Title: Sandlot Sailors By: RutleJake 
Rated: G 
Fandom: Sailor Moon 
Pairing:  None.  
Notes:
A work in progress, so bear with me.
Story Summary:  The inner senshi, and Haruka play a backyard baseball game with the Rome Tourists, Jacob Starr's team against the Lafayette Haymakers. 
Comments allowed: Yes.









            It was a lovely Saturday afternoon in Northwest Georgia. The sun was high in the sky, time was passing by slowly, and everything seemed peaceful. Except for one house along Kelly Road where there were a number of cars parked in the driveway, as well as in the yard of the house next to it. 


What was the occasion? There could not possibly be a barbecue, music, or a large party for no reason. The occasion of course, was nothing other than a backyard baseball game, but not just any backyard baseball game, a backyard baseball “Bash” as locals referred to it as. A backyard baseball game with an atmosphere of barbecuing, partying, and the anticipation of the day’s baseball game: Rome Tourists vs Lafayette Haymakers. 

  
As people were beginning to flood into the backyard where the game was to take place, on the field, the tourists were warming up. 
The pitcher and player coach, Jacob Starr leading the other players in stretches. Raye Griffin, the catcher seemed to be doing very well on them, while Serena Hawkes, the odango haired center fielder was trying her best. 
     
Mina Morgenstern, according to Jacob “The best shortstop a player coach could ask for!” was prepping mentally for the big game, Lita Roman, a relief pitcher was busying throwing balls in the bullpen area of the field, and Haruka “Amara" Mendez was bidding “Farewell” to Michiru “Michelle” Radecki, before she joined the team, and Michiru went to take her seat.



After warm ups were completed, the team took a drink of water, except for Jacob who preferred Gatorade whilst awaiting the start of the game.
“Boy, is it going to be a great one today, eh, Haruka?” Jacob asked “You said it mop head!” Haruka replied. Jacob just nodded, as he took his cap off, his mop top hair cut gleaming in the sunshine. Amy Higgins, the statistician who was mainly studying, looked up from her statistics book and spoke to Jacob “According to this,” she began “We have a fair chance in this game today.” 
“Good to know, Ames!” Jacob replied, giving Amy a thumbs up gesture.  
Soon, the announcing of the lineups began. Each player on each team running up as their names were announced over a modified cooler that was also a boom box. After that, came the National Anthem, then it was time for the game to begin. 


          After the pregame festivities, the tourists settled onto the field, got into their respective positions and started to throw baseballs around to practice. Jacob threw some fastballs and curveballs to Raye, and the others throwing baseballs to each other. Soon, Raye shouts “Balls in!” then all of a sudden, baseballs are thrown to home plate except for the one that Jacob was throwing to Raye for practice. The announcer then announces the first batter for the Haymakers, 
“Leading off for the Haymakers in the top of the first inning, right fielder number sixteen, Don McAllister.”  McAllister, a plumber by day, took his position at the plate, awaiting the first pitch. Raye, pointed two fingers down on the ground, in hopes that Jacob would throw that sort of pitch. Jacob threw his best pitch and McAllister hit it out towards right field, since it was headed towards Mina, she ran a short distance from her position as shortstop  placed her glove out in front of her, and was able to catch the fly ball for the first out of the inning before throwing it to Jacob.
“Batting Second, the third baseman, number two,  Aaron Pierce.”
Pierce, arguably one of the best if not the best third baseman in the little organization that the Haymakers and Tourists played in. It seemed like he could run as fast as a bullet train, and could field a ball very well. But, thanks to Amy, the Tourists were able to figure out his weakness, high curveballs. Jacob threw the first pitch to Pierce, swing and a miss for strike one. 
 Pierce growled as he awaited the next pitch, though not a high curveball, he did not swing, strike two. Pierce was furious, he began to wonder how the Tourists found out about his weakness. He was so deep in thought, that he did not notice that Jacob had thrown another pitch, thus striking out at the plate. Pierce began to grumble as he headed back to the dugout.
  “Now batting for the Haymakers, the shortstop, number three. Greg Ryo.”       
Greg, whom many said that he seems to know what is going to happen at the next moment in time, wasted no time going up to the plate. Jacob threw a fastball to him, he hit it out towards center field. It looked as if it was going to go over the makeshift fence, but Haruka jumped and was able to catch the ball, thus robbing Greg's home run and retiring the side.

