State playoffs round one: Holliston High School vs. Dedham

My phone buzzed in my pocket as I walked toward the gym after school. I looked at the lit up screen and saw I had a new text message from our captain Molly. As I read the message, excitement overwhelmed me. The message read, “I’ve been playing softball my whole life and this is the moment I’m going to shine. Everyone needs to go out there and play their hardest. We need to be confident and forget about everything but who we are, and what were made of and the reasons were playing. I love you guys no matter what happens so let’s go out there and show them what we do”.  This was the day that we were going to show the town and all other softball programs what we are made of. It was the first round of state playoffs and no one was ready for our season to end.

                As I walked out onto the field I looked up to see the sky covered with a ceiling of gray clouds. Perfectly cut green grass shielded the field and bright white lines marked the dirt of the infield. A light breeze blew through the air but it was a perfect day for a softball game. Not being able to play because of a concussion I sat on the cold metal bench in the dugout and watched our team warm up. As I watched through the fence it seemed like a clip from a movie, focus and determination sat among our players faces as neon yellow balls flew through the air and were caught in a brown softball glove while upbeat music played in the background. Our players ran back to the dugout after warm-up and sat on the bench and their shadowed faces were then illuminated by the sun as they turned to look at our coach at the end of the dugout. “No one is ready for the season to end, and no one wants to turn in their jerseys just yet. Don’t change anything we have learned and let the game play itself out”, our coach said.

The umpires walked to home plate, the game was about to start. The first Dedham batter was a tall girl with blond hair. As Molly threw her first pitch of the game, the batter swung and missed and the yellow ball flew into our catcher’s mit. On the next pitch the girl hit a single and sprinted to first base. The next batter our pitcher Molly struck out with three perfect pitches. On the third batter the girl hit the ball to left field and the batter runs to second. At the end of the first inning Dedham was in the lead with one run. By the end of the second inning the game was tied 1-1. In the bottom of the fifth inning with two outs Dedham gained another run. For the remaining two innings both of the teams played with amazing defense. Molly continued a great game and struck out five batters. As the sky started to darken around us the game entered the seventh inning.

In the bottom of the seventh inning Lauren got up to bat. With a solid stance Lauren watched the pitcher. The pitcher threw the ball right down the middle and Lauren right away makes contact with the ball. The balls fly’s over the first baseman’s head and shoots into right field. The right fielder drop steps and sprints for the ball. From this moment it seems that everything happens in slow motion. Lauren has already rounded first base and her feet slap against the ground as she sprints towards second base. Our runner on second then sprints to third base, prepared to run towards home plate. But the right fielder is just under the softball. I look at the crowd and they are on the edge of the bleachers, silent with anticipation. The sky is dark and cloudy when I look back over to right field. Two feet short of the fence the right fielder towards and faces the descending ball. The right fielder looks eager but also scared. I looked again at Lauren who was then rounding second base, and her face revealed pure determination. Just then the ball dropped right into the right fielder’s hand. She covered the ball with her left hand and her team exploded with excitement. In the bottom of the seventh inning, with our winning run waiting on third base, the right fielder had caught the last out. Shock overcame our team as we couldn’t come to believe our season was over.

                Sitting in left field after the game it is hard not to cry. As a team we have been through a lot together and this marked the end of our journey for the year. Scanning the circle small tears drip from almost every one of my teammates faces. We cry because the season is over, but we also cry because it is the senior’s last game in high school softball. We have bonded with the seniors for almost three months and it will be sad to see them go off to college. Our coach makes his way over to the circle we have formed and kneels down. He looks around the circle and begins to speak. “I know that right now this feels like the worst thing in the world. But in the big picture it is going to be okay, you all are going to be okay. Sometimes things don’t work out, but I am so proud of each and every one of you girls. I am so happy to be coaching in this town and to have finally found a home”.

Word Count:950 

Open Response: Death of an Innocent

Chris's parents do not understand the path Chris has chosen for his life, while his sister understands why he is taking this journey. For instance, Chris has just graduated from college but decides to drop everything and travel as a "supertramp". Chris's parents have just paid for his college education and they do not understand why he is giving up on his education. They also do not understand the point of Chris traveling around the country by himself and begin to worry a lot about the path he has chosen for his life. Although Chris's sister, who Chris was very close to believes that his journey is worth it. She says that she feels fine about his adventure because it is making him happy and that he had to do it to prove to himself. Also, at the end of the story Chris's parents still feel bad because they can not bring themselves to understand why he wanted this journey. Leaving his parents without notice of his trip, Chris also left his parents without answers. When they received  word of his death they were devastated because they were left to wonder why such an educated young man took such a strange path of travel and ultimately died. Chris's sister was upset but believed that he died proving himself. As people tried to rule his death as a suicide she spoke out against the comment saying her brother was not like that, it was about proving to himself that he could survive the journey. During his life and after he died Chris's parents were confused and not understanding of his journey while his sister believed that he took the journey for self-reassurance.

