We weren't the only ones to make a change. Quincy put a new pitcher in, probably wanting to keep the game close now that their offense had almost caught up. He dealt with Logan easily, getting to a 1-2 count before getting him to chase a ball in the dirt. Logan came back with a frown.
Noah moved to the batter's box and Bryce went out on deck. I had all my stuff on and ready to go as I stood in the hole. Garret was only a foot away, sharing some thoughts about the game with Coach.
Noah did well during his at bat, ignoring low fastballs and aiming for a high one. He was able to hit a single to right field, bringing some energy back to the dugout. Bryce went to the plate and I left the dugout. Mr. Miller passed out the signs, not specifically telling Noah to steal and giving Bryce the green light to swing. Noah didn't have much of an opportunity to get a good lead when the pitcher had done two check throws to keep him honest. The pitcher being distracted by Noah helped Bryce during his plate appearance. He got to a beneficial 3-1 count before connecting with a fastball and blasting it to left-center field. Both left and center outfielders chased it back but there was no chance. That ball was gone. A two-run homer! 8-5. Our cushion was back.
Noah ran the bases and Bryce followed soon after. They high fived at the plate and the I high fived them on their way in.
This year was different from last season. Before it was mostly Zeke homering with the occasional one from other seniors like Mahki and Julian. A time or two from Garret. Now it was like half our lineup could hit homers. Me, Garret, Bryce, Sean, even Jason and Mitchell. The future was looking bright.
I chose to bat from the left side this time around. The bases were empty with one out so they should be pitching to me again. The catcher stayed down to confirm my hypothesis. Mr. Miller gave me the sign to swing freely. And I did. I fouled a few pitches off before finding one I liked. I then pulled it down the right field line, trying to get it up and out. The right fielder was fast, sprinting to the fence, stepped on it, and got a better jump to get the ball. My jaw dropped.
"Nice catch!"
"Wow!"
"That was unbelievable!"
Yea, I couldn't believe it as well. I picked up my bat myself and headed back to the dugout.
"That kid has some serious skills." Garret patted me on top of the helmet.
"You were robbed!" Sean told me as he came out of the dugout and I went in.
All the guys in the dugout had something to say about my out. I should have just stuck it out as a righty. But there wasn't anything I could do about it now. I got back to my bag where Noah and Bryce were talking about whether they could do the same thing.
"It's not something I practice." Bryce defended himself.
"Neither do I." Noah said. "But I bet I could do it. You just have to show your athleticism."
"Hey, I've got to protect my future in pitching." Bryce argued. "Climbing or hitting the outfield fence hurts. You've got to be crazy or ignorant to try something like that."
"Or desperate." Noah corrected. "Besides, Garret is a pitcher too but he doesn't hesitate to throw himself at the fence to make a great grab."
"No way would I make that catch." I added, plopping down on the bench. I can barely make regular catches, let alone chasing one down so far away. You have to be fast and coordinated.
"Don't you have good control over your hits?" Bryce asked me. "You should have stayed away from that guy after he was able to chase down Garret's fly ball. Obviously anything high in the air will give him enough time to get under it."
I gave a small shrug. "I didn't think that hard about it. I hit a home run on the right side already, so I wanted to try out my left. It's also easier to pull the ball than to hit to the opposite side."
"I feel like none of us can really ask about Jake's batting." Noah chuckled. "No one can compare to his average. Heck, I bet he could be perfect if he didn't try for a homer."
Bryce laughed too. "Yea, I know. I was just saying." He patted me on the shoulder. "I wasn't bashing your hit at all. No denying that you were robbed."
"I know." I nodded. "We were just talking baseball."
Garret's stand up double got us up on our feet, clapping and cheering before sitting back down.
"He keeps getting hits when we're not on base." Bryce joked.
"He's only clutch when it's the bottom of the seventh, two outs, bases loaded, down by three." Noah said.
It took me a minute before I understood.
"Hey, that's the best time." Bryce laughed. "I rather have a player who's good in clutch situations than a .300 hitter."
"Do you think Jake would be walked in that kind of situation?" Noah rubbed his chin. "I know Dave said he would avoid it. But I really wonder what would happen."
Bryce laughed. "Too many factors to consider. How close is the game. How good their hitting is. What pitchers we have left. I know for myself, I would need to hear the order from Coach, at the mound before I intentionally walk a run in. No matter what the score is. My pride wouldn't be able to do it."
Sean hit a long fly ball dead center, making us jump to our feet. The center fielder got to the warning track and made the catch. Garret tagged up and went to third, sliding and popping to his feet with a second to spare.
"I think you're right." Noah said as we sat back down. "If I was a pitcher, I would be too competitive and straightforward. I wouldn't want to intentionally walk in a run either."
Jason hit a grounder to second to end our offensive, leaving Garret stranded at third.
We grabbed our gloves and headed out for the bottom of the fourth. Coach joined us too, going out to tell the umpire of the pitcher change. Marshel came jogging out of the bullpen. All infielders gathered at the mound as Coach took a baseball and handed it to Marshel.
"You know what to do?" Coach asked.
"I'm ready, Coach!" Marshel nearly shouted.
His 'enthusiasm' made my heart palpitate. Hopefully he was predicting the future and that he was really, ready.
Coach spared a glance at Oscar. "Take it easy. Not every out has to be a strikeout. Don't be afraid of intentional balls, just use them wisely."
"I know." Oscar nodded, in a much calmer tone than Marshel.
Coach looked to the rest of us. "Don't fall asleep out there boys. I want the rest of the game to be clean."
"You calling my boy out, Coach?" Noah asked, throwing his arm around my shoulders.
"I won't mess up again, Coach." I hurried to say. Still apologetic for my earlier error.
"Just stay focused and everything will fall into place." Coach said, leaving us for the dugout.
Sean, me, Noah, and Jason all stepped off and went to our positions to throw the ball around as Marshel did his practice pitches off the mound. The umpire gave us two minutes before calling for the game to resume.
Marshel started with the bottom of the order. It was the pitcher spot. It wasn't the guy on the mound though. A pinch hitter. So we'll definitely see a new pitcher again next inning. Marshel's first pitch went high for a ball. Pitch two was also high but the batter swung and connected for a line drive to center field. Garret came sprinting in, making a scooping catch before it could hit the grass. What a relief. One out.
Marshel went to the top of the order. This guy had made decent contact twice now and did so for a third time, except this time it landed in the outfield grass and the guy was abled to stretch it out into a double.
Noah got the ball back and threw it to Marshel. "Don't mind. Focus on the batter."
Marshel didn't answer. Just took the ball back to the rubber and got set. He ignored the runner on second base though so maybe he did hear Noah and just didn't want to acknowledge. The second batter popped a high ball straight into the air. Noah went on the infield grass and called for it, making the catch for the second out. Batter three also ripped a line drive, but it went straight to Jason to end their inning. That double didn't amount to anything much and we kept our three run lead this time.
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