COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — NBC4’s Colleen Marshall took a field trip to Huntington Park in preparation to throw out the first pitch at the Clippers game Friday night.

It is a journey that began two months ago after NFL Super Bowl champion Travis Kelce made headlines when he threw out the first pitch at the Cleveland Guardians home opener. Little did anyone know that his pitch would spark a friendly challenge for Marshall.

After delivering the Kelce story live on NBC4 at 11, Marshall jokingly commented that she could do a better job. Surprisingly, the Clippers took notice of her comment and decided to offer Marshall a chance to prove herself.

“This shows the power of TV,” Ken Schnacke, President and General Manager of the Clippers, told Marshall. “Because you asked on TV to do this and you received. We delivered.”

Marshall then clarified with a laugh, “It was a joke, Ken.”

With Marshall’s pitch becoming a challenge, the question arose: Who would coach her to bring the heat without any baseball experience? The answer was none other than NBC4 Weekend Anchor Kyle Beachy, a natural-born baseball enthusiast. Beachy’s impressive background includes winning championships in high school baseball, playing college baseball for four years, and even coaching a championship-winning team.

To prepare for the moment, Marshall and Beachy headed to Huntington Park for a bullpen session. The challenge was on, even though Marshall had no prior baseball experience. Equipped with a glove, hat and an official major league baseball for her pitch, the quest for the perfect throw began.

“Just gotta get loose a little bit. Just getting loose,” Beachy said, as they warmed up. Marshall jokingly added, “No one told me there was going to be exercise.”

What happened next was reminiscent of iconic training montages straight out of the “Rocky” movies. Moments of near misses and minor mishaps, along with impressive catches, highlighted Marshall’s progress.

With some warmup throws under their belts, it was finally time to step up to the mound. Marshall expressed her surprise at the distance, saying, “This seems very far.” However, despite a few wayward throws, Marshall was determined.

“That was your best one yet. I think you’re ready,” Beachy said. With hard work and practice, the belief in a successful pitch grew stronger.

After a series of attempts, Beachy declared, “All right, you’ve practiced. You know what you’re doing. I think you’re ready. Go get ’em!”

As the game approaches, all eyes will be on Marshall as she steps onto the field, inspired to outdo Travis Kelce’s Guardians pitch and prove her skills on the baseball diamond.