章 1060: V3 ch294 @ Porterville HS (2)

Unexpectedly, KJ was on the mound for the girls. Not Marie. A lot of eyes looked to Kyle for answers. He merely shrugged and said Marie can't pitch every game. They should save her for the important ones. I guess that makes sense. It just felt weird since softball doesn't have pitch limits or rest days like we did so Marie could pitch every game if she wanted. 

They ended up not needing her though. KJ had things under control; she kept the opponents down, racking up some strikeouts along the way. I liked how our team cheered for her and the girls both ways. It definitely felt more unified than last year. 

Noah was the loudest despite his competition with Kaylee. He still cheered for the girls, including her plate appearances too. "It doesn't matter much if she does well. I just have to do better." He told me after Kaylee got on with a leadoff double.