A return to the baseball field means a return to normalcy, even if just for a night, for the community of Van.
"It's important for our town to be here, just for support, to get away from the mess at this moment and just being able to be here, be Van strong," said resident Julie Johnson.
That strength was at Sunnyvale High School on Thursday, where the Van Vandals squared off against North Lamar High School in the Texas high school baseball playoffs.
Signs of support and a sea of red Vandal t-shirts surrounded the baseball diamond.
It's been four days since an EF3 tornado damaged or destroyed about one-third of Van.
"We just need the kids to understand that life has to continue and we have to be as normal as possible," said Jaine Shinn, whose six grandchildren attend Van Independent School District schools.
And that means playing to win. With each crack of the bat, Van moves one step closer to recovery.
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"We want things like this to let the world know that a tornado is not going to put us down," said Shinn.
Van scored three runs in the final inning to beat North Lamar, 8-7.
