Married To Baseball

Tati Is Her Number.

Jailyn~

"This series has been a little different from the last four World Softball Series tournaments you've participated in," Barb Jordan from CBS Sports starts. "How do you think that's affected the team as you prepare to compete in the Championship game tonight for the fifth year?"

"It's not too different," I reply, "Obviously, we came into Oklahoma City as the lowest-seeded team in the tournament, which means we had an extra game to play yesterday. That also meant we got kinda screwed over with the game times having to play three yesterday, the last two being back to back. Honestly, I think that's helped us more than anything as we've gotten to have multiple games to get acclimated to everything and each other."

"You say each other, referencing how different the lineup looks here than it had three months ago when you'd separated your shoulder." I nod, "Is it difficult trying to get back to the dynamic the team had before your injury?"

"Probably less than most would think," I respond. "We've got a great group of girls, and while we've had a couple rough patches this season, everyone has stepped up where they've needed to, and we're exactly where we wanted to be today. The goal every year is to get to the championship, and even if we haven't had the prettiest season, we still made it here, and that's all that matters."

Barb nods, smiling a little at my response, "The last two games last night, you guys seemed to be having a pretty good time. Where did those cheers come from?"

Chuckling a little, I nod, thinking about how obnoxious we've probably been since I started that. "Yeah," I laugh, "We've all grown up with those stupid little chants, and I got back into the dugout after my failed attempt at legging out a double and just went for it. We had done some team bonding in between the first and second games yesterday, and I figured we could keep that up with the youth league cheering. It seems to have worked pretty well."

"When was the last time you'd done any of those cheers?"

"Gosh," I say, thinking back as I laugh, "Probably when I was on my U12 team. You kinda outgrow them when you're getting to high school and higher competition, but it's honestly a pretty effective way to keep everyone involved."

"It's been pretty entertaining to watch," She replies, "How do you think today is going to go?"

"Obviously, you hope for the best," I respond, "I think we've got all the tools to be successful and bring home our fifth title. As long as we continue playing to the level I know this team is capable of, there's not a team that can beat us." Almost as if they could hear me finish my sentence, there's a hard knock on my door. Furrowing my brow a little, I glance that way, ignoring it for now. "Probably just Carly," I laugh.

Barb chuckles with a nod, "Well, we'll let you go. I know today is probably incredibly busy for you. Thank you so much for taking the time to chat with us, and congratulations on getting to this point. Speaking on behalf of the entire crew here at CBS, good luck today, and we hope to see you back here with another gold medal."

"Thank-" My sentence is cut off as whoever's at my door knocks again. Rolling my eyes, I laugh before continuing, "Thank you, and I'm sorry for whoever that is."

"It's no problem," She replies, amused by our minor interruption, "Take care."

"You too, thank you," I reply, finally being able to wrap up the interview before my apartment door is broken down. Closing my laptop, I let it sit on the table as I shove my phone into the pocket of my hoodie. As I'm crossing my apartment, there's a third knock, only this one is harder than the others had been.

Glancing through the peephole, seeing the two men only brings that much more confusion, especially since one of them is supposed to have a game today. Unlocking the door, I pull it open for my husband and our friend. "Christian, you have a key," I say, chuckling a little as I let him and Ryan in.