So the Simi Valley Softball All Star season came and went this year. (I have been doing a poor job of keeping up with the Hewitt Family Scrapbook.) It was so long ago, I may not even be correct in stating the number tournaments we won... I believe we took first place in the Thousand Oaks Memorial Day Tournament, second place in the Simi Valley Father's Day Tournament, and second place in the Escondido Freedom Tournament. All I can say, is none of those wins or loses matter to me. My eyes still well up with tears when I think about what my daughter accomplished this season. She played in 27 games and threw 1,790 pitches. She had an ERA of 1.93 and a batting average of .500. She even had a home run. Sydney does not get rattled. I have yet to see her get nervous. The mound is hers and good luck trying to hit the ball if you are at the dish. Her pitch can be over 50 mph and her change up is sick. She would be horrified if she knew that I said these things on a place where other people had access. She is very modest and even has a hard time telling her pitching coach that she threw well in a game, because she hates to brag. (I obviously do not have the same problem.) So this is the one place that I will document how she did this season. So one day she can look back and say... I did that.
I can tell you that my heart almost burst on Fathers Day, also Craig's birthday, in the stands at Apollo park, watching my baby hit the winning run, during an intense double international tie-breaker. As her Daddy, who was the first base coach, lifted her onto his shoulders after she rounded first, because the game winning run came in... I lost it. My eyes filled with tears as I watched them. The pure joy on my daughters face is something I will never forget. All the practices, all the traveling, everything is for moments like that. All that hard work had paid off for that moment. Thank you God for the gift you have given my daughter. It has given her self confidence and so much more. The friends she has made can not be replaced.
