship final had become because Kannapolis had made it as they got set to play game one against the best team in the league, the Augusta GreenJackets, he then went out batting and scored a home run against Augusta. After winning game one and suffering a rally by Augusta to win game two, the Intimidators returned to Kannapolis and played well, which pleased Lane. Before game four Lane went to apologise to Mr. Quilley, who would have none of Lane's apology, instead himself apologising for his poor treatment of Lane. After winning game three and dropping game four, the series shifted back to Augusta, where Lane was nearly tagged out until it was discovered a fan's autographed ball had been used for the tag. Despite winning game five, Kannapolis dropped game six at home in extra innings, leading to game seven, a scoreless tie at the top of the sixth with Lane up to bat and the bases loaded . . .

Excerpt of the Day:

"Lane didn't move for the first two pitches, both relatively strong, but too far off to the left for him to get a solid hit. He either wanted a solid hit or no hit at all.

The pitcher swore at him and threw a hard pitch that struck Lane right in the middle of his upper arm.

Throwing his bat to the ground, Lane swore and grabbed his arm. The umpire stepped out from his place and walked over to the pitcher, who went into a profanity-laden rant that Lane clearly understood to be his frustration that Lane couldn't be fooled.

To the infuriation of the Augusta crowd their pitcher was ejected from the game for intent to injure and a replacement pitcher was to come up and throw.

Lane flexed his arm and rubbed at the sore spot. It would probably ache more after the game, but he didn't care. The relief pitcher threw a weak pitch and Lane got a walk.

Even though Mr. Quilley was worried, Lane told Mr. Quilley it was fine, and it was his right arm anyways, he used his left arm more. He could ice it after the game and deal with it during the offseason.

Lane pitched the bottom of the sixth scoreless, walked again — unable to bring another run home — in the top of the seventh, whose bottom he held scoreless as well. The eighth and the top of the ninth also went scoreless for respective teams.

Now Lane needed a perfect inning to win the game, and that was something he desperately wanted to do, for Kannapolis as a city, and for Kannapolis as a team. They needed this, and he kind of needed it too.

His entire body trembling, his heart pounding to drown out the crowd, Lane went out and threw pitch after pitch, striking out GreenJacket after GreenJacket while the crowd slowly got quieter, their chances shrinking as each successive player returned to the dugout.

Lane shifted his hand on the ball as the last batter, Augusta's last chance, stepped into the batter's box. He, like Lane, had made it on base every single inning of every single game, naturally their best player.

Even though his getting a walk wouldn't be risky, Lane wanted a strikeout. He threw the first pitch, a good deceiver that got the batter to swing and miss. The crowd cried out in horror.

Lane come off that pitch fast with another one that the batter swung and missed, causing the crowd alarm again. 

For the next three the batter didn't dare move. To get his strikeout Lane needed one more swing.

He threw what, regardless, would be the last pitch of the season. The batter watched it, swung at the last second, and missed.

Lane dropped to his knees, the sound of his exuberant teammates filling his ears. He, and Kannapolis, had succeeded. They'd faced a lot of trials, but had succeeded in intimidating adversity."

The next post will be on August 30.