Free Windmill Windup by Matt Christopher Page B

week, and I guarantee you, you’ll
     have it down!”

10
    K elly spent the next three days doing nothing but pitching. She’d given up on hitting altogether. What did it matter if she
     struck out every time at bat? If she could pitch windmill with the best of them, the other team wouldn’t be able to get a
     runner on base!
    She arrived home and was picked up by her very tanned, happy-looking mom. When she asked Kelly how her week had been, Kelly
     said, “Fabulous,” in her most sarcastic tone. But really, it hadn’t been so bad. Not nearly as awful as she’d anticipated.
    The following afternoon, right after school, was the Diamondbacks’ next game. Actually, the team had played two games over
     the break — without Kelly — and, much to her annoyance and surprise, had won them both. “Allie’s been awesome!” Dorien Day
     enthused. “Five homers and seven extra-base hits! Coach says he’s sending her to the all-star game!”
    “Fabulous,” said Kelly, in the same sarcastic tone she’d used on her mom.
    She hated Allie Warheit. Not only had the girl stolen her spotlight as the star of the team, but she’d had the nerve to move
     in on Ryan Randall, a guy who was two years older than her, two grades ahead of her — and the very same guy Kelly had developed
     a crush on. Worst of all, she’d shown Kelly up in front of him at the last game before vacation. Well, today Kelly was going
     to get some of her own back.
    “Coach,” she said, going up to him before the game began, “can I pitch today?”
    “You?” he said, surprised. “I thought you liked playing first base.”
    “I do, but I went to softball camp during break and learned to pitch windmill.”
    “Really?” The coach grew thoughtful. “Tell you what. I don’t want to hurt Marie’s feelings. I promised her she could pitch
     today. But if she runs into any trouble, I’ll put you in there in relief, okay?”
    Kelly sighed in frustration, but she didn’t argue with him. She felt pretty sure that Marie would run into trouble soon enough.
     She always did.
    The D’backs’ opponents were the Dodgers, ateam with a 4–1 record going into the game, their only loss being to the undefeated Devil Rays. By the third inning, they
     were ahead, 3–2, and had loaded the bases against Marie del Toro with nobody out. Coach Beigelman walked slowly to the mound
     and signaled to the ump that he was making a pitching change. Then he beckoned to Kelly.
    “You sure you’re ready for this?” he asked her, handing her the ball.
    “Ready as I’ll ever be,” she answered, blowing out a deep breath.
    He patted her on the back and headed for the dugout. Kelly pounded the ball into her mitt a few times, then stared in at Sarah
     Harden, the catcher.
    “Okay, here goes,” she muttered under her breath as she went into her windup.
    The ball flew out of her hand and buzzed the chin of the batter, who wheeled out of its way. Sarah was so surprised that she
     never got her glove up. But fortunately the ball hit off the backstop and bounced right back to her, so the runner on third
     was unable to come home.
    There was a wave of murmuring from the stands, and a few audible “Whoa”s from the base runnersand the fielders. Kelly took the throw from the catcher and concentrated on her release point, the way they’d taught her at
     camp. This time, she whizzed the ball in right over the plate.
    “Stee-rike one!” called the ump.
    Kelly shook out her shoulders and stayed focused. “Stee-rike two!” shouted the ump as the batter flailed helplessly at the
     next pitch. One more, and Kelly had recorded her first-ever strikeout — on the very first batter she’d faced!
    Next up was the Dodgers’ cleanup hitter. Kelly fanned her on three straight fastballs. Now the murmuring had become cheering
     from the Diamondbacks, and outraged heckling from the Dodgers, who were trying to rattle her.
    But Kelly was not about to be rattled. She got two strikes on the