Bases Loaded Jam (Bases Loaded Jam Series #1)

Ch. 10: Texas Leaguer (Huey)

Right here!

She's right here!

Jordan Klinger is right here at the University of Texas as a softball player.

As it turned out, I just happened to be watching a Little League World Series game one afternoon between Arizona and Kentucky when the announcers starting talking about her. I first thought they were referring to another Jordan Klinger. But then, they started to show highlights of her pitching. They showed her hitting the ball. They even showed her smile. God, I didn't realize she was missing a tooth. But, I knew right then and there who she was. I knew where Jordan Klinger was.

Even while I still watched the game on TV, I remembered that she was the girl I met at the party. Even as Arizona would overcome a 6-1 deficit to beat Kentucky 10-7, I remembered she was the girl I drove back to her dorm when Stacia was intoxicated. Even as the program swapped to the main station for sports news, I remembered that she was the blonde-haired girl that was an inch taller than me. That was her. It was Jordan Klinger. The girl that I faced in the Little League World Series. It was all starting to come to me.

Quickly, I grabbed my laptop and went to Youtube. I tried to search for the game we faced off against each other. To my surprise, it was on there. Not the actual highlight, but the video of the full game. I clicked on the video and started to watch. It was almost two hours on the video. So I fast forward to the bottom of the sixth inning.

Klinger had a perfect game into the sixth inning. She struck out the first hitter in Tom Simmons. Next up was Kerry Rice, who we jokingly called Jerry after a famous NFL wide receiver. Kerry had a good at-bat as he fouled off pitch after pitch. But then, he hit a line drive that hit her in the leg. Fortunately for Jordan, she had the presence of mind to field the ball and throw Kerry out. Their coaches and trainer went to check on her. After a few moments, she was alright and returned to the mound.

Wade was up. He was still upset over a misplayed ball earlier in the game. Surprisingly, Wade put a bunt down and California's catcher, who I believed was named Ollie Luxembourg, overthrew the first baseman and Wade went to third on the play. I was sure that was a single and a two-base error. But the scoreboard guy decided to rule that an error. The perfect game was gone. But the no-hitter was still intact for Klinger.

Now, it was my turn to bat. I watched myself as a 12-year-old coming to the plate. I probably felt scared because I was sick all tournament long and it was my first at-bat in a few games. I was being asked to pinch-hit in a tight situation. The tying run was at third and I was the winning run at the plate.

I watch myself waiting for the first pitch. It was supposed to be a fastball outside. She threw the pitch and it was right there where she wanted it. I took the pitch because I didn't think it was going to be that fast. The umpire called the pitch a strike. I didn't dispute that.

The next pitch was going to be a slider. Yet, my mind was telling me then to expect a fastball. Right as she let the ball go, I swung early and missed entirely. So now, I was down two strikes and it all came to this last pitch. I know I'm going to swing on this pitch. But what I didn't know then and now was what pitch was coming. She could throw me the fastball or slider as she did previously. Or she could throw me another pitch she had.

I decided to just swing away on this pitch even if it struck me out. She gets the sign from her catcher and delivers the pitch. About one second later, I swing at the pitch.

PING!

I replayed that swing in slow motion. I watched the location of the pitch. It was exactly where my bat was swinging. It was the perfect pitch for me the swing at. Then, the memories started to come back to me.