1、1莫以胜负定输赢Blood streamed down the cloth of her immaculate2） jersey3） and onto the sandy dirt. It flowed from her face like relentless4） tears. She lay prostrate5） ， vulnerable， painfully helpless. Then the ambulance came and rolled her away. A man raked6） the circle of blood off the field. Some people
2、 say hardball is not a sport. Some believe girls arent tough enough. Valley High School varsity7） player Christy Connor would beg to differ8）. Her weapon was her bat. Her drive was her need for victory. Her power？ Well， that was just her broad shoulders， long legs， and strong body. Christy Connor wa
3、s an athlete. She was tough enough to take our Pundit High varsity pitcher9） out for the season. Christy stepped inside the lines of the White Rectangle of Doom. She readied her bat and cocked10） it between her shoulders， with her hands in close proximity to11） her ears. Our pitcher signaled her pit
4、ch to the catcher. The catcher nodded and the pitch was released. Smash. This was the sound of the ball off the bat， making its way to our pitchers nose. Crack. This was the sound of her nose breaking， flattening 2across her face. Thud12）. This was the sound of her body hitting the ground， in the ti
5、me span of only three seconds. Then only silence was heard. The crowd stood， mouths open and eyes bulged13）. Hearts fell to the floor and hands covered heads in distress. The Pundit team gathered together and turned away from the mound14）. Our fallen soldier screamed. “Go warm up，“ the coach said to
6、 me. These three words made an impression on me that I would never forget. I processed them for a minute. “Warm up？“ I thought. I was the second pitcher in line， weighing in at only one hundred pounds， equipped with a nose that could be shattered by a landing butterfly. I was the only one there with
7、 trembling hands and a mortified15） mind. The pitchers blood had just been spewed16） across the infield17）. I was the next pitcher. It wasnt exactly a difficult connection to make. My eyes watered， my breath quickened， my heart hammered. I was about to pitch against monsters twice my size in one of
8、the biggest games of the season. These were the same monsters that had just taken down one of us. My mind raced with scenarios of how the remaining eight innings18） of the game could go. Each scenario revolved around me， dead on the floor. These thoughts lasted only ten minutes. Our pitcher， still 3
9、screaming， was carted away. I pulled back my hair， took a deep breath， and then hesitantly stepped on the mound as the game restarted. The crowd may have been in shock as our pitcher was carried out， but they were in disbelief when they realized we were about to continue. My mothers fright19） worsen
10、ed as she saw me， a little freshman， step into the circle. “You can do it，“ my dad mouthed. My mom looked at me with pride and held up her hands in a boxing stance20） position. “Fight，“ she said. I knew what she meant. It was my chance to prove that even Christy Connor wasnt tougher than me， nor the