Senior Night!

“Okay guys, we have two hours until the seniors get here. We have to make this place look incredible for one of their last memoires with Holliston Softball”, said Lauren as we pulled up to Damagella softball field.  It was senior night, our team’s last home game of the season and the senior’s last home game in high school softball.  Armed with red plastic cups, rolls of streamers, posters and balloons we were going to make the sight of the field unforgettable.

An hour and a half had passed and the field had been transformed from brown and dusty to a war zone of red, white and black. The fence in centerfield was covered with red plastic cups spelling out, “We love our seniors”. The metal fence of the dugout was covered in red, black and white streamers. Attached to the gray middle poles were white balloons with the seniors’ names on them. On all remaining space were neon colored posters with pictures of smiling faces from this season and past seasons with the seniors. We had twenty minutes for finishing touches, putting balloons anywhere we could. Then, from down the street we could see the three seniors driving toward the field. Their cars glowed with neon car paint reading “Holliston Panthers” and “Seniors of 2012”. As they pulled into the parking lot our team cheered and screamed as they blasted music from their cars and beeped their horns. As they got out of their cars tears of happiness rolled down their cheeks, “The field looks amazing!” they said at the same time.

As it neared game time I looked out of the dugout and was amazed by the amount of people here to watch the game. The grass was filled with lawn chairs with parents, grandparents, friends and other coaches. As the sky turned gray and darkened, the dim field was suddenly illuminated by the bright over head lights. It was game time. Our team was ready to play. It was our time to prove that Holliston was here to stay this season. We had so much determination for the game because it was a celebration for the seniors and we had to win it for them.  

After five innings Molly had thrown a no hitter and we had scored seven runs. As I looked into the other dugout the Dover Sherborn team looked defeated. They no longer moved with excitement for the game and they appeared like scared animals wide eyed in the batter’s box. We quickly finished the game with a final score of 10-1. At the end of the game our team gathered in left field. Our coach explained that we had a fantastic game but, tonight it was not about the game or the win it was about the seniors.

Everyone on the team ran to the third base line except for our coach and the seniors. It was time for the ceremony to start. Music erupted in the background and the announcer started to call the names of the seniors. First to be called was Ashley. She ran down the third base line and gave us all high fives. Then went Molly and then Lauren. They met in the pitches circle and their parents met at home plate. As their position and name were called again they met their parents at home plate and received a bouquet of flowers. We cheered for them and watched as they smiled for pictures. Again the seniors met in the pitchers circle and talked to our coach. He told them of how proud he was of them and how he wished he could have been their coach longer than one season. Next our coach motioned for the rest of us to come to the mound and we sprinted to the seniors. We all hugged in the middle of the field.

Tears streamed down almost every players face. As a freshman I had never been a part of such a close team. The seniors had been so accepting and kind and it was sad to see them leaving for collage soon. We huddled together and smiled through our tears. These tears represented the love and unity that this team has grown over the season. They showed was its like to be on a team and they showed how it feels to have a team behind you, always supporting you. The feeling in this moment we had to let overcome us. We will use this love and dedication to move forward in our season. With two more games left until we start playoffs we stay strong because, this is our season. 

Word Count: 771

By The Waters of Babylon: Why did Johns people, The Hill People revert to more primative ways of life?

          By The Waters of Babylon by Stephen Vincent Benet, The Hill people have reverted to a more primitive way of life because everything they knew before about life has been destroyed by a war. They now live simply because cities have been destroyed and many people do not remember what life was like before. For instance, the Hill people are living in tribes. Without working cities they live together to survive. They hunt and gather together and look for metal in the dead houses They have started to believe in different ideas. In this short story they now have more fantasy like ideas about what to believe in and how they should live. Also, many of the people have forgotton how to read and write. Without civilized living the tribes rely a lot on religion and stories told by the priests.With many people killed by the war they dont remember past ways of life and have gone back to living simply.

