The Hitting Zone

We went back to the dugout in good spirits.

"I think I heard you chanting for the ball to come your way." Jason laughed at Noah as we walked down the aisle.

"I wouldn't put it past him." Sean snorted. "Bases could be loaded and he would still want the ball to be put into play. To himself of course."

Noah laughed. "I'd be able to handle it."

"Kyle." Coach's voice cut through the dugout.

Kyle had just put his helmet on. He squinted at Coach. "You're not thinking of putting a pinch hitter in for me, are you?" He was third up this inning.

Coach didn't say anything yet before Kyle started to plead his case. "I've only given up three hits. No walks. I'm not done yet. Let me finish this out!"

"What if we get a runner on third?" Coach asked.

"I'll drive him home."

Garret laughed. "We'll be lucky if you just take the strikeout, okay?"

Kyle shot a glare at him.

"Let's play it by ear." Coach didn't give in. He looked at Korrey and Mitchell. "New pitcher. You should already be out there, watching him warmup."

Watching the new guy didn't mean we could hit off the new guy. I don't think we saw him last year either. We would have remembered someone so good. This guy breezed through our bottom lineup. Korrey and Mitchell struck out looking. With no baserunners, there wasn't much meaning to having a pinch hitter so Kyle got to bat. He at least went down swinging but it wasn't good.

"Damn. He's got to be hitting the 90's." Noah cursed as we prepared to take the field. "His changeup be something else too. How effective. I'm glad he didn't come in against Sean when the bases were loaded."

"Same!" Sean chuckled. "Servite has some tough pitchers. Is the coach teaching them this shit? Or is he just finding them randomly?"

We jogged out.

"Finding them. They're a private school still after all." Jason said as he hurried to third. He was 0-2 at the plate today so he wasn't in the best of moods.

Most of the team actually didn't have a hit. Even Sean, who had the RBI off the sacrifice fly, didn't have a hit on the books.

Bottom of the seventh. Kyle did only a couple of practice pitches to get adjusted before taking on the second batter in the lineup. On a 1-2 count, the batter hit a fly ball to short left field. Noah raced back to make the catch over his shoulder before Korrey could get there. Kyle struck out batter three for his sixth strikeout of the game.

Everyone in the stands seemed to be standing up and yelling as the cleanup batter stepped up to the plate. He had one of the two hits that Kyle has given up.

"C'mon Kyle!"

"Finish them!"

"Let's go!"

Kyle threw a fastball outside for a ball. The batter didn't take the bait at all. Kyle threw a fastball low and missed the zone for ball two.

"Don't run away now!"

"Face him head on!"

"He's scared!"

Kyle's third pitch was his fastest this at bat, trying to stay in the zone. The batter finally swung and smacked the ball up the middle. Garret caught the line drive without having to move much. He jogged it back as we all went to the mound to congratulate Kyle on the win. It was also a complete game shutout against one of the better teams in our league.

"Good game." Was repeated for everyone as we slapped hands. The guys from the dugout and bullpen came out as well before we went back to the dugout to pack up.

Kyle rolled his shoulders and did some small stretches. "Oh man. I think my back is a little sore."

"From that last pitch?" Noah asked nonchalantly.

"No." Kyle grinned and straightened up. "From carrying the weight of the team today."

Someone threw some sunflower seeds at him as some of the guys groaned.

"Hey, you can't win without us." Sean pointed out.

"Geez. Pitching a complete game shutout isn't enough for you?" Kyle joked. "You want me to drive in the runs too?"

"Coach, you better wrap it up before we start throwing more stuff at Kyle." Garret laughed.

Coach grinned. "Okay, okay. We all have to listen to Kyle's gloating for the bus ride back. Tough price to pay with our offense not keeping up today. But don't worry. You boys will have the week off as you turn your focus to midterms." He looked around. "No practice is allowed Monday to Friday, but don't think you can just slack off. Next Saturday we have a doubleheader at a neutral site. Try to get some kind of workout in this week either hitting the cages or throwing with a teammate. I have applied with the school to leave the gym open after school from 3-5. It's not mandatory and it's open for everyone, across all sports."

"You won't keep track of who shows up?" Logan asked.

Coach shook his head. "I won't even be present. There'll be two certified trainers to monitor the gym and answer any questions you might have." He squinted. "Just know that if anyone struggles next Saturday, it will be noted."

"Can I start one of the games Saturday since my start was cut short?" Dave asked.

"You could." Coach rubbed his chin with a small grin. "But then that means you won't be eligible for Monday's game at OLU."

"I want OLU!!!" Dave jumped up. "Let me have them! Please, Coach, please!!!"

Coach grinned. "You've got it. Make sure to prepare adequately."

"Yes! Absolutely!" Dave grinned.

"So many away games." Noah grumbled. "When do we start playing at home again?"

"Right after OLU." Coach had an answer for him. "We play another league opponent, Redwood."

We talked more about the schedule as we cleaned up the dugout and started to head out.

"Yo!" Someone hollered. "Who's in charge around here?"

Everyone paused to look at the Servite guy who came over. He was the relief pitcher we saw in the seventh.

Coach had left first to get to the bus with the other coaches, so it was Garret who stepped up. "I'm the captain. Garret Knudsen. What can I do for you?"

"I want to face the scrawny kid." His eyes searched through our group before resting on me. He pointed at me. "Him."

Scrawny? I looked down at myself. I was a little smaller than the rest of the guys on the team, but I was no longer 'scrawny'. I had gained a lot of weight.

"You'll have to wait until next time then." Garret shrugged. "We're not interested in one on one showdowns." He waved for the team to move. "Let's get back to the bus, guys. The coaches are waiting."

"The JV game is still going." The guy said. "You guys have time." He looked at me again. "Are you scared of something?"

I looked to Noah for help.

Noah snorted and took a step in front of me, blocking the guy's sharp look. "Jake is number one in the county. He has nothing to prove to you. Maybe next time, get your coach to face him head on." He gave me a tug and we started walking again.