Some Dreams Come True

Joseph's baseball season ended the way every baseball-lovin' kid dreams it would...  Not only did his team win the competitive city tournament, but many other factors combined to make it even more of a dream come true and a day that Joseph (and his proud parents) will never forget:

1. Joseph's team was the underdog for the championship game, facing the nearly undefeated team: "Fencecrafters".  Because it was a double-elimination tournament, Joseph's team, "Kleen King," had to beat "Fencecrafters" twice on the same day. After they barely beat them in the first game by miraculously getting 3 home-runs in a row in the last inning (how rare is that!), they never imagined they could win again...but they did!
2. In the championship game, the score was tied at the top of the last inning.  Joseph came up to bat with one runner on first base.  He made his traditional "Sign of the Cross" with his bat on the home plate, and then got ready for the pitches to come.  First pitch:  a curveball for a strike.  Second pitch:  a fastball outside of the strike zone for a ball.   Third pitch: a high and away curveball that JOSEPH HIT OUT OF THE PARK!!!  It was his first homerun of the season, and what a time to do it! Though his team was now 2 points ahead, Fencecrafters still had one turn left to bat, and guess who was the closing pitcher?
3. Yep...Joseph was chosen to be the closer.  This mama started praying Hail Mary's like any crazy Catholic mother would.  I was a stressed-out mess.  Joseph was as calm as can be, lovin' every minute of it.  The first batter got a homerun...bring the score 7-6...GULP!  The second batter struck out...WHEW!  The third batter got a double...YIKES!  The fourth batter struck out on Joseph's wicked curveball...HUGE SIGH OF RELIEF!  The last batter hit a short grounder, which Joseph flipped to first base to end the game...HURRAY!  So, not only did Joseph hit the game-winning home run, he also got the final out, and as the closing pitcher, he is credited with "the save."  Pitching is his favorite part of the game, so that save was probably the bigger highlight for him than the homerun.
4. The other neat part about this game is that many of the team's "average," or even "below-average," players were the ones who got the major hits during this game to bring about the victory.  The whole game was a testament that God exalts the humble and lifts up the lowly.  So in my humble opinion, I think that the real "save" of the game should be credited to God, who helped out my son's team and gave those boys a dream come true and a taste of God's goodness.  All praise and glory is truly the Lord's, but I sure am proud of those Kleen King kids too!  :)

Here are some of the photo highlights of Joseph's season:

This is Joseph waiting for the homerun pitch...

Here's the homerun swing (I am so happy my husband caught this on camera!)

And here is Joseph watching his homerun hit...how cool is that!?
He may be the smallest kid on the team, but he proved that size doesn't matter!

This is Joseph on the mound, hoping to close this game with a save...

Joseph pitching with all his might...

Joseph receiving his 1st place medal from Coach Barry...

Kleen King...the "KINGS" of the tournament!

This was my favorite close-up of Joseph at bat during the season.
I love the determination on his handsome face :)

I love my telephoto lens to capture action shots like this!

This is my all-time favorite picture of the season:
Joseph warming up in the field, happy as can be, despite the pouring rain.