Tammy Tries Baseball: Lady Tigers, #5

By Dawn Brotherton

Twenty players. Two games. One challenge.

When Tammy Marshall yells across the field at the local boys' baseball team about how easy their sport is, she isn't prepared for the epic tournament to follow. The teams had been bickering back and forth until finally, they decide to settle it like ballplayers. The date is set for the Lady Tigers to go up against the boys in one game of softball and one game of baseball. Winner takes glory and bragging rights forever. Emotions are running high for all the girls, especially Tammy. Is this their chance to prove the superiority of their skills once and for all? Or has Tammy set her team up for their worst defeat yet?

Tammy Tries Baseball captures the anxiety and ultimate joy of trying something new. If you like sports action, quick dialogue, and coming-of-age friendships, you'll love this latest installment of the Lady Tigers. In the compelling finale to Dawn Brotherton's first Lady Tigers series, it may be time for the team—and the reader—to win some and learn some.

Complete the journey for bringing Tammy Tries Baseball home now!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Blue Dragon Publishing, LLC
• Release date: Aug 30, 2022
• ISBN: 9781939696489

Dawn Brotherton

Dawn Brotherton is an award-winning author and featured speaker at writing and publishing seminars. When it comes to exceptional writing, Dawn draws on her experience as a retired colonel from the US Air Force as well as a softball coach. She has also completed four books (Trish’s Team; Margie Makes a Difference; Nicole’s New Friend, and Tammy Tries Baseball) in the middle grade Lady Tigers Series about girls’ fastpitch softball, encouraging female athletes to reach for the stars in the game they love. As a mother of two female athletes, Dawn is intent on encouraging women to “play like a girl,” which means play with determination, teamwork, sportsmanship and most of all, a love of the game. Under nonfiction, the Softball Scoresheet was created to keep score during softball games with instructions written for those not as familiar with the intricacies of the game.

Book preview

Dedication

To Paige, for being my walking thesaurus.

Discover other titles about the Lady Tigers

Trish’s Team

Margie Makes a Difference

Nicole’s New Friend

Avery Appreciates True Friendship

––––––––

http://LadyTigersFastpitch.com

Chapter 1

Ah, you hit like a girl! the young boy taunted from behind the backstop.

"You wish you could hit like a girl," Tammy Marshall called back without turning her head.

Tammy tried not to let the comment bother her, but she was distracted. Boys can be so annoying, she thought.

While she was thinking, the pitch blew by her and smacked into the catcher’s mitt.

Ha! Girls don’t actually hit the ball, I guess, the boy said loudly.

Tammy’s face turned red as she focused on the next pitch delivered by her teammate and close friend, Sally Andrews.

The pitch was low and outside—right where Tammy liked them. With a smooth swing, she sent the ball sailing deep into right field. As she took off running for first base, she heard the boy behind the backstop yell, Lucky hit!

She smiled as she rounded first and headed for second. The throw from right-fielder Amy Dover came to the second base bag on one bounce. Tammy laid out for the slide as Bianca Lopez’s glove caught her in the hip, but not before her feet contacted the bag.

Safe! called Coach Kory Kerrington from his vantage point between the pitcher and the base.

The shortstop helped Tammy to her feet and her teammates called out their congratulations on a great hit. Sally walked to second base to meet Tammy.

Tammy put her hand up for a high-five. Thanks for the great pitch, she said.

Boys don’t know a thing about softball, Sally replied, giving Tammy’s hand a slap with her glove.

Tammy loved this team. Even a Saturday afternoon practice was more fun than it was work. Today was no different. They had finished their basic drills in record time, so the coaches were letting them hit and run. The girls liked this more than the other drills because it more closely simulated a real game. The Lady Tigers didn’t have enough girls to field two teams. That meant they had to work harder to cover more ground.

The Lady Tigers’s fourteen and under travel fastpitch softball team was part of a highly competitive league. At this age, most of the weekend tournaments they played were within a few hours driving distance, but the older Lady Tigers sometimes traveled to other states for games.

Tammy had started playing for the Tigers in June and had quickly formed close friendships with the other girls on the team. They practiced two or three times a week and spent many weekends together. A tournament could easily consist of three to five games on a Saturday and then up to five games on a Sunday—if your team kept winning.

Nikki Andrews, Sally’s sister, was next up to bat, and Tammy cheered her on. C’mon, Nikki. Bring me home!

Sally pitched a fast ball. Tammy had taken her lead as soon as the ball left Sally’s hand, so she had a head start when Nikki squared for a bunt.

The ball bounced expertly off Nikki’s bat and rolled slowly down the third base chalk line. Jessica Fairfield, the third baseman, charged forward to pick it up. With her bare hand, she scooped up the ball and zipped it to first base.

The ball beat Nikki to the bag by a step for an out, but Tammy was safely at third base, had rounded the bag, and was considering making a try for home.

She glanced at Coach Leah Thomas who was coaching third base. Leah pointed at Tammy, indicating she could make her own decision.

I wouldn’t think about it if I were you, Emily Davis teased from first base.

That was all the encouragement Tammy needed. In a real game situation, she would never have taken the chance on getting out when the first baseman had the ball...but this was practice.

She started for home, and Emily whipped the ball to