Eighth Grade Softball Player Pitches For Opposing Team After Player Gets Sick
The junior varsity softball team at Adairsville High School — located just north of Atlanta, Georgia — ended its season on a high note last week. Coach Kelly Abernathy told 11Alive that the players are good kids and have played together since they were just three years old. “If we win, that’s great, If we lose, we’ll learn from it,” said Abernathy.
Several weeks back, the team they were playing against was about to lose when the pitcher got sick. “They were struggling and I knew if I didn’t step up, the game would have to end and they would have to forfeit. So I just thought, I would love to step up,” eighth-grade player Lily Roberts said.
Roberts stepped up to the mound to pitch for the other team. “That’s just Lily’s personality if you know her, she said, ‘hey, I’ve got it covered,'” Abernathy said. Roberts was firing the ball at her own teammates, even striking several of them out.
“She would smile at them and throw them a strike,” Abernathy said about the game. “She was pitching like she was pitching in a championship game.”
Both team’s benches were cheering. “I think the other team was really supportive of me coming to pitch for them. I did hear them cheering for me when I was pitching, and it made me feel good,” Roberts.
The game ended several innings later, and no one even kept track of the final score. “If we could be as positive as Lily is, there would be a lot less problems in the world,” said Abernathy.
Image source: 11Alive
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