“She who has the will to win cannot be beaten.” We chanted the words in unison each time we finished a lap. Our coach had said this quote to us on the first day of practice and she did everything she could to make sure we would never forget it. It was drilled into our brains, like a broken record constantly repeating. She taught us that working hard and believing that we can will make a huge difference in how we play, and the outcome of the game.

Walking into the dugout, we felt confident. We were on a winning streak and our record was good so far, so we didn’t want to screw it up. In the first few innings there wasn’t much action. There were a few hits, but not many people on base. It seemed like it would be a close game with only a run or two scored by the winning team in the end.

The turnaround of the game was in the fifth inning. All of a sudden the other team began to hit. There were perfect base hits and line drives up the middle, causing the bases to quickly and repeatedly be filled up and cleared off again. The score quickly jumped from zero to five in just one at bat. For some people, a positive outcome to the game might have seemed impossible, but our team wasn’t the type to give up that easily.

In the top of the sixth inning, it was our turn to bat. We knew our time to catch up was running out. We needed to start swinging the bat. Finally, after a few smart choices and good hits, we had people on base. With two outs, all we needed was one good hit to bring them in to score. We got that hit and scored two runs. After the third out, we put down our bats and took the field. We did a good job defensively not allowing them to score.

Now, in the seventh inning, it was our turn to bat. It was now or never. The score was two to five, we needed to score runs. Right away, we began making contact and getting on base. We were all ready to make a comeback. In my head I repeated the quote: “she who has the will to win cannot be beaten.” At that moment, I believed we could do it. Eventually, after scoring three runs, we tied the game. Seeing the scoreboard boosted our confidence and gave us that extra push. We had come all this way and we weren’t going down without a fight.

Since the score was tied, we had to go into extra innings. When we were up to bat we
scored two runs. The score was now seven to five, we were ahead. Everyone took their places on the field and prepared to hold the other team. We knew we couldn’t let them score. The first batter stepped up to the plate. Our pitcher struck her out. Next batter, a base hit. Then, there was a pop-up to the outfield which was caught, leaving us with two outs. One more and we win. A sharp hit to third- fielded, then the throw, out! We won the game.

We came into the game knowing we could do it. Nobody gave up and we all stuck it out until the end. We played our hardest and in the end, it paid off. Our comeback game will be one that we will all remember forever. Having the will to win makes all the difference.