Theme of The Interlopers by Saki

                        In the short story, The Interlopers one of the main themes is friendship. Throughout the story both characters Ulrich and Georg decide that to save their lives they must give up their feud for land and become friends. For instance, after fighting over the same plot of land for many years both men know that they will die under the tree if they do not resolve the argument. Ulrich knows that he is supposed to hate this man for trespassing on his land but when suddenly he finds himself pinned down by a tree he knows that they have a better chance of surviving than working against each other. Also, in order to free themselves or call for rescue they two men must work together. The men realize that life is too short to be holding a grudge and that grudge will get them no help. Once their argument is buried they call for help together. Working together they keep calling for help and one man even offers the other man some of  his wine flask. In a tough situation both men realize that friendship is the only answer. Stuck under the tree with no help in the woods death looms ahead without friendship. To ultimately try and save themselves both characters give up their hate for each other and form a new friendship.

A Win for States

As I looked through the clear bus window I could see the freshly cut green grass from a mile away. An important day loomed ahead; this was our way into the state playoffs. As we arrived at the field the tension in in the air increased, this was the game we had worked all season to get to.  Everything we have learned from this season is put into this one game.

 As the first inning started I sat on the bench and watched the game through the slits in the fence.  Dark rain clouds rolled in over the tops of the trees. The crack of the bat brought me back to focus. Ashley had hit a line drive that flew right over the third baseman’s head. She ran to second base and saw that the ball was still in the outfield; she bolted and slid into third base just as the ball was caught. “Safe”, bellowed the umpire. Next up was Lindy, on the first pitch she hit a homerun which gave our team two runs.  As the pitcher continued to throw perfect strikes our team took advantage of this and had many great hits. At the end of the inning the score was 5-0.  

By the seventh inning the score was 9-1. Our team smiled with confidence as we went out for our last inning. As I threw the ball with my teammate Lauren to warm up I recognized the determination that crossed her face. Next our catcher yelled, “Balls in coming down”. I quickly took the balls from the outfield and jogged back to the dugout. As I watched through the dugout fence our team crouched in ready position. Black lines of war paint outlined their cheeks while dirt covered the crisp white of their jerseys. As the first batter approached the box I could tell she was scared. Our team looked like and army and throughout this game we had been relentless. On the first pitch the batter fouls the ball off to right field. Our sideline coach tells our outfielders to move back because he knows that she is a strong batter. On the second pitch the batter hits a line drive to center field. Our centerfielder Anna drop stepped and ran backwards toward the ball. Extending her arm the ball dropped into her glove.

With one out I could feel the excitement in the air. With two more outs we would be in the state playoffs. The next batter struck out looking at three perfect pitches. One more out! As the next batter approaches the plate I could tell that she would hit the ball far. With protruding arm muscles it was a warning for a homerun. The batter took a perfect strike for her first pitch. On the next pitch she swung and missed. She stepped out of the box and I saw her take a deep breath. Here we go, I thought to myself. She stepped back in the box and I looked at our pitcher Molly, she wound her arm back and sent the ball flying forward in a perfect strike. The batter shifted her back foot and swung and connected with the ball for a line drive to left field. Our left fielder Heather sprinted for and watched it drop into her glove. She held her hand up and smiled.

With the win behind us the rest of the season falls away. Everything we do in these next few games determines our future. Our determination remains unchanged and our energy even stronger. We will not go down without a fight as we continue for our championship title and we will not rest until our softball banner in the gym reads 2012 tri-valley league champions.

Word Count: 622

Twilight Zone Open Response

Cory's punishment is cruel and unusual. Spending forty five years in confinement on his own asteroid is both mean and unnecessary. For instance, Cory explained to the captain of the ship that he only murdered in self defense. If this is the case Cory's confinement onto an asteroid is an extreme punishment. If they are not able to prove the reason for why he killed, he should be locked up in jail on earth. This extreme form of punishment is unnecessary and not fit for the crime that Cory has allegedy committed. Also, this punishment seems to be very cruel. Being alone, nine million miles away from the earth has allowed Cory to suffer a lot more than he needs to. With no one around Cory says that he is dying of loneliness . This type of isolation is very cruel because it does not fit the punishment of the crime. On the asteroid Cory will drive himself made from being so lonely and probably die of it. This is also cruel and unfair because he does not deserve to die with a minor crime that they cannot prove. The treatment of Cory's punishment is very extreme, this makes is both cruel and highly unusual. Cory has a punishment that it severe compared to other people and they cannot be sure that he did not kill in self defense. On the asteroid he will die of loneliness which is unfair because he is suffering so much. Cory should be freed from the asteroid and be able to come home to planet earth!