Bases loaded, “clink” the ball was hit up the middle, another run for the other team. In this inning I was sitting on the bench horrified of this scene. We have never been down by so many runs, I honestly did not except Randolph to be this good. Two more runs were scored and our pitcher looked exhausted. He just wasn't getting the job done, so our coach called a timeout. I knew at that one moment I was coming in for my final close of the season. I have gotten all successful saves which is when a pitcher finishes the game out, and your team ends up winning. Some harder than others but I got the job done well. Coach talked to our pitcher for a while, I felt bad for him his eyes bulging, his face all red and puffy with tears streaking down his face and then I knew it right then the coach called me over to the mound. I took warmup pitches and I was having trouble the pitchers mound went down like a mini valley. When a pitchers mound should have the ground rising like a little hill. It also doesn’t help that there are little holes that makes the mound look like a moon. I kept on throwing it in the dirt pitch after pitch the dirt hit the catcher's mask like an an a tornado and I’m pretty sure he wasn’t to happy with it either. After I walked the second batter in a row my brain went click. I adjusted and decided that I would need to release the ball earlier so the ball would actually end up in the strike zone. “Play” the umpire said so I scanned the field. There was a fast runner on second with no outs, the seventh batter to the plate. I figured since he was the bottom of the order, he won’t hit any hits beyond the outfielders I decided that I would just throw strikes and not try to aim it at all. I then entered my windup knees bent low to the ground with a little kick on the end throwing a little dust in my eyes. I threw my regular two seam grip with finger on the seams nothing special about it. The ball went right down the zone for strike one he swung like he was blindfolded trying to hit a pinata . I looked the batter straight into the eyes ready to throw but this time instead of the batter whiffing the ball, he hit it straight to our shortstop. The ball bounced once then twice an easy play except the shortstop’s glove wasn’t flat on the ground like it was supposed to be he had it up near his waist preparing for a bounce that was big as a giraffe.Just like that it hit his leg and the ball rolled near second. With that error at short, the runner advanced and scored. I was mad a regular shortstop would make that play and just like that, it looked like my successful save looked like it was going down in the dump. For the sake of the team I just let it all go and I faced the next batter. I entered the same windup as usual and my arm ached in pain so bad like an elephant sat on it as I threw the ball with more heat this time to get the batter to completely miss it. Next pitch I could see the laces in a circle as I threw it but sadly it ended high and outside for ball one. That's when I got the sign a number two that added a little smile to my face just a slight one though not to show what the plan was. I entered the windup again, but this time with a whole different grip my fingers on the right of the bright red seams and a snap of the wrist at the end to make the ball start up high then dropped to the dirt at the end. Sadly, the kid didn’t try for it and it was ball two. After the next pitch it ended up being three and two (full count). I threw the ball and it was hit with so much force you could hear the bat all the way to the parking lot. It was a hard groundball to the second baseman. He had to dive for the ball. That's when a huge cloud of dust went up into the air. When I got a whiff of it, I started coughing like crazy. When the dust finally settled, the ball wasn't at first, second, third, or home plate… It was, in fact, in the outfield. This allowed two more runs to flash onto other teams side of the score board. I was upset. This couldn't be happening. I had to relax somehow, so I stepped off the mound and took a deep breath which the other team could probably hear. I took another step on the mound and ended up striking out two more batters with a ground ball to first to end the inning. We didn’t win the game which devastated us to get so far in the finals of Massachusetts and end up losing. I couldn’t look at James (the pitcher before me) I knew what he was thinking and I was too, I felt I had lost the game with all the runs I let up. Everyone has a bad game but sadly my arm decided it would be the championship game, in all of Massachusetts.