Meredith winked at Pam, picked up her glove and strode out to the mound. She turned, held up her glove. Devon tossed her a fat softball. Meredith caught it easily and faced the plate.

The Vance player spat into the dirt, stepped into the box, and hoisted the bat to his shoulder.

Pam nodded to her pitcher. Meredith nodded back, drew herself up, and fired an underhand pitch at Pam so fast the ball hit her glove before she could move it. The batter never moved.

"Whoa!" Andy said from behind the backstop. "Smokin'!"

"Strike one!" Devon yelled. Whistles and catcalls from Darryl and Lonny.

"What the hell?" the batter said, amazed.

Jim yelled, "Way to go, Meredith!"

Meredith nodded at Pam's signal, drew herself up, and shot a fastball past the batter to land in Pam's glove like it had never left.

"Strike two!" called Devon.

"No way!" the batter yelled. "That was below my knees!"

"Not the way I saw it," Devon said.

"Jesus Christ!" Pam heard Lonny say behind her. "Did you see that pitch?"

"Don't swear," Angela said.

Pam smiled and shifted her stance a bit. She glanced over a first base. Jim was leaning forward, hair in his eyes, hands on his knees, watching her. He nodded at her. Even sixty feet away, she could see his white teeth gleaming.

Meredith nodded to show she was ready, went into her windup, and threw an underhand pitch that looked like it was headed straight for the batter's knees. He yelped and stepped back just as the ball crossed the plate and landed in Pam's glove.

"Strike three!" Devon yelled. "You're out!"

The outfield erupted into cheers and yells.

"Wow!" Lonny yelled.

"What the hell?" Devon said, as the disgusted batter went back behind the backstop. "Since when can Meredith pitch?"

"Since she won the Tri-State Women's Softball Slow-Pitch Championship in high school," Pam said.

Devon chuckled. "Does Michael know?"

"No," Pam said.

"Sweet," Devon said.

Meredith struck out the next batter, a tall athletic looking woman, on three pitches.

Lonny whistled. Darryl applauded wildly. "Hey, Meredith! You go, girl!"

Meredith lifted an eyebrow, tossed the ball in the air, caught it and shrugged. "Just playin' pussy ball here, guys."

Pam heard Jim's laughter all the way at home plate.

The next Vance Refrigeration batter hit two foul balls and flied out to centerfield as Toby loped over to make the catch. Pam chuckled to hear the groans from Vance's Refrigeration. Clearly, they'd been counting on a quick victory.

It was time for Dunder-Mifflin to bat. Jim met her behind the backstop, as the team piled their gloves in a heap and took up their bats. He gave her a conspiratorial glance. "That was great."

"Yeah." Pam glanced around at Meredith, now surrounded by astonished and appreciative teammates. "I'm glad we could talk her into this."

"As long as we can keep her sober, we'll be all right," Jim mused.

Pam glanced over at Darryl and Lonny. "Did you talk to them?"

Jim looked uncomfortable. "Uh. Yeah, but. Well, it's kind of a guy thing, you know? Beer at a softball game? It's pretty much a requirement."

Pam sighed. "Okay, but that means you guys get to flip for who drives her home."

Jim grimaced. They sat in companionable silence, watching Michael gear up. He put on and took off three different hats before deciding which one was his "lucky" hat. Then he tried every single bat leaning against the bench. He tied and retied his shoes, until finally Devon threatened to penalize him if he didn't get in the batter's box.

"Good luck, Michael," Andy called heartily.

"Yes," Dwight said immediately. "Good luck, Michael!"

Michael ignored all of them as he strode into the batter's box and squatted almost halfway to the ground, bat on his shoulder.

"What the heck is that?" Pam heard Lonny say.

Pam glanced around and found Darryl and Lonny standing behind the table. Lonny was drinking a soda.

"I think he thinks it's a major league stance," Darryl said. He chuckled and picked up a power bar.

Angela shot him a dirty look. "Those are for later," she said.

Darryl stared at her as he unwrapped the bar.

"Batter up!" Devon called.

Michael struck out on three pitches, all of which were over his head.

"Jesus," Darryl said.

"Don't take the Lord's name in vain," Angela said primly.

"Shut up," he answered genially.

Jim stood. "Uh-oh. Michael is about to get himself thrown out of the game," he said. Sure enough, Michael was arguing loudly with Devon about the last call. Bob Vance was walking in from the outfield, shaking his head. Jim sighed. "I'd better go head this off." He handed Pam his glove. "Hang onto this for me?"

While she watched Jim talk Michael down, she slipped her hand inside Jim's glove. It was warm from his hand and smelled of leather. She smiled.

She couldn't hear what Jim said to Michael, but Michael and Devon laughed and then Michael was slapping Jim on the back. He walked back behind the backstop, swinging his bat dangerously close to Oscar's knees.

Jim sat down next to her. He saw the glove on her hand, but didn't ask for it back. He gestured at Madge. "You're up!"

Madge missed two pitches for two strikes, then flied out to right. She jogged back behind the backstop, flinging her bat to the dirt with disgust. "Lonny, you're next!" she called.

Lonny stood with his hands on his hips, glaring at Andy. "Hey, man, you have my bat," he said.

"I do not." Andy was holding a red and black aluminum bat with dirty gray tape on the handle. He swung it to and fro nonchalantly.

"That's my stick," Lonny said. He pointed to the handle. "See? That's my friction tape."

"I got this bat at the used sporting goods store," Andy said. "Who knows who put that there?"

"Come on," Lonny said impatiently. "That's mine."

"What's holding up the game?" Devon said, striding over.

"Andy's got my bat," Lonny said.

"Give him his bat, Andy." Dwight said immediately.

"It's mine," Andy said.

"You forgot to bring a bat, didn't you?" Dwight said, getting up in Andy's face. "You can't steal someone else's bat just because you forgot yours."

"He's right," Angela said. She glanced between Dwight and Lonny. "Give him his bat back."

"No," Andy said stubbornly. "It's mine."

Dwight grabbed for the bat and Andy stepped back, holding on. He stepped on Angela's foot. "Ow!" she cried.

Dwight took a menacing step towards Andy, who shrank back. Lonny snatched the bat out of his hands easily, glaring at him.

Angela sat down on the picnic bench, rubbing her foot. "I'll be okay." No one was looking at her.

Lonny shot a disgusted look at Andy and strode back to home plate. The pitcher fired a strike at him, and Lonny snarled and hit his bat against the plate. The pitcher wound up for the next pitch, Lonny's shoulders flexed, and Pam heard the WHANG of the aluminum bat and saw the ball sailing to right. The first baseman took off running, Lonny lumbered down the path like a buffalo, and the right fielder dropped the ball. Team Dunder erupted into cheers as Lonny hit the base well ahead of the throw.

"Base hit!" Michael whooped. "Score one!"

Kevin looked at Michael. "That's not a run. It's just a base."

"This is softball, not baseball," Michael retorted. "The rules are different! Especially on a co-ed team."

Kevin looked at Michael blankly. "No, they're not."

"Your turn, Pam," Jim said.