      Serena Hawkes, the blonde odango haired center fielder, might not seem like the kind of person one would want on their baseball team. But, with the Tourists being a more free styled version of the game, and with Jacob Starr seeing how good of a center fielder she was, he drafted her straight away.


 
It was the season that the Rome Tourists Baseball Club was founded, Lita Roman, a relief pitcher for Starr, had met up with Jacob one day to discuss possible recruits for the team. Jacob, not knowing who to ask, and not having the courage to ask random people at the time, had trouble finding people to play on his newly founded baseball team. He had told Lita all about his troubles and how he didn’t think that the Tourists would get to play that season. Lita thought otherwise, and quickly mentioned Haruka, Mina, Raye, Amy, and Serena to him. Normally, he would be reluctant to let friends recommend their friends to him, but since he was desperate, he told Lita to call her friends and meet him at a local park the next day. 
 
The next day at the local park, on baseball field number 2, Lita showed up with her friends and they all tried out for the team. All of them did very well, then it was Serena’s turn. The odango haired blonde stepped up to the plate for her batting test, immediately tripped and fell flat on her face and started crying. Jacob helped her up, reminded her “There’s no crying in baseball.” And continued with the tryout, while her batting was average, it was good enough for Starr.  


Soon afterwards, Jacob made the official announcement that the girls had made the team, and was looking forward to the first game with them. Practices and warmups went by before the first game, a home game against the Mobile Anchors came.
The girls, for the most part had done pretty well, but the way Serena was batting along with how brutal the Anchors’ defense was, Jacob thought that they might loose their very first backyard baseball game as they were down six to nothing, bases loaded. 


“Who’s up next, Amy?” Starr asked “Serena, sir.” Amy replied this made Jacob sigh, Serena had been striking out every single time she had stepped up to the plate. “Something wrong, sir?” Amy asked “Oh nothing, nothing at all!” Jacob replied and watched in the hopes that something would get the Tourists on the board. Serena walked up to home plate, the pitcher threw to her, strike one. The pitcher threw to her again, strike two. Jacob was becoming upset, if Serena struck out, he might’ve had to forfeit the game. Just as he was about to go out there and forfeit, Ping! Serena had hit the ball very hard. Jacob gasped as the ball Serena had hit was going, going, going….GONE! Serena had done it! She had hit a grand slam, allowing the Tourists to get back into the game!


Later, Serena fielded very well, catching every fly ball that came her way as well as hitting an RBI single and the game winning home run!

Ever since then, Jacob has always started Serena in center field, he had learned not to doubt her.

Cool story so far, RutleJake! I love the storyline of the senshi playing a baseball game with each other. Serena/Usagi is always staying true to her clumsyness in the middle of the story

BUMP! (Gotta get this back up and running)
Chapter 4: Top of the Second Inning.

After Mina’s two run home run in the bottom of the first, putting the Tourists on the board first two to nothing, and after Jacob Starr’s home run was robbed, it was time to head back onto the field for the top of the second inning.

“Leading off for the Haymakers, left fielder number nine, John Knight!

Knight, a rookie had just graduated from Junior College and wanted to continue playing baseball, so he tried out for the sandlot league, and was drafted by the Haymakers. 
 He took his position on the plate and waited for the pitch from Jacob. 
*Crack!*
He hit the ball, but it curved and went into the lawn seating area called “The Hill”...Foul Ball.
After the foul ball, he hit the ballon his second attempt for a solid single to right field.

“Now batting, number Thirty Six, Ken Carter.”
 
Carter came up to bat, looking to get at least a single. He hit the ball, only to have Mina grab hit, throw it to second for one out, and the first baseman threw it on to first for the double play! 

The next batter was Les Sanders, the catcher for the Haymakers who originally played for the Carrollton Astros, but was traded to the Haymakers.
Sanders hit the ball weakly to Mina, to have it thrown to first base, for the third and final out of the top of the Second inning.