11、 other eight Valley players of great height and power. I quickly closed the inning without letting them score. I took a deep breath， thankful I hadnt died yet. Every time a new monster entered the batters box， they looked at their coach with a cocky21） smirk22） and laughed at the fact that they had
12、already defeated our team. They couldnt defeat me. Well， technically， they couldand did. They won nine to zero. But that wasnt what mattered that day. They never did defeat me internally.Some people say girls cant play sports， or they arent tough enough. I was tough enough to pitch the 4rest of the
13、game， scared out of my mind but persistent. The outcome was irrelevant. What mattered was persistence. Sports are significant in the moment， like anything else in life. However， lasting significance comes from the lessons you learn. I wasnt meant to pitch amazingly that day； I was meant to learn a l
14、esson about myself. Nothing could come my way， be it a monster or a mouse， which I could not confront. I could not go through life afraid to take on the impossible. I could not be afraid to take a riskbecause it would always be in the trying that I could achieve success. 鲜血像止不住的泪水不断地从她的脸上流下来，顺着她那一尘不
15、染的运动衣淌下，滴到地上的沙土中。她趴在地上，脆弱不堪又痛苦万分，显得十分无助。然后，救护车开了过来，载着她驶走了。有个人过来清除了球场上的那圈血迹。 有些人说棒球不能算是一项真正的运动。有些人认为女孩子身板不够硬，不适合打棒球。山谷中学校棒球队的队员克里丝蒂?康纳对这些观点并不苟同。球棒就是她的武器，对于胜利的渴求则是她的动力。那她的力量从何而来呢？唔，她有宽阔的肩膀、修长的双腿和强健的身体。克里丝蒂?康纳是一名足够顽强的运动员，她有能力在本赛季让我们蓬特中学校棒球队的投手出局。 克里丝蒂踏入决定命运的白色矩形赛场中，她握好球棒，弯曲手臂使球棒位于两肩之间，双手紧挨自己的耳朵。我们队的投手向
16、捕手示意5准备投球，捕手点了点头，投手的球便投了出去。哐。这是球被对方队员的球棒击中后飞离球棒的声音，它朝着我方投手的鼻子一路飞了回去。啪。这是她鼻梁断了的声音，重击之下她的鼻子塌了下去。砰。这是她倒地的声音，这个过程仅用了三秒。接下来，赛场上一片寂静。观众们都站了起来，张大了嘴，眼睛瞪得圆圆的。大家的心都沉到了谷底，双手抱着头，显得很痛苦。蓬特中学棒球队的队员聚拢在一起，转过头不看投球区土墩。我们队这位倒下的战士尖叫着。 “准备上。 ”教练对我说。 教练的这三个字给我留下了深刻印象，让我终生难忘。我把那三个字仔细掂量了一分钟。 “准备？”我琢磨着。作为替补投手，我体重才100磅（译注：约 4
17、5.4 kg） ，还长着一个不堪一击的鼻子，一只蝴蝶落在上面就可能让它粉碎。场上只有我一人双手发抖，大脑乱作一团。我们队的投手刚刚才血溅赛场，而我却是下一位即将上场的投手。替她上场并不是一件特别难想到的事儿，我却两眼噙着泪花，呼吸变得急促起来，心也怦怦直跳。这场比赛是本赛季最大型的比赛之一，我却要在比赛中向两倍于我身材的恶魔们投球，而正是她们刚刚放倒了我的一位队友。我脑海中迅速闪现出在接下来的八局比赛中可能会出现的情形，每种情形都离不开我死在地上的样子。 这些想法只持续了十分钟。我们队的投手还在尖叫着就被抬走了。我把头发向后拨弄了一下，深吸了一口气，然后随着比赛重新开始，迟疑地踏上了投球区的土
18、墩。看着我们队的投手被抬下场，观众本可能会大吃一惊；然而，当他们意识到我们队马上要开始接着比赛时，他们都6不敢相信。看到我这个新来的小屁孩儿踏进了投球区，妈妈更加担心了。“你可以的。 ”爸爸用口型示意我。 妈妈骄傲地看着我，高高举起双手，摆成拳击格斗的姿势。 “战斗吧。 ”她说。 我明白她的意思。我的机会来了，我要向大家证明：即使是克里丝蒂?康纳也没我顽强，她们山谷棒球队的其他八名身高力大的队员也不行。我很快就打完了这局，没让她们得到一分。我深吸了一口气，庆幸自己还活着。每次一个新的恶魔来到击球位置，她们都会用一种狂妄自大的神情朝她们的教练得意地笑一下，还因她们已经打败了我们队而大笑不已。但她
19、们打不败我。 唔，从技术上来说，她们能打败我也的确把我打败了。她们以9：0 的比分赢了。不过，这个结果在那天并不重要，因为她们从未战胜我的心。有些人说女孩子不适合参加体育运动，或者说她们不够顽强。但我却足够顽强，在接下来的比赛中一直担任投手，虽然害怕得大脑一片空白，但却坚持了下来。比赛结果无关紧要，重要的是这份坚持。 正如生命中的其他事情一样，比赛在那一刻十分重要。然而，能带来长远意义的却是你从中学到的东西。那天，我并没有指望自己会有多么精彩的投球表现，我只是想让自己学到一些东西。什么都无法阻挡我前进的脚步，即便它是我不敢面对的大恶魔或是小老鼠。我不能在害怕去尝试那些不可能的事情中度过此生。我
20、不可以害怕冒险，因为总是在这样的尝试之中，我才能取得成功。 7棒球是一种团体球类运动，由两支人数各为九人的队伍在一个扇形球场进行“击球跑位”形式的对抗。棒球球队分为攻、守两方，两方各攻、守一次为一局，正式比赛为九局。比赛开始时，守方投手（pitcher）站在投球区土墩（mound）上将球掷出，攻方击球手（batter）在击球区（batters box）用球棒（bat）将守方投手投来的球击出，随后依次踏过一垒（first base） 、二垒（second base）和三垒（third base）并安全回到本垒（home base）后得一分；若守方捕手（catcher）利用手套将投手掷出的球接住或掷回，那么攻方击球手将出局；若守方其他队员在球落地之前将球接住，那么跑垒员（即击球手）将被“接杀” ；若守方投手对击球者投出三个“好”球，那么跑垒员将被“三振出局” 。当攻方有三人被“杀”出局时，双方即互换攻守，如此轮流交替进行九局，九局中得分较高的一队胜出。
